Mel Spigelman, M.D.
President and Chief Executive Officer Dr. Spigelman is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Global Alliance for TB Drug Development. Prior to being appointed President and CEO, Dr. Spigelman served for five years as the Director of Research and Development at the TB Alliance. A highly regarded expert in domestic and international drug research and development, Dr. Spigelman previously spent a decade managing drug R&D at Knoll Pharmaceuticals (a division of BASF Pharma). As Vice President of R&D at Knoll, Dr. Spigelman directed clinical development and supervised all R&D activities from basic discovery to regulatory approval. He established global R&D processes as part of Knoll's senior R&D management team, oversaw a marked increase in US regulatory filings and approvals, and supervised joint R&D programs with pharmaceutical companies.

Starting as Director of Oncology and Immunology in 1989, Dr. Spigelman became Vice President of R&D at Knoll until its acquisition by Abbott Laboratories in 2001. Dr. Spigelman received his undergraduate degree from Brown University and his medical degree from the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine where he specialized in Internal medicine and Neoplastic Diseases. Dr. Spigelman holds board certifications from the American Board of Internal Medicine, the American Board's Subspecialty Board of Medical Oncology, and the American Board of Preventive Medicine and was the recipient of the American Cancer Society Clinical Oncology Career Development Award (1985-1988).

Marshall Burke, Ph.D.
Senior Vice President, External Affairs As Senior Vice President, External Affairs, Dr. Marshall Burke leads the TB Alliance’s resource mobilization efforts and oversees the TB Alliance’s Advocacy and Policy Department, including its community engagement efforts. A veteran executive with more than 25 years experience in the non-profit sector, Marshall Burke was most recently Senior Vice President of Resource Development for CARE International, one of the world’s leading organizations in the fight against global poverty, and was responsible for doubling its yearly income in a five-year period to more than $125M annually. Throughout his career, Dr. Burke has successfully leveraged institutional, governmental, and other sources of funding, built numerous global partnerships, successfully advocated for policy and financial support, and implemented community outreach programs and strategies.

Born in Austria, Marshall moved to the United States as a young child. He grew up in Arizona, where he founded a hospice in Tucson while earning a Ph.D. from the University of Arizona. Dr. Burke then went on to spend 20 years at CARE in a number of positions of increasing responsibility in the United States, Latin America, and Africa. While working overseas, he was responsible for introducing CARE’s HIV and Women’s Health Program.

Elizabeth Gardiner, M.Sc.
Vice President, Market Access Elizabeth Gardiner is Vice President of Market Access for the TB Alliance. Prior to joining the TB Alliance, Elizabeth worked for 14 years to increase access to health products in the developing world via public, private and NGO channels. For the past 5 years Elizabeth has consulted on a wide range of health product introduction and marketing issues with a focus on access to medicines and social marketing. She worked with PSI from 1994-2002, including 3 years as Director of PSI/Uganda and 2 years as the founding director of PSI’s Russia program. Elizabeth has registered 5 new health product brands and worked closely with suppliers to market their products in developing countries. She also has considerable experience with business planning, market research as well as project and grant management. Previously she worked with World Learning and Project HOPE in their Russia offices.

Elizabeth has a BA in Soviet Studies from Harvard University and an MSc in Management from London Business School, where she wrote her thesis “The Price of Access: Making Drugs Available in Africa.” Elizabeth has worked in 49 countries in Asia, Africa, Europe, the Americas, the Middle East, the South Pacific and the Caribbean, and in November 2008 relocated to New York from London.

Ann Ginsberg, M.D., Ph.D.
Chief Medical Officer Dr. Ginsberg is the Chief Medical Officer for the TB Alliance. Prior to joining the TB Alliance in June 2004, Dr. Ginsberg was Director for Project Management at Merck & Co., Inc. for two years. A highly regarded TB expert, Dr. Ginsberg brings 15 years of experience at the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH). Dr. Ginsberg began her NIH career in the National Cancer Institute as a Medical Staff Fellow and Resident in Anatomic Pathology. She subsequently joined the National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive and Kidney Diseases as a Senior Staff Fellow in the Laboratory of Cellular and Developmental Biology. In 1995 she joined NIAID as Program Officer for Tuberculosis, Leprosy and Other Mycobacterial Diseases and was appointed Chief of the Respiratory Diseases Branch in 2000.

Trained as a molecular biologist and Board Certified Anatomic Pathologist, Dr. Ginsberg holds a B.A. from Harvard University, an M.D. from Columbia University and a Ph.D. from Washington University. She is the author of numerous scientific publications and recipient of several prominent awards, including the Department of Health and Human Services Secretary's Award for Distinguished Service in 2000. She has served on multiple global health committees, and is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the Aeras Global TB Vaccine Foundation.

Stephen Jasko, M.B.A.
Chief Financial Officer Stephen Jasko is the Chief Financial Officer for the TB Alliance, responsible for overseeing all financial activities. He brings to the organization more than 20 years of experience in financial planning and resource management, and has a history of building organizational excellence in biopharmaceutical and financial companies ranging from small entrepreneurial start-ups to $100B multinationals.

