OUR MISSION
Priovant Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on delivering novel therapies for autoimmune diseases with the greatest morbidity and mortality. We are developing oral brepocitinib, a potential first-in-class dual inhibitor of TYK2 and JAK1, across multiple severe autoimmune indications, unlocking new treatment options for patients who are underserved by existing therapies. You can read more about our work here.
OUR TEAM
Ade Adeboye
Director, Clinical Development
Shauna Anderson
Associate Director, Quality
Kelly Barghausen
Director, Regulatory Affairs
Eric Bashkoff
Senior Software Engineer
Yolanda Bell
Senior Director, Supply Chain
Lisa Blackburn
Clinical Data Associate
Matt Cascino
SVP, Clinical Development
Nick Cozzi
Clinical Research Associate
Courtney Cupples
Chief Commercial Officer
Kunle Demuren
Associate, Clinical Operations
Ben Dormitorio
Principal Biostatistician
Julianne Dragan
Senior Manager, Clinical Quality
Lisa Dyer
Associate Director, Clinical Operations
Derek Gonzalez
Clinical Research Associate
Jacob Gordon
Director, Clinical Operations
Sasha Goriounova
Manager, Clinical Development
Heather Greene
Director, Statistical Programming
Matt Griffith
Associate, Business Operations
Austin Gromatzky
SVP, Strategy & Business Development
Ruth Hager
Director, Pharmacovigilance
Dan Hazen
Controller
Daniel Herz-Roiphe
Chief Operating Officer
Whitney Holmes
Conference Planner & Executive Assistant to the CEO
Megan Huey
Head of People
Noriko Iikuni
VP, Clinical Development
Nasif Islam
Director, Strategy & Business Development
Anna Johnson
Senior Clinical Research Associate
Brendan Johnson
SVP, Early Development
Scott Jones
VP, Clinical Operations
Brian Junio
Senior Clinical Research Associate
Casandra Kigundu
Senior Manager, Regulatory Affairs
George Kokkines
General Counsel
Beth Lang
SVP, Regulatory Affairs & Pharmacovigilance
Debbie Lee
Associate Director, Accounting
Elizabeth Lewkowicz
Office Manager & Executive Assistant
Rob Livingston
SVP, CMC
Valentina Losada
Associate, Business Operations
Tyler Massaro
Director, Biostatistics
Lisa McConnachie
Associate Director, Nonclinical Development
Scott Mitchell
Senior Director, Analytical Development
Paul Mudd
Chief Development Officer
Sergey Pavlenko
Director, Clinical Operations
Sabrina Pogrebivsky
Manager, Clinical Operations
Alissa Respet
Associate Director, Quality Systems
Lindsey Rios
SVP, Program Management & Clinical Operations
Poonam Sharma
Senior Director, Commercial
Denise Shortino
VP, Biometrics
Taryn Smith
Patient Engagement Manager
Bruce Stevens
SVP, Quality
Christin Thompson
Senior Clinical Research Associate
David Tromblay
Senior Associate, Quality
Alysa Vereen
Senior Manager, Regulatory Affairs
Drew Webster
Director, Clinical Operations
Flora Wong
Associate Director, Supply Chain
Frank Zhang
Senior Director, Drug Product Development & Manufacturing
Ben Zimmer
Chief Executive Officer
Ben Zimmer
Chief Executive Officer
Paul Mudd
Chief Development Officer
Courtney Cupples
Chief Commercial Officer
Daniel Herz-Roiphe
Chief Operating Officer
Austin Gromatzky
SVP, Strategy & Business Development
Frank Torti
Executive Chairman
Irena Melnikova
Director
Eric Venker
Director
Ben Zimmer
Chief Executive Officer
Ben Zimmer is CEO of Priovant Therapeutics. He joined Priovant from Roivant, where he was a member of the founding team in early 2015 and held multiple leadership roles across the organization, including President, Roivant Health, Chief Operating Officer, and Head, Public Affairs. As President, Roivant Health, Ben led and oversaw the launch of Roivant's Chinese biopharmaceutical subsidiaries, healthcare technology companies (including Datavant), and computationally powered drug discovery platform (including VantAI). Earlier in his career, Ben was a consultant at McKinsey & Co and co-founded and led a public policy non-profit. He holds a BA magna cum laude from Harvard College and a JD from Yale Law School.
