About Pyxis Oncology

Our Vision

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Liberate science to cure patients with cancer.

Our Mission

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Clever

Our disruptive approach improves and extends life for patients with cancer and their families.

Pyxis Oncology is devoted to transforming the lives of patients with cancer by advancing our innovative and differentiated portfolio of clinical assets that specifically target tumor cells and overcome immune suppression. We believe that antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) and immunotherapies offer unique potential to address difficult-to-treat cancers, leading to improved patient outcomes.

Pyxis Scientist

Learn more about our Values and how you can join us >

Established leadership

We have assembled a world class management team with deep experience in oncology research and development and a demonstrated track record of success, building public biotech companies and developing innovative medicines.

Leadership team

Lara Sullivan
Lara S. Sullivan, M.D.
President, Chief Executive Officer, and Chief Medical Officer
Balu Balasubramanian PhD
Balu Balasubramanian, Ph.D.
Interim Chief Technology Officer
Michael Bui
Michael Bui
Head of Global Regulatory
Pamela Connealy
Pamela Connealy, M.B.A.
Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer
Thuy Craveiro
Thuy Craveiro, Pharm.D.
Head of Clinical Pharmacology
Marsha Crochiere
Marsha Crochiere, Ph.D.
Head of Translational Medicine
Jennifer D’Auteuil
Jennifer D’Auteuil
Executive Office Administration
Shui He
Shui He, Ph.D.
Head of Biometrics
Stephane Marzabal
Stephane Marzabal, Ph.D.
Interim Global Program Lead
Supriya Roth
Supriya Roth, Ph.D.
Head Commercial Development
Sondra Smyrnios
Sondra Smyrnios
Head of Global Clinical Operations
Jitu Wadhane
Jitu Wadhane, CA, CPA
Chief Accounting Officer
Hongwei Wang
Hongwei Wang, M.D., Ph.D.
Head of ADC Development & Clinical Strategy
Stephen Worsley
Stephen Worsley
Chief Business Officer

Board of Directors

Lara S. Sullivan, M.D.

Chief Executive Officer

John Flavin

Chair

Thomas Civik

Director

Darren Cline

Director

Jakob Dupont, M.D.

Director

Freda Lewis-Hall, M.D.

Director

Rachel Humphrey, M.D.

Director

Michael A. Metzger

Director

Santhosh Palani, Ph.D., CFA

Director

Clinical and Translational Medicine Advisory Board

Paul A. Bunn, Jr, M.D., FASCO, FACP, FAAAS

University of Colorado Cancer Center

Giulio Draetta, M.D., Ph.D.

UT MD Anderson Cancer Center

Elliott Levy, M.D.

5AM Ventures, Omega Therapeutics, NuCana, Editas Medicines, Boston Consulting Group

Patricia LoRusso, D.O., Ph.D. (hc)

Yale University, Yale Cancer Center

Jason J. Luke, M.D., FACP

UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, University of Pittsburgh

Glenn A. Miller, Ph.D.

CDX Vision

Anthony W. Tolcher, M.D., FRCPC, FACP

NEXT Oncology

Technical Advisory Board

Morris Rosenberg, D.Sc.

TAB Chair
Founder & Consultant, MRosenberg BioPharma Consulting

Robert Baffi, Ph.D., MBA

President of Global Manufacturing & Technical Operations, BioMarin

V. Bryan Lawlis, Ph.D.

Director, Aeglea BioTherapeutics, Inc.;
Director, Geron Corporation

Christopher O’Donnell, Ph.D.

Vice President, WRDM and Partner at Pfizer Ventures

Michael Sun, Ph.D.

Crux CMC Consulting

Investors

321 Harrison Avenue
11th Floor, Suite 1
Boston, MA 02118
(617) 453-3596 | info@pyxisoncology.com
Pyxis Oncology
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Lara S. Sullivan, M.D.

