mAcademia - Science, More than Just Academia. – Details, episodes & analysis

Dr. Evan Bai is computational genomic team leader at Vertex Pharmaceuticals. There he leads collaborations across Research, Clinical, and Commercial. By designing and analyzing genomic studies across the drug discovery pipeline, ranging from target discovery to defining treatable patient population, he contributed to the advancement of one disease program from compound screening into Phase II clinical trials, and other disease programs from target discovery into lead optimization. Evan is also the founder of Hanwen Interiors, an interior decorating firm specializing in modern, Asian-inspired homes. He helps homeowners find peace and retreat by creating functional and beautiful designs. Hanwen Interiors is also a proud member of the Massachusetts LGBT Chamber of Commerce. To help support the LGBTQ+ community, I pledge to donate 10% of our design fees to local LGBTQ+ non-profit organizations. Evan is also the volunteer leader and co-chair of Vertex Pharmaceuticals’ PRIDE Employee Resource Group (with over 400 members globally), where he leads and oversees company-wide programs that support the career advancement of LGBTQ+ employees and allies.  Elena talked with Evan about his career path to and at Vertex, his new role as interior designer and the parallels between the two. They also discussed how being part of the LGBTQ+ community has affected his career and how he is serving and supporting this community now. You can find more about Evan: Website: hanwen-interiors.com Instagram handle:  @hanwen.interiors LinkedIn profile:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/evan-bai/ Music credits Funkorama Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Dr. Yaniv Erlich is the co-founder and CEO of Eleven Therapeutics. Prior, he was the CSO of MyHeritage, a consumer genomics company (acquired by Francisco Partners), an Associate Professor of Computer Science at Columbia University and a Principal Investigator at the Whitehead Institute, MIT. 

We talked with Yaniv about his unique career that led him to leave academia and focus his efforts on building exciting biotech companies. Yaniv shared his insights into academic and non academic career development pathways for scientists, delved into the advantages of building a company in the UK as well as shed some light on how research is done at Eleven Therapeutics. 

Tune in and join the discussion in our 'mAcademia podcast' group on Facebook. 

Music

Funkorama Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Ori Zelichov M.D. is the VP Clinical Development of Nucleai, a startup company developing image analysis technologies for precision oncology. Dr. Zelichov leads the medical strategy and clinical development for the company. Prior to joining Nucleai, Ori was the Medical Director for Novellus, where he led to the development of a novel targeted treatments for cancer, now being tested in clinical trials.   We talked about product development, the company evolution to match market needs, the 'mom' dilemma and so much more. Want to continue the conversation? Join our mAcademia Group on facebook. Music credits: Funkorama Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Yulie Klerman solves puzzles of the complex healthcare ecosystem, helping health tech companies crystalize product/market fit and develop a go-to-market strategy for their innovative solutions. Yulie is a VP of Business Development at Rhino Health, an end-to-end Federated Learning and Privacy Preservation platform facilitating privacy-centric data collaboration. In her previous role, she launched a Health Data Connectivity Platform for the safe and effective incorporation of health, consumer, and digital data at Liveramp. Yulie is obsessed with data democratization, interoperability, and privacy. 

We talked about how to develop a career starting with a science degree and get proficient in business, how to start in one country and move to a different one, how to start in one area and move to a different one. We talked about passion, curiosity and passion to what you do. 

Want to continue the conversation? Join our mAcademia Group on facebook.

Music:

Music credits: Funkorama Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Gavi Feuer’s life pursuit is to incorporate new and developing technologies into medical devices. As Engineering Director and Co-founder of Rafael Medical Devices, he takes surgical procedures to the next level in order to improve safety, efficacy, cost, and efficiency.

After receiving his Bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering from Cooper Union, Gavi earned his Ph.D. from SUNY Downstate studying bone tissue and the human skeleton as mechanical systems.

With his knowledge in both engineering and biomechanical systems, he spent the next years in the orthopedic device industry, first working with Monogram Orthopedics, a startup focused on surgical robotics and additively manufactured implants, then AM Surgical, a manufacturer of endoscopic surgical equipment. He currently leads engineering and product development efforts at Rafael Medical Devices, a new venture in the surgical device industry.

Music:

Funkorama Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Dr. Assaf Zemach spent seven years as a professor at Tel Aviv university before he moved back to the US and joined Rinati skin as Head of Metabolic Engineering. We talked about Assaf's career as both a PI and scientist in industry, about the difficult task of navigating two careers and raising children abroad, about the differences and similarities of leading research in academia and industry, and much more.

Music credits: Funkorama Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Rachel Diamant co-founded Emendo Biotherapeutics in 2016 with a group of friends. Emendo is a next generation gene editing company developing genetic medicines for severe genetic diseases. Rachel completed biotech engineering studies from the Technion (Israel) in 2000 and MSc in Neuroscience from the Weizmann Institute of Science in 2004. She is a serial entrepreneur in biotech and has been working in the field of IP strategy for over a decade. 

We talked about the role IP has in building a company and how it can be used to develop interesting products. We talked about the culture at Emendo and how career development based on skills can be extended throughout the years.  

Music:

Music credits: Funkorama Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Prof. Karen B. Avraham, professor at the Department of Human Molecular Genetics and Biochemistry at the Faculty of Medicine and Sagol School of Neuroscience at Tel Aviv University in Israel. She and her team lead the effort in the discovery of disease genes and the use of models for therapy, with an emphasis on precision medicine. Her laboratory of neural and sensory genomics focuses on deafness and developmental epileptic encephalopathies.

Karen takes great pride in the 135 undergraduate, MSc, PhD, MD-PhD students and post-docs she has mentored, both from Israel and abroad, and 60 junior faculty she has helped recruit to the Faculty of Medicine at Tel Aviv University. She also works as a coordinator in research efforts for neurological diseases, as co-director of the Aufzien Family Center for the Prevention and Treatment of Parkinson’s Disease and of the Taube-Koret Global Collaboration in Neurodegenerative Diseases. She founded and directs the Biomed@TAU Research Hubs, whose mission is to gather together scientists and foster collaboration from across Tel Aviv University and affiliated hospitals who share overlapping research interests (https://en-biomed.tau.ac.il/)

Music:

Music credits: Funkorama Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) 

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Dov Shamir, Ph.D. fell in love with science but not the way it was done in an academic lab, he wanted to be closer to the point of impact, where basic science developments meet the real world needs. His multidisciplinary background extends to the creation of his own startups and products, therapeutic development, engineering, finance, and investing. Dov is the Senior Manager of Entrepreneurship at Mount Sinai Innovation Partners (MSIP), the commercialization office of the Mount Sinai Health System.  He leads MSIP’s newly established Elementa Labs, an incubator program that strategically positions external health care and biotechnology startup companies for the next stage in their development. As an experienced scientist and entrepreneur, Dov supports founders by providing mentorship and guidance to develop their platforms and helps position their companies to the ecosystem for future growth and success. The thoughts and opinions expressed in this episode reflect those of the speaker, and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Mount Sinai Health System. Music credits: Funkorama Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Ohad was trained as a computational scientist and is grateful to be able to apply these skills to improve patients' lives and outcomes. He lives in Seattle with his wife and two kids. Ohad is the Head of Computational Biology and Data Science at Century Tx and a Scientific Advisor for Drop Bio. When he's not working or thinking about science and data, he likes to spend time with his family enjoying what Seattle and the PNW has to offer, or zone out with some yoga or rock climbing for a mind-body workout. 

Home | Century Therapeutics (centurytx.com)

(26) Ohad Manor, PhD | LinkedIn

Music credit:

Funkorama Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/