Prior to the TB Alliance, Steve spent six years at Celgene, a New Jersey-based biotechnology company. During his tenure, Steve served as Vice President of Finance and Business Development for the Cellular Therapeutics Division, where he had P&L responsibilities, engaged in M&A and licensing activities, and strategic planning. Prior to that position, he spent five years serving as Celgene’s Treasurer and helped guide the company through a growth period that resulted in a seven-fold increase in market capitalization. Previously, Mr. Jasko also served in positions of increasing responsibility at Merck, MetLife, and Merrill Lynch.

Steve is a member of his local Board of Education and has volunteered in support of many local children’s recreational activities. He has a Bachelors of Science degree in Computer Sciences from Montclair University and an MBA in Finance from Rutgers.

Robert C. Lorette, Esq.
Senior Vice President, Business Development Robert C. Lorette, Esq. is Senior Vice President of Business Development for the TB Alliance. In this role,
Mr. Lorette helps lead the TB Alliance’s efforts to establish agreements and strategic alliances within the context of the product development partnership (PDP) business model, and thus play an integral role in achieving the portfolio development and related resource mobilization goals of the TB Alliance.

Before joining the TB Alliance, Mr. Lorette founded and was President and CEO of Boston Life Science Advisors, a corporate development consulting firm dedicated to serving biotech, medical device and other life science organizations. He also co-founded and served as Managing Director of Transform Ventures LLC, a firm that brings capital, executive leadership, and engineering and manufacturing resources together to rapidly advance medical device technologies to a significant value inflection point.

Before founding these two companies, Mr. Lorette served as Chief Business Officer and Senior Vice President of Dynogen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a clinical-stage drug development company focusing on gastrointestinal and genitourinary disorders. Earlier in his career, Mr. Lorette served in various management, corporate development, and legal roles for organizations such as Boston Healthcare Associates, Inc., UroMed Corporation, and Bausch & Lomb Incorporated.

Mr. Lorette received his law degree from Syracuse University College of Law and is admitted to practice law in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New York. Additional accreditations include a Masters in Public Administration from the Maxwell School of Syracuse University and a Bachelor’s degree in economics from the College of the Holy Cross. Mr. Lorette also attended the Program for Management Development at the Harvard Business School.

Zhenkun Ma, Ph.D.
Chief Scientific Officer As Chief Scientific Officer at the TB Alliance, Dr. Ma guides the selection of new potential tuberculosis drug candidates and oversees drug discovery and preclinical development programs. An expert in medicinal chemistry, Dr. Ma was formerly Head of Chemistry at Cumbre Inc., abiotechnology firm specializing in antibacterial drug discovery research and development. Prior to his experience at Cumbre, Dr. Ma worked at Abbott Laboratories for eight years, where he, as Senior Group Leader, directed anti-bacterial programs and oversaw the medicinal chemistry for macrolide and several novel antibacterial programs. In 1997, he received the Chairman's Award for the discovery of Cethromycin, a novel ketolide antibiotic in late-stage clinical development.

A native of northeastern China, Dr. Ma studied Chemistry at Beijing University, and holds a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from the University of Connecticut, Storrs. The holder of more than 50 U.S. patents and patent applications, Dr. Ma has also authored and co-authored more than 80 peer-reviewed articles and meeting presentations.

Carl Mendel, M.D.
Senior Vice President, Research and Development As, Senior Vice President, Research and Development for the TB Alliance, Dr. Carl Mendel guides and oversees and guides the organization’s research and development activities.

Dr. Mendel has more than 15 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry, with significant research and development expertise in a variety of therapeutic areas, especially in early- and late-stage clinical development. Prior to his position with the TB Alliance, Dr. Mendel most recently served as Chief Medical Officer at Synvista Therapeutics. Prior, Dr. Mendel served in roles of increasing responsibility at Merck and Co., Knoll Pharmaceuticals (a division of BASF Pharma), Aventis Pharmaceuticals, and Sanofi-Aventis. During his career, he has contributed to the successful approvals of numerous pharmaceutical products that have been launched around the world.

Dr. Mendel holds a B.A. degree from Columbia University and an M.D. degree from the University of California, San Diego. He is board certified in Internal Medicine and in Endocrinology and Metabolism. Before joining the pharmaceutical industry, he was Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. Dr. Mendel has authored or co-authored more than 50 articles in leading scientific journals.

Colleen Pero, M.A.
Chief Administrative Officer Colleen Pero is Chief Administrative Officer for the Global Alliance for TB Drug Development. An accomplished Executive, Ms. Pero has expertise planning and implementing programs and strategies across all administrative functions. Ms. Pero has a diverse professional background that includes over fifteen years in the healthcare sector in both for-profit and not-for-profit environments. Specifically, Ms. Pero has focused on operating effectiveness in organizations experiencing rapid growth.

Prior to the TB Alliance, Ms. Pero was Senior Vice President, Corporate Administration at Endo Pharmaceuticals where she built organizational capabilities to enable rapid growth, and led a six-fold expansion of the workforce over a four year period. As a member of the Executive Team, Ms. Pero contributed to the establishment and execution of corporate strategy for the business, and she had direct responsibility for a wide range of areas including organizational planning, information technology, communications, company affairs procurement, human resources and organizational development.