Whitney Holmes
Conference Planner & Executive Assistant to the CEO
Whitney Holmes is Conference Planner & Executive Assistant to the CEO at Priovant Therapeutics. She joined Priovant from Roivant Sciences, where she served as Team Coordinator for Roivant Health. Whitney began her career working in asset and executive management, including spending 16 years in roles at Credit Suisse, Golub Capital, and Crown Sterling. Whitney earned a BA in Sociology at Wake Forest University and a Grand Diplome at Le Cordon Bleu Paris.
Paul Mudd
Chief Development Officer
Paul Mudd, PharmD, MBA, RPH is Chief Development Officer at Priovant Therapeutics. Before joining Priovant, Dr. Mudd spent over 6 years in the Roivant family, helping to launch and lead companies including Myovant and Urovant. Most recently, he served as the SVP, Clinical Development and Health Outcomes at Urovant, leading GEMTESA® (vibegron) development from in-license to approval and launch. Dr. Mudd has over 25 years of experience as a drug developer, including over 16 years at GSK as a Senior Director of Clinical Pharmacology and R&D Project Leader. Dr. Mudd received his BS in Chemistry and PharmD from the State University of New York at Buffalo and completed a post-doctoral fellowship in Clinical PK/PD and an MBA at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Ade Adeboye
Director, Clinical Development
Ade Adeboye is Director, Clinical Development at Priovant Therapeutics. Ade is a trained physician with multiple years of clinical development and medical monitoring experience across several therapeutic areas including immunology, gastroenterology, rheumatology, oncology, and infectious disease. Prior to joining Priovant, Ade spent three years at Cristcot, where he managed Phase 2 and Phase 3 trials for a number of autoimmune indications. Previously, he served as a Clinical Research Physician at Parexel, where he supervised medical monitoring and pharmacovigilance for a variety of clinical trials. Ade holds an MBBS from the University of Lagos, Nigeria.
Shauna Anderson
Associate Director, Quality
Shauna Anderson is Associate Director, Quality at Priovant. She joined Priovant from Precision BioSciences, where she was a QA Associate on the External QA team. Shauna started her career in the laboratory and has since held various QA roles at several clinical-stage biotechnology companies. She holds a MS and BS in Chemistry and is an ASQ-certified CQA.
Kelly Barghausen
Director, Regulatory Affairs
Kelly Barghausen, PhD is Director, Regulatory Affairs at Priovant Therapeutics. She joined Priovant from Urovant, where she was Associate Director of Regulatory Affairs, making significant contributions to the EMPOWUR study and the submission and FDA approval of the original NDA for GEMTESA® (vibegron). Kelly started her career in Regulatory Affairs at Duke University and has a background in molecular genetics, oncology, and pre-clinical disease modeling. She holds a PhD in Biomedical Sciences from Florida State University College of Medicine as well as a Regulatory Affairs Certification (RAC US).
Yolanda Bell
Senior Director, Supply Chain
Yolanda Bell is Senior Director, Supply Chain at Priovant Therapeutics. She has nearly three decades of industry experience, specializing in end-to-end global supply chain management. Prior to joining Priovant, Yolanda had leadership roles at several large, medium, and small biotech/pharma companies where she led teams, established supply chain departments, and implemented business processes, SOPs and RACIs. Yolanda earned an associate's degree in business administration from Taylor Business Institute.
Lisa Blackburn
Clinical Data Associate
Lisa Blackburn is a Clinical Data Associate at Priovant Therapeutics. Her previous experience includes work at sponsors and CROs as a Clinical Research Coordinator, Clinical Project Assistant, Clinical Research Associate, and Clinical Data Associate involved in multiple aspects of different Phase 1-4 clinical trials. Lisa holds a BS in Psychology from Clemson University.
Matt Cascino
SVP, Clinical Development
Matt Cascino, MD is SVP, Clinical Development at Priovant Therapeutics. Before joining Priovant, Matt worked in clinical development roles of increasing responsibility at Ventyx Biosciences, Amgen, and Genentech. Matt trained in rheumatology and internal medicine at UCSF and received his MD from the University of Minnesota. Matt also holds bachelor's degrees in chemistry and music from Northwestern University.
Nick Cozzi
Clinical Research Associate
Nick Cozzi is a Clinical Research Associate at Priovant Therapeutics. Before joining Priovant, he spent two years as a Clinical Research Associate at Syneos Health. Nick began his career as an SMO Manager for oncology clinical trial sites before transitioning into a coordinator position for decentralized trials. Nick holds a BS in Liberal Arts and Sciences from University of Illinois at Chicago.