President, Chief Executive Officer, and Chief Medical Officer

Dr. Lara S. Sullivan is the President, Chief Executive Officer, and Chief Medical Officer of Pyxis Oncology. Prior to joining Pyxis Oncology, Lara was Founding President of SpringWorks Therapeutics (NASDAQ: SWTX), a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company she conceived of, founded, and spun out from Pfizer. As a biotech entrepreneur and advisor, Lara has leveraged her expertise in asset evaluation, portfolio management, and start-up financing to raise nearly $500 million of capital from seed stage through IPO. While at Pfizer, Lara held a variety of executive roles including Vice President, Pfizer Medical and Vice President, Worldwide Research & Development, where she led strategy, competitive intelligence and portfolio operations for the company’s early-stage R&D pipeline. Earlier in her career, Lara held a variety of roles in management consulting, private equity, and investment banking. Lara holds an M.D. from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, an M.B.A. from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, and a B.A. in Comparative Literature from Cornell University.

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Balu Balasubramanian, Ph.D., ACSF

Interim Chief Technology Officer

Dr. Balu Balasubramanian has over 26 years of experience in drug discovery research and management. After starting his career as a medicinal chemist with Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS), he assumed positions of increasing responsibilities while leading programs in cardiovascular, metabolic diseases, oncology, immunology/inflammation, infectious diseases, and neuroscience. Balu led the Oncology BMS-Research Triangle Park collaboration while responsible for External R&D innovation activities at BMS and became the Managing Director of BMS-BIOCON R&D Center (BBRC). In this role, Balu led the company to expand its capability as an integrated research and early clinical development center. Balu was instrumental in creating the Translational Medicine Team with BBRC/BMS and Kiran Mazumdar Shaw Cancer Center, Bangalore. As a result, BBRC delivered several clinical candidates from India. During this period, Balu established the academic-industry partnership programs (PPP) in India to increase drug discovery awareness and the talent pool. Under his leadership at BMS, several candidates were taken from preclinical development, through the clinic to new drug application filings. He has authored and co-authored over 75 scientific publications, patents and presentations. Balu holds a Ph.D. from Wayne State University.

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Michael Bui

Head of Global Regulatory Affairs

Dr. Michael Bui is Head of Global Regulatory Affairs at Pyxis Oncology, bringing nearly 20 years of experience in global regulatory strategy and drug development. He has held leadership roles in regulatory affairs at biotechnology companies such as Kadmon, Surface Oncology, and Idera Pharmaceuticals, as well as major pharmaceutical companies including EMD Serono, Teva, Bayer, Roche, Bristol-Myers Squibb, and Genentech, with a primary focus on oncology. Most recently, he led the global regulatory strategy for the approval of REZUROCK (belumosudil) for cGVHD under FDA’s Project Orbis.

 

Previously, Dr. Bui served as an Industry Representative on the FDA’s Medical Devices Advisory Committee, Dental Products Panel (2010–2014), and the FDA’s Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee (2019–2023). He is also an adjunct faculty member in the Regulatory Affairs and Health Policy Program at the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (MCPHS).

 

Dr. Bui holds a Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) and Master of Public Health (MPH) from Columbia University, as well as a Juris Doctor (JD) from the State University of New York at Buffalo Law School.

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Pamela Connealy, M.B.A.

Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer

Pamela Yanchik Connealy, M.B.A., is the Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operations Officer at Pyxis Oncology. Pam is responsible for finance, global clinical operations, commercial development, quality, CMC, human resources, legal, and information technology. Pam has over 25 years of finance and business operations experience. Before joining Pyxis Oncology, Pam was the Chief Financial Officer and Chief Human Resources Officer of Immunovant, with additional legal, information technology, and facilities responsibilities. Pam also served as the Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer of Kiva, a nonprofit organization based in San Francisco. From April 2014 to June 2018, Pam served as the Global Head of Talent at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, focusing on talent management, compensation, benefits, and global mobility. From March 2012 to November 2013, she served as Vice President of Business Operations at Salesforce, and from March 2002 to April 2010, Pam served as the Vice President and Corporate Officer at Genentech, with additional roles including Chief Financial Officer of Research & Development and Global Head of Procurement. Pam serves on Orchestra BioMed’s Board of Directors and is Chair of the Audit Committee.
 
Pam earned a B.S. in Chemistry from Gannon University and an M.B.A. in Finance from the University of St. Thomas in Houston, Texas.

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Thuy Craveiro, Pharm.D.