Currently, Ms. Pero is as a member of the Board of Trustees for Christiana Health Care System, one of the largest healthcare systems in Mid-Atlantic region. She serves on the Executive Compensation Committee, which is responsible for executive compensation and leadership succession and development. Ms. Pero has also served on the Board of Crittenton Services and Directions, as well as on the on United Way Vision Council, which oversees the strategic planning and long term direction of the organization.

Ms. Pero holds a Master of Arts in Management and Bachelor of Science.

Karen Ackermann
Ms. Ackermann joined the TB Alliance Africa office in May 2007 as an Administrative Assistant, after a 10-year career in the Payroll Software Industry, where she worked mainly in Training, and later in Marketing as a Graphic Design Assistant. She has also had training in Information Technology. Ms. Ackermann spent 2 years in the United Kingdom helping develop an Integrated Health Care Facility in Kentish Town, London, which aims to combine a variety of Primary Health Care Services into a single facility. This facility is currently under construction, and is scheduled to open in January 2009. Ms. Ackermann believes that the experience gained in helping with this project laid the foundation for her decision to move from the corporate environment to the TB Alliance, and she is very excited about her involvement in the TB Alliance’s mission to develop new, better, faster-acting TB drug regimens.

Derek Ambrosino, M.A.
Mr. Ambrosino joined the TB Alliance team in March of 2007 and acts as Communications Specialist. He holds a B.A. in Sociology and an M.A. in Urban Affairs, both from Queens College. He has experience in communications, having worked in public relations, as well as working in the Training and Development department of the New York City Department of Environmental Protection. He also has worked as a Housing Discrimination Investigator for the Open Housing Center, and for Major League Baseball.

Asmita Barve, M.A., M.B.A.
Ms. Barve joined the TB Alliance in April 2006, and is responsible for reporting on existing grants and supporting fundraising activities. Previously, she worked at the Foundation Center in New York as a research associate. There she co-authored reports on foundation funding and expense patterns. Ms. Barve originally developed an understanding of drug development and pharmaceutical licensing while an analyst at Madison Keats, a boutique investment bank focused on the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries.

A native of India, Ms. Barve's interest in international health dates back to her experience covering public health issues for a non-profit publication in Mumbai. Ms. Barve has an M.B.A. from North Carolina State University and a M.A. in Health Communications from the University of Kentucky. Ms. Barve received her Bachelors of Science degree in Biochemistry from the University of Mumbai.

Majda Benhayoun, Ph.D.
Dr. Majda Benhayoun joined the TB Alliance in July 2010 as Senior Director, Clinical Operations. Dr. Benhayoun brings expertise in complex multinational clinical operations and project management throughout the drug development process.

Prior to joining the TB Alliance, Dr. Benhayoun worked in clinical project management for more than 15 years. She was Clinical Project Director at Parexel International for four years, where she managed complex clinical trials in all phases of development through post-registration in multiple regions. Earlier, Dr. Benhayoun spent more than 11 years at Aventis Pharma (now Sanofi Aventis) in various clinical project management roles with responsibility for all aspects of clinical trials, including protocol writing, clinical study reports, trial operations, and leadership of international monitoring staff. Most recently Dr. Benhayoun was Director of Program and Portfolio Management at Vertex Pharmaceuticals for more than four years, where she had a leadership role in development strategy, planning, execution and control of drug candidates in several therapeutic areas.

She also serves as adjunct professor of Project Management for a Graduate Program in Biopharmaceutical Leadership at Emmanuel College in Boston.

Dr. Benhayoun holds a master’s degree in biology from Universite Paris-Sud, Orsay, France. A graduate of Universite Paris-Nord, Dr Benhayoun earned a Ph.D in Biology and Biomedical Engineering.

Joanna Breitstein
Joanna Breitstein joined the TB Alliance in 2009 as Manager of Communications. In that role, she is responsible for implementing the organization’s communications strategy and also serves as the primary contact for press inquiries.

Before joining the TB Alliance, Ms. Breitstein was the Executive Editor of Pharmaceutical Executive, a healthcare magazine focused on educating the executive leadership of the pharmaceutical industry. She worked for the publication for nearly a decade in roles of increasing responsibility, reporting on all aspects of drug development and commercialization. While at the magazine, Joanna pioneered an annual editorial series focused on neglected disease drug development, which garnered a Neal Award for excellence in business journalism in 2009. She also received a Neal Award for her cover story focusing on the convergence of diagnostics and pharmaceuticals and a Grand Neal Award in 2001 for a cover story on patient advocacy in oncology. In 2004, Ms. Breitstein won a writing fellowship from the Kaiser Family Foundation to report on the AIDS crisis in Africa.

Joanna is an active volunteer and serves as the President of The International HUG Foundation, a 501c3 organization whose mission is to help orphans and other needy children in Uganda. She graduated cum laude from Penn State University in 1995.