Courtney Cupples
Chief Commercial Officer
Courtney Cupples is Chief Commercial Officer at Priovant Therapeutics. Courtney joined Priovant from Biohaven Pharmaceuticals, where she spent five years leading commercial strategy and launch-planning for the company’s rare disease portfolio, as well as business development projects and global partnering efforts. Prior to Biohaven, Courtney worked at Alexion Pharmaceuticals for nine years, where she led the $1 billion Global Franchise for Soliris® (eculizumab) for atypical Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (aHUS) and the Global Metabolic Franchise for Strensiq® (asfotase alfa) and Kanuma® (sebelipase alfa) for rare metabolic diseases. Earlier in her career, Courtney spent 11 years at Genzyme in various commercial roles that included a four-year assignment in Chile and three years leading a marketing team in Mexico. Courtney received her BA in Sociology/Anthropology from Swarthmore College.
Kunle Demuren
Associate, Clinical Operations
Kunle Demuren is Associate, Clinical Operations at Priovant Therapeutics. Kunle comes to Priovant from Cellino, where he was a Strategy and Business Development Fellow. In this capacity, he worked on market research, corporate strategy, and business development projects to support the goal of developing a platform for autonomous cell therapy manufacturing. Prior to Cellino, he was a Consultant at Boston Consulting Group, working on healthcare strategy projects with clients across biopharma, medical devices, and private equity. He holds a PhD in Biology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a BA in Molecular Biology from Princeton University, and is also a Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM).
Ben Dormitorio
Principal Biostatistician
Ben Dormitorio is Principal Biostatistician at Priovant Therapeutics. Before joining Priovant, Ben was a biostatistician at Parexel where he worked on clinical trials in osteoporosis and inflammatory diseases. Ben holds a BS in Statistics from the University of the Philippines in the Visayas and a PhD in Statistics from Western Michigan University.
Julianne Dragan
Senior Manager, Clinical Quality
Julianne Dragan is Senior Manager, Clinical Quality at Priovant Therapeutics. Before joining Priovant, Julianne was Senior Manager, Quality Assurance at Shattuck Labs, where she managed the company's QMS documentation and vendor management program. Previously, she held various Quality Assurance positions at Liquidia Technologies. Julianne earned a BS in Public Health from East Carolina University and holds several ASQ certifications, including CSQP, CQA, CQPA, and CQIA.
Lisa Dyer
Associate Director, Clinical Operations
Lisa Dyer is Associate Director, Clinical Operations at Priovant Therapeutics. Lisa brings more than 18 years of experience in ophthalmology and clinical research. She has worked closely with sites, sponsors, and CROs in Phase II - IV clinical drug and device studies across multiple therapeutic areas, including ophthalmology, infectious disease, autoimmune disease, oncology, and vaccines. Lisa holds a BS in Health Science from ECPI University and a MS in Clinical Operations and Healthcare Management from George Washington University.
Derek Gonzalez
Clinical Research Associate
Derek Gonzalez is a Clinical Research Associate at Priovant Therapeutics. Before joining Priovant, Derek spent three years as a Clinical Research Coordinator, and then went on to supervise the Clinical Research Coordinator team, in the Department of Surgery at the University of Wisconsin. Derek received his Bachelor of Science in Biology and minored in Chemistry and Earth and Ocean Sciences at Duke University.
Jacob Gordon
Director, Clinical Operations
Jacob Gordon is Director, Clinical Operations at Priovant Therapeutics. Before joining Priovant, Jacob led go-to-market program management at Teladoc Health. Earlier in his career, he held program management roles at Hims and Hers, Curology, and L'Oreal. Jacob holds a BS in Biochemistry from Carnegie Mellon University.
Sasha Goriounova
Manager, Clinical Development
Sasha Goriounova is Manager, Clinical Development at Priovant Therapeutics. Prior to joining Priovant, Sasha earned a PhD in Pharmacology from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Her thesis research involved the development of a novel Orai1 Ca2+ channel inhibitor, ELD607, which reduces inflammation in disease models and aids in more efficient bacterial clearing during infection. Sasha also holds bachelor's degrees in Chemistry and Forensic Science from the University of New Haven.
Heather Greene
Director, Statistical Programming
Heather Greene is Director, Statistical Programming at Priovant Therapeutics. Before joining Priovant, Heather was Senior Principal Statistical Programmer/Associate Director at Urovant, where she led all programming activities related to the GEMTESA development program. Earlier in her career, she worked as a statistician at RTI International and spent four years in statistical programming roles at Synteract supporting clinical studies a variety of therapeutic areas including oncology, ophthalmology, dermatology, and gastroenterology. Heather holds a BS in Mathematics and Statistics from UNC Wilmington and a MPH in Biostatistics from UNC Chapel Hill.