VP, Head of Clinical Pharmacology

Dr. Craveiro is the Head of Clinical Pharmacology at Pyxis Oncology, with over 15 years of experience in quantitative clinical pharmacology and model-informed drug development. Before joining Pyxis Oncology, she held roles at Gilead Sciences, Daiichi Sankyo, and Amgen, serving as a PK/PD modeling and clinical pharmacology lead across programs spanning early- and late-stage development, BLA submission, drug approval, and lifecycle management. At Amgen, she played a key role in the development of Aimovig® and Evenity® from preclinical stages to approval.

 

Dr. Craveiro has extensive expertise in the clinical development of monoclonal antibodies and antibody-drug conjugates, with experience across oncology, inflammation, cardiovascular diseases, CNS disorders, and bone health. She earned her PharmD from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and trained in clinical pharmacology, regulatory science, and pharmacometrics at UCSF and the University of Auckland.

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Marsha Crochiere, Ph.D.

Head of Translational Medicine

Dr. Marsha Crochiere is the Head of Translational Medicine at Pyxis Oncology. Previously, she was Senior Director of Translational Sciences at Vigeo Therapeutics, where she led the biomarker strategy for an early-stage clinical oncology candidate. Before that, she was Associate Director of Translational Research at Karyopharm Therapeutics, supporting translational efforts from early clinical development through FDA approval.

 

Dr. Crochiere holds a Ph.D. in Cell, Molecular, and Developmental Biology from Tufts Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and a bachelor’s degree in Biology from Smith College.

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Jennifer D’Auteuil

Senior Manager, Executive Office Operations

Jennifer D’Auteuil is the Senior Manager of Executive Office Administration at Pyxis Oncology, where she provides high-level support to executive leadership and plays a key role in streamlining operations. With a career spanning over two decades, she has built a reputation for her ability to manage complex initiatives, enhance organizational efficiency, and support executives in fast-paced, high-growth environments.

 

Prior to joining Pyxis Oncology, Jennifer spent 10 years at TESARO, where she was instrumental in supporting the company’s leadership where she played a key role in supporting leadership through the company’s rapid growth and eventual acquisition by GSK. Her expertise in executive coordination, strategic planning, and corporate operations has made her an invaluable asset in navigating organizational transitions and driving operational excellence.

 

Known for her adaptability, problem-solving skills, and attention to detail, Jennifer continues to be a trusted partner to senior leadership, ensuring seamless execution of critical business functions.

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Shui He, Ph.D.

Head of Biometrics

Dr. Shui He is the Head of Biometrics at Pyxis Oncology, bringing extensive experience in oncology clinical development and regulatory submissions across both hematologic and solid tumors.

Before joining Pyxis Oncology, Dr. He was the Vice President of Biometrics at Replimune, focusing on oncolytic therapies. Previously, Dr. He was the Vice President and Head of Global Biometrics at ADC Therapeutics, where he led efforts from IND to market authorization for Zynlonta (loncastuximab tesirine) and built the Biometrics team to support the clinical development of five additional programs.

Dr. He began his career at Sanofi-Aventis, where he led the Taxotere (docetaxel) pediatric study and submission, contributed to Eloxatin (oxaliplatin) post-market commitments, and supported the successful submission of Jevtana (cabazitaxel). He then joined Incyte, leading submission efforts for Jakafi (ruxolitinib) in myelofibrosis and polycythemia vera while also contributing to the development of Olumiant (baricitinib) for rheumatoid arthritis.

Dr. He holds a Ph.D. in Biostatistics from the University of Pittsburgh.

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Stephane Marzabal, Ph.D.

Interim Global Program Leader

Mr. Marzabal is the Interim Global Program Lead at Pyxis Oncology. Stephane Marzabal brings over 25 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry. After earning his PhD, Stephane began his career in clinical operations, holding various roles across the pharmaceutical sector. In 2006, he transitioned into Program Leadership, managing assets in partnerships across all phases of development. Stephane successfully led teams through the worldwide launch of two products and the submission of multiple INDs. In parallel, he spearheaded several change management initiatives.

 

In 2016, Stephane co-founded SYNOV Solutions, a consulting firm dedicated to enhancing governance and operating models, strengthening program leadership, elevating program teams, and leading key programs for pharmaceutical and biotech companies.