Cynthia Brewster
Ms. Brewster joined the TB Alliance team in July 2007 as Assistant Controller. She holds a B.B.A in Accounting from Baruch College in New York. She brings to the TB Alliance over 25 years of experience in Financial Operations and Grant Management of various non-profit organizations. Most recently, Ms. Brewster was the Senior Fiscal Officer of East Side House, Inc. where she oversaw the Fiscal Department. Prior to that, she served as Grants Manager at Project Renewal Inc. where she was responsible for the external reporting of $30 million in Federal, State and City Grants.

Christi Champ
Christi Champ joined the TB Alliance in January of 2009 as Executive Assistant to the Chief Administrative Officer. Christi has over ten years experience in administrative and executive support roles, most recently with Fenway Partners LLC, a private equity firm. Originally from the Midwest, Christi attended Indiana University where she has earned both her Bachelors and Masters degrees in Music.

Almari Conradie, M.Ph.
Almari Conradie joined the TB Alliance in Pretoria as Manager, Clinical Operations, in February 2009. She started her Pharmacy career in the public sector, specializing in Oncology and continued working as an Oncology Pharmacist in the private sector for 6 years before joining the pharmaceutical industry in clinical research. She later obtained her Masters Degree in Pharmacy and has 13 years experience in planning, executing and management of various Phase II-IV local and multinational clinical trials at major pharmaceutical companies, including AstraZeneca South Africa. Many of these trials focused on oncology and infectious disease.

Christopher B. Cooper, Ph.D.
Christopher B. (Chris) Cooper joined the TB Alliance in January, 2009, as Director of Chemistry. Chris received his BS (magna cum laude) in Chemistry from Clemson University in 1980, and his MS in Organic Chemistry at Stanford University with Professor Carl Djerassi in 1982. Following a two-year industry sabbatical at CIBA-Geigy Pharmaceuticals, he returned to Stanford in 1984 to earn his Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry with Professor Paul A. Wender. From 1988 through 1998, Dr. Cooper was engaged in medicinal chemistry research at Pfizer, Inc., in both their Groton, Connecticut, and Sandwich, England, laboratories. His areas of investigation included veterinary and human drug discovery programs (infectious disease, inflammation, immunology, oncology, and neuroscience), as well as applications of automated synthesis technologies for both lead generation and lead optimization purposes.

Dr. Cooper joined Bristol-Myers Squibb, Inc., in Princeton, New Jersey, in 1998 to launch the Lead Synthesis Group overseeing the design, development, and synthesis of novel, drug-like medicinal chemistry arrays. More recently, Dr. Cooper’s research team at BMS has been directly responsible for the rapid pharmacological assessment of exploratory biological targets of interest, and the advancement of early- and full-phase discovery programs through hit-to-lead, lead optimization, and pre-development candidate selection medicinal chemistry approaches.

Erica Egizi, M.P.H.
Erica Egizi joined the TB Alliance in June 2009 as a Clinical Operations Manager, helping with the oversight of activities for ongoing clinical trials. Prior to joining the TB Alliance, Ms. Egizi spent over seven years at Pfizer Inc., first as a Study Manager on a large, Phase IV, international cardiovascular trial and later as an Associate Director in Pfizer’s Public Health Group where she managed a suite of philanthropic academic grants. Before she was at Pfizer, Ms. Egizi had seven years of extensive trial management experience as a Study Manager at ICON Clinical Research and prior to that as a Clinical Monitor at IBAH (now Omnicare ). Ms. Egizi has a BS in Comprehensive Science from Villanova University and an MPH from Columbia University.

Melissa Enson, M.S.
Melissa Enson joined the TB Alliance in September 2008 as Executive Assistant to the CEO and President. Melissa came to the TB Alliance from a Connecticut-based life sciences company focused on oncology where she served, for the past five years, as Executive Assistant to the CEO. She has extensive experience managing schedules and travel, planning meetings, writing correspondence, and representing the CEO’s office both internally and externally. Melissa is an accomplished administrative professional with a B.A. in English from Tulane University. She completed her M.S. degree at Southern Connecticut State University.

Ngozi Erondu, M.D., Ph.D.
Ngozi E. Erondu, M.D., Ph.D., joined TB Alliance in January of 2009 as a Senior Director of Clinical Development. He received his medical degree from the College of Medicine, University of Lagos, Nigeria. Subsequently, he attended the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena where he obtained a Ph.D. in Neurobiology, followed by post-doctoral research in Molecular Parasitology at the University of Iowa, Iowa City. Additional training includes a residency training in internal medicine and fellowship training in endocrinology at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. Dr Erondu is board-certified in internal medicine and endocrinology.

In 1996, Dr Erondu was appointed a staff physician at the V.A. medical center, Iowa City and as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Endocrinology, Department of Medicine, University of Iowa, where he conducted molecular biological research on the regulation of insulin-like growth factor binding proteins. His research was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health and the Veterans Administration. In October 2000, he accepted a position at Merck & Co., Inc., where most recently he was Senior Director of Clinical Research in the Metabolism department. While at Merck & Co., Inc., he served as the Product Development Team leader for a number of drug candidates and was responsible for developing and implementing clinical development strategies and clinical development plans, including filing strategy and life cycle management.