Matt Griffith
Associate, Business Operations
Matt Griffith is Associate, Business Operations at Priovant Therapeutics. Before joining Priovant, Matt was an Associate at McKinsey & Company. Before his most recent role, Matt spent ten years in the U.S. Marine Corps, where he served as a V-22 crew chief, specializing in operations and flight instruction. Matt holds a BA in Applied Mathematics from Columbia University.
Ruth Hager
Director, Pharmacovigilance
Ruth Hager is Director, Pharmacovigilance at Priovant Therapeutics. Ruth holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from Northeastern University and worked in critical care and research before starting her career in the pharmaceutical industry. She has previously worked for pharma companies within multiple therapeutic areas, as well as a large CRO. Her expertise includes management of all aspects of pharmacovigilance from clinical drug development (phase I through IV) to management of marketed compounds, aggregate report management, safety surveillance, safety database governance, regulatory compliance, vendor management, and audits.
Noriko Iikuni
VP, Clinical Development
Noriko Iikuni, MD, PhD, FACP is VP, Clinical Development at Priovant Therapeutics. Noriko is a board-certified rheumatologist and internist who brings extensive experience in clinical development, medical affairs, and pharmacovigilance across therapeutic areas including rheumatology, immunology, dermatology, gastroenterology, cardiovascular, diabetes, and men’s/women’s health. Prior to joining Priovant, Noriko helped lead late-stage dermatomyositis clinical trials at Alexion and JAK inhibitor development at Pfizer and Eli Lilly. Noriko holds a BS in Biology from Lafayette College, an MD from Kanazawa Medical University (Japan), and a PhD in Rheumatology at Tokyo Women’s Medical University. Noriko also completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of California, Los Angeles.
Anna Johnson
Senior Clinical Research Associate
Anna Johnson is a Senior Clinical Research Associate at Priovant Therapeutics. Before joining Priovant, Anna was a Senior CRA at Precision for Medicine, where she worked on a wide range of oncology trials focused on gene therapies, CAR T, and oncolytic viruses. Anna holds a BS in Sociology from Saint Leo University.
Brendan Johnson
SVP, Early Development
Brendan Johnson, PhD is SVP, Early Development for Priovant Therapeutics. Prior to joining Priovant, Brendan held clinical pharmacology leadership positions at Roivant Sciences and Sumitovant Biopharma. Earlier in his career, he spent 10 years at GSK in the Clinical Pharmacology Modeling and Simulation Department. Brendan completed his pharmacy training and PhD at Monash University in Melbourne, followed by a clinical PK/PD fellowship with UNC-Chapel Hill and GSK, leading to his long-term role with the company.
Scott Jones
VP, Clinical Operations
Scott Jones is VP, Clinical Operations at Priovant Therapeutics. Before joining Priovant, Scott worked at Faeth Therapeutics, where he supported the operation of clinical trials related to cancer therapies and nutrition. Earlier in his career, Scott spent nearly a decade in the culinary industry, serving as a chef and Culinary Director at Barbara Lynch Collective, where he led teams at some of Boston's finest restaurants, and as Chief of Staff at Chew, a boutique consultancy. Scott holds a BA in Biochemical Sciences from Harvard University.
Brian Junio
Senior Clinical Research Associate
Brian Junio is a Senior Clinical Research Associate at Priovant Therapeutics. Before joining Priovant, he spent three years as a Clinical Research Associate in CRO and sponsor organizations. Brian began his career as a Study Coordinator and Project Manager in an oncology precision medicine laboratory, focusing on bringing targeted therapies to patients with blood cancers. Brian holds a BS in Liberal Arts and Sciences from Portland State University and is a Certified Clinical Research Professional (CCRP).
Elizabeth Lewkowicz
Office Manager & Executive Assistant
Elizabeth Lewkowicz is Office Manager & Executive Assistant at Priovant Therapeutics. She began her career working in Office Management and Human Resources with Greystar and Fortitude International. Elizabeth earned a BS in Communication from East Carolina University.
