Dr. Crystal Icenhour received her PhD in Pathobiology, training at Mayo Clinic and Duke.  Dr. Icenhour was named outstanding entrepreneur by Kauffman Foundation and is focused on translating new technologies to improve world health. Dr. Icenhour is an expert in infectious disease and her mission is to change EVERYTHING about how infection is identified. Dr. Icenhour co-founded, lead, and exited her first company, Phthisis Diagnostics, in 2013.  In 2014 Dr. Icenhour was recruited as founding CEO of Aperiomics in Ashburn, Virginia. Aperiomics’ mission is to disrupt healthcare through better identification of infection.

Mr. Gregory is a skilled and experienced CEO and Board Member with 30 years of progressively challenging responsibilities in the Healthcare Sector.  His experience spans numerous companies and positions including Executive Officer roles across successful start-up companies (Neuronix, Advanced Dx, NeuroMetrix, PrimeSource Healthcare), and leadership roles in Fortune 250 companies (Johnson & Johnson, Baxter, and Kendall Healthcare).  Gary has also served in Board roles from Chairman, Director, and Advisor to numerous organizations. He is recognized as a proven executive leader with big company capabilities and a start-up company mindset.

Mr. Gregory holds a BS in Economics and Minor in Business Administration from Pennsylvania State University.

As the UIDP’s President, Tony is a leading expert on university-industry relations and over the past 29 years, he has gained significant experience and insights by working in the academic, corporate, government and non-profit sectors. Tony holds a Ph.D. in Inorganic Chemistry from the University of South Carolina and a B.S. in Chemistry and Political Science from Furman University. Tony also serves as a consultant for government agencies, non-profit organizations and corporations and is the former Chair of the MedStar Health Research Institute. Tony is married to Dr. Laura Boccanfuso, who founded Van Robotics; along with their three children, they reside in Columbia, SC.

Alex Philippidis specializes in biopharma business news and industry issues as Senior News Editor for GEN / Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News, sister publication Clinical OMICs, and the parent company for both publications, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.

GEN covers the entire bioproduct life cycle, including drug discovery, early-stage R&D, applied research (e.g., omics, biomarkers, and diagnostics), bioprocessing, and commercialization. Alex joined GEN in 2011 after four years at GenomeWeb L.L.C., where he covered research institutes and spent three years following biotech economic development as editor of the weekly newsletter BioRegion News.

Clinical OMICs covers the application of OMICs technologies in molecular and precision medicine for patients. The publication was launched in 2014 by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., for which Alex also edits newsletters focused on CRISPR and gene editing, palliative medicine, and the integration of integration of automation, robotics, and artificial intelligence (AI) into global healthcare.

Previously, Alex worked more than 20 years for various newspapers covering business, science, Navy, and general-interest news, including the Westchester County Business Journal, where he served as Editor-in-Chief and held reporting positions from 1994 to 2007. Alex reported for Soundings, an independent newspaper covering the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps in Norfolk, VA, from 1992-1993; and reported for Gannett Suburban Newspapers (now The Journal News) in White Plains, NY, from 1987-1992.

He has been interviewed and quoted by news outlets that include The New York Times, the BBC, WCBS-TV (CBS2 New York), Triad Business Journal, and WHYY-FM, the NPR station serving the Philadelphia region.

In his spare time, Alex enjoys solving crossword puzzles, watching classic TV game shows, and traveling with his family.

 John Trainer is the leader of AstraZeneca’s Partnering and Strategy group, which focuses on business deals ranging from acquisitions and clinical collaborations to licensing agreements and new industry partnerships. 

John has held several leadership positions with MedImmune and AstraZeneca during his 14+ years with the company. Previous to this role he was Vice President, Corporate Development for AstraZeneca and earlier the Head for Infection, Neuroscience and Gastrointestinal (ING) medicines within the AstraZeneca global commercial organization (GPPS). Before that, John held a variety of roles across the commercial, strategic and transaction teams at MedImmune. 

John lives in Virginia. He received his MBA from Harvard Business School and his BA from Harvard College. 

Kelly M. Schulz brings a wealth of knowledge to the Maryland Department of Commerce from her years of experience working in the government, in the private sector and as a small business owner. She had previously served as the Secretary of the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation (DLLR) since her confirmation in February 2015 and is also a former member of the Maryland House of Delegates.