Nicholas Garrett
Nicholas Garrett joined TB Alliance in September 2008 as an Assistant to the Research and Development Department. He has over seven years experience supporting executive level team members and has a background in project and office management. Previously, he worked for DOV Pharmaceutical supporting the VP of Biostatistics, Data Management and Medical Writing. Nicholas earned his Associate Degree from Bergen Community College and is currently pursuing a B.A. in organizational management.

Heather Ignatius, M.A.
Since joining the TB Alliance in 2004, Ms. Ignatius has worked on policy and advocacy issues, focusing on the design and implementation of advocacy and policy strategies to influence donor governments. She also oversees the TB Alliance’s community engagement programs and manages several of the organization’s external partnerships, including the Stakeholders Association. From 2004 – 2007, Ms. Ignatius served as the Secretariat of the Stop TB Partnership Working Group on New Drugs and was instrumental in the development of the group's contribution to the Global Plan to Stop TB: 2006 - 2015. She also contributed to the TB Alliance’s early policy research on the dynamics of the TB drug market, stakeholder perceptions of current and new TB drugs and country decision-making processes for regimen change.

Prior to joining the TB Alliance, Ms. Ignatius worked for the United Nations Foundation on peace and security issues, including a program to engage the private sector in post-conflict environments. She has also worked at the National Endowment for Democracy in the Reagan-Fascell Democracy Fellows program. Ms. Ignatius holds an M.A. in International Affairs from the George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs and a B.A. in Political Science/International Relations from the University of California at San Diego.

Yvette Jones
Ms. Jones joined the TB Alliance in November 2006 as an Assistant to the Research and Development Department. She has worked over eight years in the non-profit area with NYU School of Medicine — Finance Dept. as well as two years at the University. She also has extensive experience as an administrative assistant and financial analyst with Lucent Technologies. Ms. Jones has a background in Finance and Accounting. She has earned her Associates from Berkeley College and pursing a BA in Accounting.

Takushi Kaneko, Ph.D.
Dr. Kaneko is a Project Leader of Research at the TB Alliance, where he is responsible for evaluating discovery projects for inclusion in the TB Alliance portfolio and overseeing current drug discovery projects with Dr. Zhenkun Ma, Head of Research. He is an expert medicinal chemist with a specific background in infectious diseases, oncology, and natural products and over thirty years of experience in preclinical discovery and drug development. Prior to joining the TB Alliance in October 2007, Dr. Kaneko was a Research Fellow in the Antibacterial Drug Discovery Team and Manager of the Natural Product Discovery Group at Pfizer Global Research and Development Division in Groton, CT. Prior to working at Pfizer, Dr. Kaneko was a Research Fellow in the Anti-tumor Drug Discovery Team at Bristol-Myers Pharmaceutical Research and Development Division in Wallingford, CT.

In academia, Dr. Kaneko trained as a Post-doctoral Fellow in the Department of Chemistry, Harvard University, and was a faculty member in the Chemistry Department at Texas A&M University. He is a member of the American Chemical Society and has served as a member of the society’s Long-term Planning Committee in the Medicinal Chemistry Division. Dr. Kaneko is an author of more than 120 publications and patents. He holds a B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Missouri and an M.S. and Ph.D. in organic chemistry from the University of Michigan.

Trudy Kline, M.B.A.
Trudy Kline joined TB Alliance team in August 2009 as Manager, Financial Reporting. Trudy has 25 years of diverse financial experience including accounting, budgeting, forecasting, audit management and compliance, and both internal and external reporting. Trudy joins us from Alpharma Pharmaceuticals, a specialty pharmaceutical company, where she was Accounting Manager for the past four years. Earlier in her career, she worked in the service and manufacturing sectors for both publically held and private organizations. Trudy has a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Brooklyn College and recently completed her M.B.A at the University of Phoenix.

Martino Laurenzi, M.D., MPH
Dr. Laurenzi, an expert in clinical development and community health, is a Clinical Research Scientist at the TB Alliance, where his responsibilities include the oversight of clinical trials. Dr. Laurenzi has long been involved in public health research; the Gubbio Study, which he started in 1982 in the Italian town for which it is named, is one of the longest standing population-based epidemiological studies for the screening of cardiovascular risk factors.

Prior to joining the TB Alliance, Dr. Laurenzi spent twenty-five years at Merck & Co., most recently as Executive Medical Director, Specialty Products. While at Merck, he managed protocol development and implementation for a wide range of projects in several therapeutic areas, and provided medical input and guidance to clinical research programs from Phase II through Phase V trials. He was also extensively involved in Clinical Research Operations, and managed Merck Research Laboratories' Medical Departments in the Middle European Region and in Middle East Africa. From 1990-1993 Dr. Laurenzi was Director, Medical Affairs and Epidemiology, at Merck's facility in Rome, Italy. Since 1987, Dr. Laurenzi has served as an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Community Health and Preventive Medicine at Northwestern University.

Born in the U.S., Dr. Laurenzi grew up in Italy, where he received his Doctorate of Medicine and Surgery from the University of Rome. He obtained his Masters of Public Health from Columbia University in 1981. His research and his interests have led him to many different countries. He has lived in the U.S. since 1993.