Rob Livingston
SVP, CMC
Rob Livingston is SVP, CMC at Priovant Therapeutics. He joined Priovant from Repare Therapeutics, where he led pharmaceutical development and clinical supply operations for multiple oncology programs. Rob brings more than 20 years of experience in clinical- and commercial-stage drug development and manufacturing, including leadership roles in drug substance and analytical development at both large pharma and small biotech companies. He received BA degrees in Chemistry and History from Williams College and his PhD in Organic Chemistry from Stanford University.
Tyler Massaro
Director, Biostatistics
Tyler Massaro, PhD, is Director, Biostatistics at Priovant Therapeutics. Before joining Priovant, Tyler held positions both as a CRO and sponsor biostatistician. Most recently, he worked at UCB on the Bimzelx® clinical development program. Tyler received his BA in Mathematics from SUNY College at Geneseo, and his PhD in Mathematics from the University of Tennessee.
Lisa McConnachie
Associate Director, Nonclinical Development
Lisa McConnachie is Associate Director, Nonclinical Development at Priovant Therapeutics. She joins the Priovant team from Impel NeuroPharma, a small commercial stage biotechnology company, where she spent two years leading the company's nonclinical programs for drug-device development, with emphasis on nasal drug delivery. Prior to that role, Lisa spent 17 years with the University of Washington working as a Research Scientist in pharmacokinetics, drug metabolism and toxicology, with an emphasis on translational sciences. Lisa holds a BS in Biology from Purdue University, and a MS in Toxicology and PhD in Pharmaceutics (Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics) from the University of Washington.
Scott Mitchell
Senior Director, Analytical Development
Scott Mitchell is Senior Director, Analytical Development at Priovant Therapeutics. Before joining Priovant, Scott led Analytical and CMC activities at Angion. Prior to that role, he spent 17 years at Gilead Sciences, where he supported drug substance and drug product development from pre-IND through commercialization. Scott holds a BA from Gustavus Adolphus College and a PhD in Pharmacy/Medicinal Chemistry from the University of Utah, and pursued post-doctoral research at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography studying marine natural products.
Sergey Pavlenko
Director, Clinical Operations
Sergey Pavlenko, MD, is Director, Clinical Operations at Priovant Therapeutics. Sergey brings over 16 years of clinical research experience in Clinical Operations and Project Management. Prior to joining Priovant, Sergey spent more than nine years with Biorasi, a US-based global CRO. As Director of Project Management at Biorasi, he managed multifunctional and multinational teams, primarily focusing on difficult-to-enroll patient populations and rescue studies. Sergey graduated from Novosibirsk State Medical University (Russia) and completed a residency in neurology. He also holds a postgraduate diploma in Clinical Research from the University of Liverpool (UK).
Sabrina Pogrebivsky
Manager, Clinical Operations
Sabrina Pogrebivsky is Manager, Clinical Operations at Priovant Therapeutics. Before joining Priovant, Sabrina spent three years in a field technical role in the Cardiac Rhythm Management division of Boston Scientific. Sabrina earned her B.S.E. in Biomedical Engineering from Duke University.
Alissa Respet
Associate Director, Quality Systems
Alissa Respet is Associate Director, Quality Systems at Priovant Therapeutics. Prior to joining Priovant, Alissa was Associate Director, Quality Compliance at Sage Therapeutics. She began her career at Catalent in 2011 and since then has served in a variety of Quality roles with an emphasis on Quality Systems, Audit, Supplier Assurance, and Quality Operations at clinical-stage organizations and CDMOs. She holds a BS in Biomedical Engineering, Biochemistry, and Chemistry from NC State University and an MSc in Molecular Life Sciences from Jacobs University Bremen in Germany.
Lindsey Rios
SVP, Program Management & Clinical Operations
Lindsey Rios is SVP, Program Management & Clinical Operations at Priovant Therapeutics. She brings over 15 years of experience in clinical research. Before joining Priovant, she was Senior Vice President of Project Operations at Biorasi, a global CRO focused on rare disease. As an early employee of Biorasi, Lindsey helped build the delivery arm of the organization and was responsible for leading high-performing global teams in cross-functional clinical programs. Lindsey holds a BS from University of Miami and completed the General Management Program at Harvard Business School.