At DLLR, she was responsible for managing an agency with nearly 2,000 employees and an operating budget of more than $375 million. Under her leadership, Maryland’s apprenticeship program grew to its highest level since 2008, with more than 10,000 apprentices statewide. DLLR’s Employment Advancement Right Now (EARN) Maryland program received national recognition for both innovation and effectiveness and was named one of the Top 25 programs in the 2018 Innovations in American Government Award competition.

A former member of the Maryland House of Delegates representing Frederick County, she served on the Economic Matters Committee from 2011- 2015. In addition to local issues, then Delegate Schulz took special interest in legislation relating to banks and other financial institutions, business, occupations and professions, economic development, labor and employment, unemployment insurance and workers’ compensation.

Prior to the Department of Commerce, Bret Schreiber has worked for over 20 years in the field of government and community relations, driving policy and economic development initiatives and developing strong ties to local, state and national legislators. As Senior Director for the Office of BioHealth and Life Sciences, Schreiber is working to establish Maryland as the Nation’s premier ecosystem for the BioHealth and Life Science industry.  Previously, as Director of Education and Innovation for the Maryland Department of Commerce, Schreiber worked with Maryland’s Colleges and Universities, and the State’s innovators, entrepreneurs and startups to leverage their economic potential and impact on Maryland’s economic vitality.

Schreiber also served as Director of Governmental and Community Relations for Harford County Maryland,  Vice-president of the Maryland Independent College and University Association (MICUA), leading policy development and involved in organizational operations for Maryland’s 12 independent nonprofit higher education institutions, and also spent 10 years working with the Johns Hopkins Institutions helping to plan, implement, and manage the Johns Hopkins Institutions’ strategic State agenda with elected and appointed officials.  

A Harford County resident, Mr. Schreiber holds a degree in political science from Johns Hopkins University.  

Kurt Newman, MD, is President and CEO of Children’s National Health System. Located in Washington, D.C., Children’s National is ranked one of the nation’s best pediatric hospitals by U.S. News & World Report and is a leader in NIH pediatric medical research funding. Dr. Newman has been a surgeon at Children’s National for over 30 years and also is professor of surgery and pediatrics at George Washington University School of Medicine & Health Science. He guided the creation of the Sheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation, with the goal of making children’s surgery less invasive and pain free. As CEO, he is a champion of innovation in research, operations, and clinical care. He is a strong advocate for expanding mental health access for kids and has led two national forums on this issue.  Dr. Newman also plays a critical role in improving pediatric health and well-being nationally through his work on the Boards of the Children’s Hospital Association and Safe Kids Worldwide and as the author of numerous scientific publications. His medical memoir, “Healing Children: A Surgeon’s Stories from the Frontiers of Pediatric Medicine,” debuted as an Amazon bestseller in Pediatrics and earned national attention and critical praise in The New York Times Book Review, The Washington Post and Harvard Business Review.

Dr. Newman is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and of Duke Medical School. He completed his surgical residency at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School before joining Children’s National.

Mulvey holds a PhD in Virology from Ian Mohr’s lab at NYU Langone Medical Center. Mohr and Mulvey discovered, patented, and characterized the first oncolytic virus capable of resisting the anti-viral effects of innate immunity. This intellectual property was licensed to create talimogene laherparepvec (T-Vec), which was bought by Amgen for $1B and recently became the first FDA approved oncolytic virus. Mulvey is currently a founder and CEO of BeneVir and an inventor on all BeneVir patents protecting T-Stealth^TM, the first oncolytic virus to resist both innate and adaptive immunity. Prior to BeneVir, Mulvey spent 8 years at Sequella, Inc., a clinical stage anti-infectives company. At Sequella, he patented and developed a molecular diagnostic and licensed it to a major clinical diagnostics company. In addition, he designed and executed clinical trials and was involved in the development of Sequella’s antibiotic pipeline from pre-clinical to clinical.

Ms. Meagher has more than 19 years of experience leading strategic initiatives for clients in the commercial, government, and non-profit sectors. She leads Deloitte’s Federal Strategy practice, which has grown to more than 140 practitioners under her leadership. Within the strategy practice, Ms. Meagher focuses on Translational Science. She is leading efforts to support clients in analytics efforts, growth strategies, public private partnerships, strategic planning, program evaluation, stakeholder management, change management, executive leadership, and communication strategies. Ms. Meagher is an expert at Go To Market strategy development, routinely developing high performing teams that outperform the market. She has C-suite relationships across the Federal, Commercial, and Non Profit markets. Ms. Meagher holds a MA in Organization Effectiveness and a BA in Communication Studies and Entrepreneurial Studies.