Paloma Luisi
Paloma Luisi joined the TB Alliance in June 2010 as a Grants Specialist. Ms. Luisi has worked as a fundraiser for non-profit organizations since 2008. Most recently she worked for Inwood House, one of New York City’s oldest public health and child welfare agencies, where she successfully earned a $10 million grant for the continuation of their child welfare services. Paloma received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Anthropology and Urban Studies from Fordham University.

Khisimuzi Mdluli, Ph.D.
Dr. Mdluli is a Project Leader of Research at the TB Alliance, responsible for evaluating discovery projects for inclusion in the TB Alliance portfolio and overseeing current drug discovery projects with Dr. Zhenkun Ma, Head of Research. A native of Swaziland, Dr. Mdluli brings over a decade of drug discovery expertise in academia and industry, and is a highly regarded expert in the microbiology, molecular biology and biochemistry of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. A three-year Visiting Fellowship at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) resulted in a number of seminal publications by Dr. Mdluli in 1998 that describe the mechanism of action and a potential target of isoniazid, a cornerstone drug.

Dr. Mdluli's industry experience includes two years at Cumbre Inc., a Texas based biotech, and six years at Chiron Corporation as a Senior Scientist where he helped establish and manage major antimicrobial discovery programs for the identification and validation of drug targets and drug candidates. Dr. Mdluli holds a B.S. from the University of Swaziland, and an M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Victoria in Canada. He is the author of numerous scientific publications and is a member of a Small Business Research Initiative (SBIR) Study Section on antibiotic drug discovery at the National Institutes of Health.

Marie Messina, M.S.
Ms. Messina joined the TB Alliance in 2005 as an Assistant to the Research and Development Department. After a background in the corporate sector, Ms. Messina remains pleased to contribute to the mission of the TB Alliance.

Sarah Murchison
Sarah Murchison joined the TB Alliance in September 2009 as Director, Human Resources. Sarah, an Argentine native who has resided and worked in Argentina, Australia, and the United States, has more than 15 years of HR experience including recruitment, compensation, employee relations, training, coaching, and staff development. For the past eight years, Sarah worked at Boston Scientific, most recently as Senior HR Manager to the International Headquarter Team. In such capacity she traveled extensively throughout Latin America, South Africa, Turkey, Lebanon, Canada as well as Europe. Sarah holds a BA in Business Administration from Universidad de San Andres in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Fran Pappas, M.A.
Fran Pappas joined the TB Alliance in November, 2008, as Clinical Operations Director, bringing over 25 years of experience in the clinical research industry. As Clinical Operations Director, she is responsible for planning and oversight of clinical trials. Prior to joining the TB Alliance Ms. Pappas spent 28 years at Merck & Co. Inc where she was involved in the planning, execution and management of large international clinical trials in multiple therapeutic areas including lipids, endocrinology and infectious diseases. She was also involved in the preparation of global regulatory documentation including Clinical Study reports, major Common Technical Document (CTD) Summaries (Safety and Efficacy) and responses to Regulatory Agencies. Ms. Pappas has a B.A. and M.S. in Biology from the University of Bridgeport in Bridgeport, Connecticut.

Lisan Parker, Ph.D.
Dr. Lisan Parker joined the TB Alliance in January of 2010 as Scientific Liaison to the Stop TB Partnership Working Group on New Drugs (WGND). The WGND serves as a platform for interaction among partners working in all stages of TB drug R&D to increase efficiencies and minimize risk related to the development of new, more effective and affordable new therapies for TB. Dr. Parker acts as the Secretariat for the Working Group, managing the efforts of a variety of stakeholders, from academia, industry and international health agencies, to coordinate global TB drug R&D.

Prior to joining the TB Alliance, Dr. Parker was a senior research biologist in neuroscience drug discovery at Merck Research Laboratories in Boston, MA. She was engaged in research to identify and validate novel Alzheimer’s disease drug targets, including lead compound identification. Dr. Parker’s postgraduate and graduate research studies have been published in various scientific journals and she has received numerous fellowships and awards for her work.

Dr. Parker conducted her postdoctorate research studies at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, received her Ph.D. in Pharmacology from Vanderbilt University, and her B.S. in Biology, with a minor in Chemistry, from Barry University, Miami Shores, FL.

Ingrid Payne
Ms. Payne has been with the TB Alliance since 2004, and is responsible for the Finance and Administration functions of the organization. Prior to the TB Alliance, Ms. Payne held various positions in the marketing sector, the latest being Project Manager at Sandboxbrands, a marketing and design firm where she managed the client accounts of Gap Inc., Old Navy and Starbucks Coffee Co. A native of Panama, Ms. Payne speaks Spanish and Italian, and holds a B.A. in International Relations and International Political Economy from Florida International University, a Certificate in International Business and Management from the School of International Studies in Dubrovnik, Croatia, and an Associates of Arts in Italian from Miami Dade College.

Mario Punzalan
Mario Punzalan joined the TB Alliance as a consultant in December 2008 before becoming a full time employee in March 2009. He is part of the help desk operations for the organization.