Poonam Sharma
Senior Director, Commercial
Poonam Sharma is Senior Director, Commercial at Priovant Therapeutics. Before joining Priovant, Poonam worked at Oscar Health, where she established and led the Business Operations vertical for the Utilization Management function of the company, managing more than $1B in annual medical costs. Earlier in her career, Poonam held positions with healthcare payers and providers in the US and Southeast Asia. Poonam holds a BS from Delhi University, an MHA from the Institute of Health Management Research (India), and an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
Denise Shortino
VP, Biometrics
Denise Shortino, MS is VP, Biometrics at Priovant Therapeutics. She joined Priovant from Urovant, where she led biostats, programming, and data management for the GEMTESA® (vibegron) development program. Denise has more than 20 years of experiences as a biostatistician in pharmaceutical clinical research and development, including leadership roles at GSK and Parexel. She has successfully supported regulatory submissions for cardiovascular, infectious disease and urology medicines. Denise has an MS in Biostatistics from UNC Chapel Hill and a BS in Statistics from Virginia Polytechnic University.
Bruce Stevens
SVP, Quality
Bruce Stevens is SVP, Quality at Priovant Therapeutics. He joined Priovant from Precision BioSciences, where he was the VP of Quality and Compliance. Bruce has over 25 years of experience in Quality, Validation, Engineering and Manufacturing, including leadership roles at multiple clinical-stage biotech companies, where he developed and implemented phase-appropriate Quality Management Systems, and 10 years of progressive experience at Biogen. He holds degrees in Biological Engineering and Biochemistry from Purdue University.
Daniel Herz-Roiphe
Chief Operating Officer
Daniel Herz-Roiphe is Chief Operating Officer at Priovant Therapeutics. Before joining Priovant, Daniel held various leadership roles in the Roivant family of companies, most recently as Chief Operating Officer & General Counsel at VantAI. Earlier in his career, he worked at Palantir Technologies, Kirkland & Ellis, and McKinsey & Co., and clerked for Chief Judge Merrick Garland on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals and Justice Stephen Breyer on the U.S. Supreme Court. He holds a BA summa cum laude from Harvard College and a JD from Yale Law School.
Eric Bashkoff
Senior Software Engineer
Eric Bashkoff, MD, MS is Senior Software Engineer at Priovant Therapeutics. Prior to joining Priovant, Eric served in several full-stack software engineer roles focused on using agile processes in software design to support drug development and commercialization. Before becoming a software engineer, Eric worked as a general surgeon in a community practice, performing over 7000 surgical procedures. He graduated summa cum laude from Princeton University with a BS in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and received his medical degree from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. He also holds an MS in Information Technology/Information Assurance from University of Maryland Global Campus.
Dan Hazen
Controller
Dan Hazen is the Controller at Priovant Therapeutics. He has over 13 years of financial and accounting experience, most recently as the Controller at Esperion Therapeutics. He joined Esperion during its early biotech stage and helped create and implement many of the financial, accounting, and operational processes that supported its transition from R&D to commercialization. Prior to Esperion, Dan worked at PwC in its assurance practice, where he earned his CPA. Dan holds a BBA and MBA from the University of Michigan.
Megan Huey
Head of People
Megan Huey is Head of People at Priovant Therapeutics. Prior to joining Priovant, Megan spent more than a decade in people operations leadership roles in healthcare and emerging technologies. She most recently served as Chief People Officer at PerfectServe, a clinical communications SaaS company, and has previously held similar leadership roles at other growing healthcare technology companies. Earlier in her career, she co-founded a healthcare services company where she led people operations and talent acquisition for clinical staffing programs at Army and Navy medical facilities across the globe. Megan holds a BA from University of Maryland.
Casandra Kigundu
Senior Manager, Regulatory Affairs
Casandra Kigundu, PhD is Senior Manager, Regulatory Affairs at Priovant Therapeutics. Before joining Priovant, Casandra was a Regulatory Affairs Manager at Sumitomo Pharma America (formerly Enzyvant Therapeutics) where she managed the preparation and submission of regulatory documents for the US, EU, and UK. Casandra also supported global regulatory strategy for therapeutics for rare diseases including congenital athymia, pulmonary arterial hypertension, and retinitis pigmentosa. She holds a PhD in Molecular Pharmacology and Toxicology and a Masters in Regulatory Science from the University of Southern California.
George Kokkines
General Counsel
George Kokkines is General Counsel at Priovant Therapeutics. George joined Priovant from Novartis Gene Therapies, where he was Vice President of Legal. George brings more than two decades of life sciences experience as a legal executive, including serving as Deputy General Counsel at Takeda Pharmaceuticals. George began his career as a litigator at Sidley Austin. He received a BA in Economics, with Highest Distinction, from the University of Michigan and his JD magna cum laude from Harvard Law School.
