Top R&D execs discuss how they've reorganized global teams, tapped new programs as a priority to fight Covid-19 and plan for the future after the pandemic has passed.
Laurie H. Glimcher, MD is the President and CEO of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Director of the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center and the Richard and Susan Smith Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Previously, she was the Stephen and Suzanne Weiss Dean and Professor of Medicine of Weill Cornell Medicine and Provost for Medical Affairs of Cornell University. Dr. Glimcher is a widely renowned trailblazer in cancer and immunology research and a member of the National Academy of Sciences and National Academy of Medicine. She served on the Board of Directors of Bristol Myers Squibb Pharmaceuticals and is currently a Director of GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals and the Waters Corporation.
Dr. Glimcher has been a staunch proponent of improved access to care, health policy, and medical education, while simultaneously serving as a pioneering mentor and role model for cancer research trainees and for all women in science. Notably, she was the first woman to be appointed as dean of Weill Cornell Medicine in New York and is the first female President and CEO of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
Andrew S. Plump, M.D., Ph.D., is the President of Research and Development at Takeda Pharmaceutical and serves as a member of the company’s Board of Directors. His career spans nearly 30 years in the pharmaceutical industry and academia and his experience encompasses early research through regulatory approval and patient access. Dr. Plump’s approach toward drug research and development is reflected in a virtuous cycle of “bench to bedside to bench” learning. He is a true translational physician-scientist, with deep knowledge in biomedical research, experimental medicine, early development, genomics and biomarkers and a history of scientific contributions in neuroscience, cardiovascular and metabolic diseases.
Throughout his career, Dr. Plump has been motivated to make an impact for patients by translating groundbreaking science into the practice of healthcare. He is regarded as a multi-dimensional leader who is passionate about leading diverse, cross-functional teams and nurturing a high-performing culture to achieve a shared mission, innovate for patients and change health for the better.
Currently, Dr. Plump leads a modern, world-class R&D organization focused on three therapeutic areas: gastroenterology, neuroscience and oncology, plus vaccines. Through the application of novel modalities and a rich partner ecosystem, the Takeda R&D organization is committed to delivering innovative solutions that address unmet needs.
Dr. David M. Reese is executive vice president, Research and Development. In this role, Dr. Reese oversees Discovery Research, Global Development, Global Regulatory Affairs and Safety, as well as Global Medical. Dr. Reese joined Amgen in 2005 and has served in various leadership roles within the Research and Development organization. This includes most recently serving as Senior Vice President of Translational Sciences and Oncology where he oversaw the translation of Amgen’s medicines from the lab into the clinic and the overall oncology strategy.
Prior to joining Amgen, Dr. Reese was director of Clinical Research for the Breast Cancer International Research Group (BCIRG) and a co-founder, president and chief medical officer of Translational Oncology Research International (TORI), a not-for-profit academic clinical research organization.
Dr. Reese is a graduate of Harvard College and the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. He completed training in Internal Medicine and Hematology/Oncology at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Medicine, and subsequently served on the faculty at UCLA and the University of California, San Francisco.
As Global Head of R&D at the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, Mathai's mission is to focus the energy of the best research and development teams in the world at the intersection of profound unmet medical need and actionable breakthroughs in science and technology to make medicines of unequivocal benefit for humanity. The team works across a wide range of therapeutic areas and biological pathways. Janssen’s approach to medicines is patient-focused, agnostic to both source of the idea and the treatment modality. The team is invested deeply in data sciences in every aspect of R&D. Janssen R&D has fueled the growth of Janssen to be the largest pharmaceutical company in the United States, and the fourth largest in the world.
Mathai has more than 150 peer-reviewed publications and patents and serves on various boards and advisory committees. He received his M.D. from Harvard Medical School/Massachusetts Institute of Technology (HST program) and his Ph.D. in Chemistry from Harvard University's Department of Chemistry.
Hal joined GSK in January 2018 as Chief Scientific Officer and President, R&D, responsible for all research and development of our pipeline molecules as well as life-cycle management of the approved medicines. He is an Executive Director of the GSK Board and a member of the Corporate Executive Team.
Hal is an Associate Adjunct Professor, Epidemiology & Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco. He is a Non-Executive Board Director of GRAIL, Inc, an early cancer detection healthcare company and a member of the Advisory Board of Verily Life Sciences LLC, a subsidiary of Alphabet, Inc. Hal was a Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Science & Technology Committee at Juno Therapeutics, Inc until March 2018, when it was acquired by Celgene Corporation.
He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics from Washington University in St Louis and a medical degree from Yale University. He completed his training in Cardiology and Internal Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco.
John Chiminski was named Chief Executive Officer of Catalent Pharma Solutions in March 2009. He joined Catalent after more than 20 years of experience at GE Healthcare in engineering, operations, and senior leadership roles. From 2007 to 2009, Mr. Chiminski was President and Chief Executive Officer of GE Medical Diagnostics, a global business with sales of $1.9 billion. From 2005 to 2007, he served as Vice President and General Manager of GE Healthcare’s Global Magnetic Resonance Business, and from 2001 to 2005, as Vice President and General Manager of Global Healthcare Services. Earlier at GE, he held a series of cross-functional leadership positions in both manufacturing and engineering, including a GE Medical Systems assignment in France.
Mr. Chiminski holds a BS from Michigan State University and an M.S. from Purdue University, both in electrical engineering, as well as a Master’s Degree in Management from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.
John D. Carroll is a biotech analyst and writer with decades of prize-winning experience in journalism. A co-founder of Endpoints News, he has covered biopharma for the past 17 years. Aside from his daily industry coverage for FierceBiotech, where he was named editor in 2003, leaving in 2016, Carroll has been a regular speaker at biotech events around the globe. He’s been quoted by The New York Times, The New Yorker, Financial Times, The Times of London and more. He’s also keynoted at biotech gatherings around the world and addressed student audiences at MIT and Harvard.
Carroll has contributed stories from Central America and Ireland to the Dallas Morning News and Time and wrote for the Houston Press. He spent 6 years as editor and publisher of the Dallas Business Journal, was publisher of Texas Business and early in his career was part of a Pulitzer Prize-winning team of reporters and editors at the Kansas City Star & Times..