He has eight years experience working in the Information Technology field, in various industries including fashion, entertainment, medical software, marketing, and event planning. During this time, he has been responsible for help desk operations and documenting all IT procedures.

Mario has a BBA in Computer Information Systems from Baruch College, and an Associate Degree in Business Administration from Valley Forge Military College. He also has COMPTIA A+ and Network+ Certifications. He is pursuing his Masters Degree in Network and Communications Management from Keller University and plans to pursue network security certifications in the near future.

Chris Radali, Ph.D.
Chris Radali is Data Safety Manager at the TB Alliance. Dr. Ridali earned a graduated with a Ph.D. degree in Cell Biology from the University of the Witwatersrand, and was recognized for being the top Ph.D. student in biological sciences

Dr. Radali has worked in the field of clinical research for GlaxoSmithKline and subsequently for Schering-Plough. My highest academic qualification is PhD in Cell Biology and I also hold a Higher Education Diploma and an Advanced Project Management Diploma form UNISA School of Business Leadership. Prior, Dr. Ridali taught mathematics, physical science, and biology.

Dr. Ridali also holds diplomas in Higher Education and Advance Project Management and earned his undergraduate degree in Zoology. He enjoys playing and following soccer.

Bridget Rawls, M.A.
Bridget Rawls joined the TB Alliance in March 2009 as a Clinical Trials Coordinator, coordinating various aspects of clinical trials between the Alliance and several organizations. She has 5 years of experience as a coordinator for many US and international trials in diabetes, obesity, neuroscience and oncology with companies such as sanofi-aventis, Pfizer and Eisai Global Clinical Development. She holds both a BA and an MA in Biology from the City University of New York.

Stephanie S. Seidel
Ms. Seidel joined the TB Alliance in July 2005, as a member of the Policy/ Advocacy department, and acts as the Community Engagement Specialist. In this role, she focuses on the development and implementation of community engagement strategies to compliment the TB Alliance’s clinical research programs. She is responsible for managing a small grants program and provides guidance and technical assistance to sites in the development of their community outreach programs. Prior to joining the TB Alliance, Ms. Seidel studied at the Yale School of Medicine Physician Associate program, where she focused on treatment of infectious diseases. She also worked for Planned Parenthood of Connecticut as a patient advocate and clinical assistant, providing counseling for patients on issues related to women’s health, communicable disease prevention and treatment, and family planning. Ms. Seidel also worked for many years in documentary film, producing and editing a variety of programs, including several health-related topics. She holds a B.A. in Cultural Anthropology and Latin American Literature from Earlham College, and completed Post Baccalaureate pre-medical studies at SUNY Purchase. She is fluent in Spanish.

Annette Shadiack, Ph.D.
Annette M. Shadiack joined TB Alliance in March 2009 as Director, Preclinical Development. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Zoology and doctorate in Biology from Rutgers University where she majored in Neuropharmacology. She went on to post-doctoral positions at Case Western Reserve University and RW Johnson Pharmaceutical Research Institute (a Johnson and Johnson Company) where she studied the plasticity of the injured peripheral nervous system and its interactions with the immune system. In 1998, Dr. Shadiack moved to Palatin Technologies where she held several preclinical positions culminating in Executive Director, Preclinical Research and Development. While at Palatin she led the preclinical efforts for a variety of therapeutic areas including male and female sexual dysfunction, congestive heart failure and obesity. In 2007, Dr Shadiack joined Locus Pharmaceuticals as Senior Director, Preclinical Development where she lead all aspects of preclinical efforts from early in vitro and in vivo efficacy and ADME/PK to IND-enabling studies in the areas of cancer and inflammatory diseases.

Dr. Shadiack has successfully managed the preclinical efforts from discovery through late-stage clinical development and is an author on approximately 20 articles and an inventor on more than 10 patents.

Gerald J. Siuta, Ph.D.
Dr. Siuta is the President of Siuta Consulting, Inc., a pharmaceutical licensing consulting firm established in 1995 to provide worldwide in- and out-licensing services to pharmaceutical companies, biotechnology companies, universities and research institutes. Prior to starting his consulting business, Dr. Siuta spent 20 years in the pharmaceutical industry with the Medical Research Division of American Cyanamid Company, first as a synthetic organic chemist and then in New Product Licensing.

With more than 22 years of experience in pharmaceutical licensing, he has established an extensive network of licensing contacts at pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies in the United States, Europe and Japan as well as at Technology Transfer Offices in universities and research institutes in the U.S., Canada, Europe, Israel and Australia. Dr. Siuta received his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Chemistry from Hunter College of The City University of New York and his Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from Fordham University.

Anna Upton , Ph.D.
Dr. Upton joined the TB Alliance in September 2007 as Scientific Liaison to the Stop TB Partnership Working Group on New Drugs. After a year of serving as the Secretariat for the Working Group, she transitioned to the research and development side of the TB Alliance, currently acting as a Project Leader, Discovery.