Beth Lang
SVP, Regulatory Affairs & Pharmacovigilance
Beth Lang is SVP, Regulatory Affairs & Pharmacovigilance at Priovant Therapeutics. Beth brings over 24 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry. Most recently, she was SVP, Regulatory Affairs at AKARI Therapeutics. Previously, she was SVP, Regulatory Affairs and Pharmacovigilance for Enzyvant Therapeutics, where she led regulatory strategy, drug safety, and operations to support therapeutics for rare diseases including congenital athymia and pulmonary arterial hypertension. Before that, she was Vice President of Regulatory Affairs for Horizon Therapeutics and LEO Pharma A/S, leading their global regulatory organizations, and held regulatory roles of increasing scope and responsibility at Takeda Pharmaceuticals for nearly 18 years. Beth holds a BS in Food Science and Microbiology from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and an MBA from Marquette University.
Debbie Lee
Associate Director, Accounting
Debbie Lee is Associate Director, Accounting at Priovant Therapeutics. Debbie has over 20 years of finance and accounting experience, most recently as Finance Manager at Esperion Therapeutics. She joined Esperion more than eight years ago during its early R&D stages and supported the company through commercialization, helping to establish financial operations and leading various system implementations. Prior to Esperion, Debbie worked on the internal accounting team at Plante Moran, one of the nation’s largest CPA and business advisory firms. Debbie holds a BBA from Walsh College.
Valentina Losada
Associate, Business Operations
Valentina Losada is Associate, Business Operations at Priovant Therapeutics. Before joining Priovant, she worked at McKinsey & Company, where she advised public and private sector clients across different verticals on growth strategies and operational transformations. She holds a BA Summa Cum Laude from the University of Pennsylvania.
Taryn Smith
Patient Engagement Manager
Taryn Smith, PA-C is Patient Engagement Manager at Priovant Therapeutics. Taryn is an experienced clinician with almost a decade of experience caring for patients in the fields of Immunology, Asthma/allergy, Urogynecology and Psychiatry. Before becoming a physician assistant, she worked for the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation and served as a Fleming Scholar. Taryn holds a BS in Nutritional Science summa cum laude from Oklahoma State University and a Master's of Health Science from the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center.
Christin Thompson
Senior Clinical Research Associate
Christin Thompson is a Senior Clinical Research Associate at Priovant Therapeutics. Christin brings more than seven years of clinical trial experience in a variety of indications including ophthalmology, respiratory, pain, and infectious disease. Before joining Priovant, she spent two years with PPD/Thermo Fisher Scientific. Christin holds a bachelor's degree in Vision Science with a minor in Biology from the University of the Incarnate Word and an MS in clinical research management from Arizona State University, and is a Certified Clinical Research Professional (CCRP).
David Tromblay
Senior Associate, Quality
David Tromblay is Senior Associate, Quality at Priovant Therapeutics. He joins Priovant from Elevar Therapeutics where he was a Senior QA Specialist on the Clinical QA team. David began his career at a global CRO and has performed a variety of Quality Assurance activities such as planning and conducting audits, process improvement, and regulatory inspection support. He holds a BS in Information Technology from the University of Cincinnati and is an SQA-certified RQAP-GCP.
Alysa Vereen
Senior Manager, Regulatory Affairs
Alysa Vereen, PharmD, RPh is Senior Manager, Regulatory Affairs at Priovant Therapeutics. Before joining Priovant, Alysa was Global Clinical Regulatory Lead at PTC Therapeutics, where she supported regulatory strategy and oversaw the management and preparation of regulatory documents and submissions. Alysa started her career in Regulatory Affairs at Duke University and has a background in clinical and community pharmacy. She holds a PharmD from Hampton University.
Drew Webster
Director, Clinical Operations
Drew Webster is Director, Clinical Operations at Priovant Therapeutics. Prior to joining Priovant, Drew served in a variety of strategy and business development roles at Roivant Sciences. Most recently, she was a Senior Analyst of Corporate Development, where she helped drive growth for the company through strategic M&A transactions. Drew received her BS from Duke University in Biomedical Engineering.
Flora Wong
Associate Director, Supply Chain
Flora Wong is Associate Director, Supply Chain at Priovant Therapeutics. Flora joined Priovant from CymaBay Therapeutics. Earlier in her career, she also worked in Supply Chain at Gilead Sciences and Ardelyx Therapeutics. Flora entered the biopharmaceutical industry after earning her degree in Biology and Economics in UC Santa Cruz and recently completed an MBA in Operations and Supply Chain Management in May 2021.