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Supriya Roth, Ph.D.

Head of Commercial Development

Dr. Supriya Roth is the Head of Commercial Development at Pyxis Oncology, leading commercial strategy and activities critical to drug development. She has extensive oncology experience, with deep expertise in the clinical, regulatory, and commercial landscapes of immuno-oncology, checkpoint inhibitors, and cell therapies across multiple tumor types.

Before joining Pyxis Oncology, Dr. Roth was Executive Director, Head of New Product Planning at Agenus, where she built the early commercial team and led pre-launch strategy across the company’s IO portfolio and MiNK’s iNKT cell therapy pipeline. Previously, she was Director of Early Oncology Commercial at Bluebird Bio, overseeing global new product planning for multiple cell therapies, including CAR-Ts, TCRs, and next-generation autologous and allogeneic platforms. She also played a key role in the commercial development of Abecma, the first CAR-T therapy for multiple myeloma.

Earlier in her career, Dr. Roth led Competitive Intelligence and Analytics at EMD Serono (Merck KGaA), contributing to the global development and launch of Bavencio (anti-PD-L1). She later led new product planning for next-generation IO therapies, including anti-TIM3, IDO/TDO, and anti-TIGIT agents, advancing them through development with a strong commercial focus.

Dr. Roth holds a B.A. in Microbiology and Genetics from Ohio Wesleyan University and a Ph.D. in Microbiology from The University of Texas at Austin.

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Sondra Smyrnios

Head of Global Clinical Operations

Sondra Smyrnios is the Head of Global Clinical Operations at Pyxis Oncology, overseeing the execution of clinical trials across the company’s development portfolio. She brings over 30 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry, with leadership roles spanning clinical operations, data sciences, and global study execution.

 

Before joining Pyxis Oncology, Ms. Smyrnios was SVP of Clinical Development Operations at Alkermes, where she led multiple functions, including Clinical Trial Management and Data Sciences. She previously served as SVP of Clinical Operations at OmniComm Systems and was the Founder and CEO of Evia Clinical Services, a niche clinical operations provider. Earlier in her career, she held senior leadership roles at Kos Pharmaceuticals (acquired by Abbott), Sanofi-Synthelabo Canada, Eli Lilly, and Janssen-Ortho.

 

Ms. Smyrnios has been recognized with multiple industry awards, including the Kos “President’s Award” and Eli Lilly’s “High Achievement Award.” She is also an executive sponsor for the Alkermes Women’s Group and a founding member of the Boston chapter of Chief.

 

She earned her B.Sc. from Concordia University and an M.Sc. in Teratology from McGill University.

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Jitu Wadhane, C.A., CPA

Chief Accounting Officer

Jitu Wadhane, C.A., CPA, is the Chief Accounting Officer at Pyxis Oncology, overseeing accounting, finance, treasury, tax, SEC reporting, and internal controls. He brings over 20 years of experience in finance and accounting operations.

 

Before joining Pyxis Oncology, Jitu was Vice President of Finance and Head of Technical Accounting and SEC Reporting at Immunovant. Prior to that, he spent eight years at EY’s Finance Accounting and Advisory Services in New York, advising Fortune 50 companies on mergers and acquisitions, IPOs, accounting standards implementation, and international accounting matters. Earlier in his career, he worked with Big 4 accounting firms in India, specializing in audit, accounting advisory, and Nasdaq listing consultations.

 

Jitu holds a B.Com. in Accounting and Finance from Mumbai University, is a Chartered Accountant (CA) from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India, and is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) licensed by the New Jersey State Board of Accountancy.

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Hongwei Wang, M.D., Ph.D.

Head of ADC Development and Clinical Strategy

Dr. Hongwei Wang is the Head of ADC Development and Clinical Strategy at Pyxis Oncology. She brings 27 years of cancer research experience and 16 years in oncology drug development across global pharmaceutical and biotech companies.

Prior to Pyxis Oncology, Dr. Wang was Vice President, Oncology Global Development Lead at BeiGene, where she led clinical development and regulatory submissions across multiple geographies, culminating in the approval and launch of Tevimbra in the U.S. and EU. She previously served as Vice President, Head of Clinical Development at Karyopharm, overseeing early and late-stage oncology programs and contributing to the successful NDA submissions and approvals of XPOVIO. Earlier in her career, she held clinical leadership roles at Novartis and Curis.