Dr. Upton brings expertise in the microbiology, molecular biology and biochemistry of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb). Prior to joining the Alliance, Dr. Upton worked for five and a half years as a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Rockefeller University, where her research focused on identifying potential targets for drugs to treat persistent TB infection.

A native of England, Dr. Upton received her Ph.D. from Oxford University for work towards understanding how M.tb becomes resistant to the cornerstone drug, isoniazid. Dr. Upton carried out some of her Ph.D. research at GlaxoSmithKline, and, through this, developed an interest in the process of drug development. Dr. Upton holds a B.A. in Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry from Oxford University.

Almarie Uys, Ph.D.
Dr Almarie Uys joined the TB Alliance in May 2007. She has done extensive work in the field of cancer research. She earned her Masters degree from the University of Pretoria, and focused her studies on patients with colon cancer and her Ph.D while working with cancer patients with febrile neutropenia, in a private oncology practice in Johannesburg. Dr. Uys is looking forward to facing new challenges, and excited about working to eradicate an infectious disease that is a global burden.

Christo van Niekerk, M.D.
Dr. van Niekerk, a Pharmaceutical Physician and Pediatric Specialist, is a Clinical Research Scientist at the TB Alliance, helping to oversee clinical trials in endemic countries. Dr. van Niekerk spent three years as Clinical Research Manager at AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals in South Africa, where he managed the clinical trial program in the largest Clinical Research Department in all of Africa.

From 2000 to 2002 he worked as Medical Director at Aventis Pharma, where he was responsible for all medical matters including provision of medical expertise within Aventis, and management of Drug Regulatory Affairs including new product registration. During his time at Aventis he conducted 49 phase III studies involving 527 investigators and 2617 enrolled patients, and brought 7 new products to approval for registration. As Medical Director at Hoechst Marion Roussel Limited, he was instrumental in bringing effective tuberculosis therapies to the South African market for, including a powder formulation for children with tuberculosis. During his time at HMR he oversaw clinical product development with clinical study operations, drug regulatory affairs and medical services. He ran 17 studies involving 92 investigators and 1860 enrolled patients, and saw over 10 new products approved for registration.

A native of South Africa, Dr. van Niekerk received his Doctorate of Medicine from the University of Cape Town, and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Stellenbosch in South Africa. He is a Member of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine of the Royal Colleges of Physicians of the United Kingdom.

Gerry Waters, Ph.D.
M. Gerard (Gerry) Waters is Senior Director, Biology at the TB Alliance. He earned a Ph.D. in Cell Biology from The Rockefeller University, undertook post-doctoral work at Princeton University and Sloan Kettering Institute, and went on to Assistant and Associate Professorships in the Department of Molecular Biology at Princeton University. While in academia he studied intracellular protein traffic, was awarded Life Sciences Research Foundation and Markey Fellowships, and was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation and the American Cancer Society. In 2002 he moved to Merck Research Laboratories as a Director in the Department of Cardiovascular Diseases, where his efforts were directed towards understanding and treating atherosclerosis. His responsibilities included early discovery and medicinal chemistry programs, leadership of a team performing early clinical work, and championing basic research studies in support of a late-stage clinical candidate that recently received marketing approval in the European Union.

William Wells, M.I.A., Ph.D.
Dr. Wells is Director, Market Access, with responsibility for planning and oversight of the TB Alliance's market readiness approach. The resulting research, intelligence, analysis, and stakeholder engagement has an end goal of ensuring successful adoption, availability, and affordability of future products arising from the work of the TB Alliance and its strategic partners.

Prior to joining the TB Alliance in May 2007, Dr. Wells worked as a consultant in Cambodia and Sudan for organizations including amfAR, CARE, UNFPA, UNICEF, and WHO. The resulting evaluations and grant proposals helped guide and fund HIV and maternal health projects. He has also worked previously as News Director at Rockefeller University Press, where he established news sections in two major biomedical journals. This built on his previous work as a freelance science journalist with clients such as New Scientist, Forbes magazine and the US National Academy of Sciences.

A native of Australia, Dr. Wells received his Ph.D. in cell biology from the University of California, San Francisco, and a Master of International Affairs, with a focus on economic and political development and public health, from Columbia University in New York.

Helen Winter, Ph.D.
A native of New Zealand, Helen Winter received her Bachelor of Pharmacy from the University of Otago in 1984 and then worked in hospitals both in New Zealand and the United Kingdom. She received her PhD in Pharmaceutics from the University of Washington, Seattle in 1998. From 1999 to 2008 Helen worked for AstraZeneca in Wilmington, DE supporting the early and late stage clinical development of compounds in the psychiatry and cardiovascular therapy areas. In 2008 Helen joined Clinical Pharmacology at Pfizer Inc, New London, CT supporting the pain therapy area. Helen joined TB Alliance in October 2009 as Director of Clinical Pharmacology.

Skyelar Yaffie
Skyelar Yaffie joined TB Alliance in November 2009 as Financial Analyst, aiding in the Month-end Processes, Accounts Payable, and Budget Processes. Skyelar has 3 years of accounting experience while previously working for Moody’s Investor Services and Alpharma Pharmaceuticals. Skyelar has a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Rowan University.