Frank Zhang
Senior Director, Drug Product Development & Manufacturing
Frank Zhang is Senior Director, Drug Product Development & Manufacturing at Priovant. Frank has over 20 years of experience in pharmaceutical drug product development and commercialization, covering various dosage forms. Frank spent his early career at Merck and Schering-Plough in scientific roles across formulation development and technology transfer. Prior to joining Priovant, he was Director of Pharmaceutical Development at TG Therapeutics, where he led drug product development for new chemical entities with focus on manufacturing process development. Frank holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Shanghai Jiao Ton University, and a MS and PhD in Mechanical Engineering from State University of New York at Buffalo.
Austin Gromatzky
SVP, Strategy & Business Development
Austin Gromatzky is SVP, Strategy & Business Development at Priovant Therapeutics, where he is responsible for product strategy, portfolio management, and the company's business development activities. Prior to joining Priovant, Austin served in a variety of business development roles at Roivant Sciences, most recently as Head of Business Development for Roivant's China-focused subsidiaries. Austin began his career as a healthcare investments analyst covering therapeutics and medical devices. He received his BS from MIT in Biology and Management Science (Finance).
Nasif Islam
Director, Strategy & Business Development
Nasif Islam is Director, Strategy & Business Development at Priovant Therapeutics. Prior to joining to Priovant, Nasif was a healthcare investment banker at Credit Suisse, where he advised small- and mid-cap biotech companies on mergers, acquisitions, and financing. Before Credit Suisse, Nasif was a strategy consultant at Trinity Partners, where he worked with a wide range of biotech and pharma companies on corporate strategy, market research, and business development. Nasif holds a PhD in regenerative medicine from The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and a BS from Cornell University.
Frank Torti
Executive Chairman
Frank Torti is the Vant Chair at Roivant Sciences. Dr. Torti serves as Chairman of the Board of the companies in the Roivant Pharma family and is responsible for the management of those businesses. He previously served as Vant Investment Chair, where he oversaw a group of companies responsible for the development of thirty-five investigational drugs in eleven therapeutic areas and over fifty clinical trials, including four successful Phase 3 trials.
Dr. Torti joined Roivant in 2018 from New Enterprise Associates (NEA), a leading venture capital firm where he served as partner. At NEA, Dr. Torti managed early and growth-stage investments in numerous healthcare companies that were responsible for the development and commercialization of new drugs and medical devices important to clinical medicine today.
Prior to joining NEA in 2007, Dr. Torti was a researcher at the Duke University Center for Clinical & Genetic Economics. Dr. Torti received his MD from the University of North Carolina School of Medicine and his MBA with distinction from Harvard Business School.
Irena Melnikova
Director
Irena Melnikova, Ph.D. is a Partner at Pfizer Ventures. She is an accomplished biopharma and finance executive with over 20 years of experience in equity financings in both public and private markets, corporate strategy, business development, and operations. In addition to serving on the Board of Priovant, she currently serves as a Board Director of Artios Pharma, Crossbow Therapeutics, and Flare Therapeutics, and was a Director of Telavant Holdings (acquired by Roche for $7.1 billion).
Prior to Pfizer Ventures, Dr. Melnikova served as the Chief Financial Officer at Umoja Biopharma where she was a senior member of the executive team responsible for all aspects of financial strategy and operations of the company. Prior to Umoja, Dr. Melnikova was a Managing Director, Biopharma Investment Banking at Leerink Partners, where she provided critical advice to biopharma companies and their boards on equity financing strategies, completing over 80 transactions raising over $9 billion for clients. Earlier in her career, she held leadership positions at Sanofi and TVM Capital.
Dr. Melnikova holds a Ph.D. in Molecular Medicine/Molecular Biology from the University of Texas.
Eric Venker
Director
Eric Venker is President and Chief Operating Officer of Roivant Sciences. He first joined Roivant in 2014 and has since served in various roles of increasing responsibility, including Chief of Staff to the CEO. Prior to joining Roivant, Dr. Venker was a physician at New York Presbyterian Hospital, Columbia University Medical Center, where he trained in internal medicine. While there, Eric served as the Chair of the Housestaff Quality Council and led operational initiatives to improve efficiencies across a large hospital system with $5 billion in annual revenue. Earlier in his career, Eric was a Clinical Pharmacist at Yale-New Haven Hospital. He received his PharmD from St. Louis College of Pharmacy and his MD from Yale School of Medicine.