Dr. Wang earned her medical and doctoral degrees from Peking Union Medical College and trained in translational research at MD Anderson Cancer Center. She later completed a clinical research fellowship in oncology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School.

With a track record of successful IND and NDA/BLA submissions, Dr. Wang has led oncology development programs across solid tumors and hematologic malignancies, driving innovation from early research to commercialization.

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Stephen Worsley

Chief Business Officer

Mr. Stephen Worsley is the Chief Business Officer (CBO) at Pyxis Oncology. Before joining Pyxis Oncology, Stephen was the CBO for corporate and business development at Lytix Biopharma, a leading European immuno/oncology company. Prior to that, he served as the Vice President of Strategic Business Development at Redwood Biosciences/Catalent Pharma Services. Stephen is a seasoned life sciences executive who also served as the CBO at Sutro Biopharma, Sr. Vice President of Business Development at IndiMolecular, and Vice President of Business Development at Peregrine Biopharmaceutical (dba Avid Pharma Services), amongst other roles in his career. Stephen served on the Board of Directors for Peregrine Beijing (a subsidiary of Peregrine Pharmaceuticals) and as Director of Business Development for several successful startups, including Abgenix (acquired by Amgen) and OHM Technologies (acquired by The Carlyle Group).

Stephen’s business development leadership spans more than 25 years in roles of increasing impact and executing high-valuation strategic deals in biopharmaceuticals and drug discovery/development. As a business development executive, Stephen has led and successfully negotiated transformative and award-winning technology and clinical product partnerships for leading therapeutics companies; his focus has primarily been in the protein and antibody arena. Stephen’s achievements include global co-development agreements on behalf of Abgenix with Immunex/Wyeth (led to acquisition by Amgen for $2.7B) with Vectibix® (panitumumab); on behalf of Peregrine a deal with Oncologie Inc. for clinical Phase II level bavituximab; on behalf of Zosano Pharmaceutical with Asahi Kasei Pharma Corporation (AKP) Asahi Kasei Pharma Corporation (AKP) on ZP-PTH®; on behalf of Raven Biotechnologies with B7-H3 & B7-H4 mAbs with Macrogenics (leading to the merger of the two companies); and also on behalf of Raven with Abbott (AbbVie) a collaboration focused on five key mAbs (for ADC development) programs.

Stephen holds an MBA from the University of Washington and a BS in Econ/International Finance from the University of Utah.

John Flavin

Chair

John Flavin is co-founder and an independent Director of Pyxis Oncology, where he was founding Chairman. He is also the Founder and CEO of Portal Innovations, a life sciences venture development engine.  A seasoned life sciences executive and entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience in finance, operations, and innovation, John has co-founded and scaled several life sciences companies as President and CFO such as Advanced Life Sciences and MediChem Life Sciences. Mr. Flavin has also co-founded and led transformative life sciences incubators including MATTER and the Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the University of Chicago.

 

John has completed numerous public and private capital financings totaling over $300 million including 2 NASDAQ IPOs and has raised over $135 million in philanthropic and corporate funding to support university technology commercialization and venture start-up activities.  He received his B.S. in Business Administration from Marquette University and his M.B.A. in Finance from Lewis University. 

Thomas Civik

Director

Mr. Thomas Civik most recently served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Five Prime Therapeutics until its acquisition by Amgen for $1.9 billion in April 2021. He was previously Chief Commercial Officer at Foundation Medicine, delivering significant growth during his tenure and launching the first ever FDA-approved pan-cancer comprehensive genomic test.

 

Thomas held various roles over a 17-year career at Genentech, including responsibility for several important therapies such as Avastin, Tecentriq, Alecensa and Tarceva. Mr. Civik earned a B.A. from St. Norbert College, and an M.B.A. from Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management.

Darren Cline

Director

Darren Cline has more than 30 years of experience in the biopharma industry as an accomplished commercial executive. Mr. Cline has held various commercial leadership roles of increasing scale and complexity at industry-leading companies including Amgen, InterMune, Alexion, Seagen and most recently, GW Pharmaceuticals, where he served as Chief Commercial Officer until their recent acquisition by Jazz Pharmaceuticals. Mr. Cline also served on the Board of Stemline Therapeutics prior to the acquisition by Menarini Group.

 

Mr. Cline received his undergraduate degree from San Diego State University and his MBA from Pepperdine University.

Jakob Dupont, M.D.

Executive Partner, Private Equity

Jakob Dupont brings more than two decades of experience in the field of oncology and other therapeutic areas, in developing therapies and programs dedicated to addressing high unmet medical needs.

 

Prior to joining Sofinnova, Jakob was previously Global Head of Research & Development (R&D) and Executive Vice President at Atara Biotherapeutics, where he helped lead efforts to secure regulatory approval of the first-in-kind product, Ebvallo® and advancing a multiple sclerosis candidate (ATA188) to a key Phase 2 read out. Prior to Atara, he served as the Chief Medical Officer at Gossamer Bio, overseeing global development, regulatory, and quality activities for the company, and advancing therapeutics in the disease areas of immunology, inflammation, and oncology. Before Gossamer Bio, Jakob served as Vice President and Global Head of Breast and Gynecologic Cancer Development for Genentech/Roche, where he was responsible for the global development of Herceptin®, Perjeta®, Kadcyla®, Tecentriq®, among others, and where he previously led the development of Avastin® for GYN and Breast Cancers when starting his industry career. Jakob was also Chief Medical Officer and Senior Vice President of OncoMed Pharmaceuticals, Inc., where he oversaw the successful submissions of eight investigational new drug applications (INDs) and 26 clinical trial initiations. Through his industry career he has received numerous grants and awards, contributed to 12 regulatory approvals, 13 successful IND filings, co-authored 47 peer-reviewed publications, and has 18 patents.

 

Jakob received his M.D. from the Joan & Sanford I. Weill Medical College of Cornell University and his M.A. in philosophy from New York University. He also served as Assistant Chief Resident and completed his Medical Oncology Fellowship at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK), his Internal Medicine Residency at the New-York Presbyterian Hospital — Cornell Campus, and his Internal Medicine Internship at The University of Michigan Medical Center.

Freda Lewis-Hall, M.D., DFAPA, MFPM

Director

Freda Lewis-Hall, M.D., DFAPA, MFPM, served as Senior Medical Advisor to the Chief Executive Officer at Pfizer until her retirement in March 2020. Prior to that, she was the Chief Patient Officer and Executive Vice President at Pfizer. In this role, Freda worked to extend the reach of Pfizer’s patient-facing health information and education and amplify the patient’s voice inside and outside Pfizer. From 2009-2018 Freda served as Pfizer’s Chief Medical Officer, responsible for the safe, effective and appropriate use of Pfizer medicines and vaccines.

 

Before joining Pfizer, Freda held senior leadership positions in medical affairs and product development with Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Pharmacia and Eli Lilly and Company. Prior to joining the biopharmaceutical industry, she served as Vice Chairperson and Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Howard University College of Medicine and as an advisor to the National Institute of Mental Health. She graduated from Johns Hopkins University and earned her medical doctorate at Howard University College of Medicine. She launched her medical career as a practicing physician and then focused her academic research on the effects of health care disparities and the impact of mental illness on families and communities.

 

Freda currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors for SpringWorks Therapeutics, 1Life HealthCare, Inc., and Exact Sciences Corporation.

 

A passionate advocate for health equity and improved outcomes for all patients, Freda serves on the Board of Advisors of the Prostate Cancer Foundation, the Davos Alzheimer’s Collaborative, and the Board of Fellows of the Harvard Medical School.

 

Freda is a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and an Honorary Fellow of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine of the Royal College of Physicians of the United Kingdom. She is a frequent speaker on issues such as improving patient safety and outcomes and reducing stigma and healthcare disparities. She appears regularly on health-related television programs in major global markets, including CBS-syndicated shows such as The Doctors and Dr. Phil.

Rachel Humphrey, M.D.

Director

Dr. Humphrey is a medical oncologist with over 25 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry. Currently she serves as President and Founding CEO of Normunity, a Boston-based biotech focused on immune-oncology. She was Founder and Acting CEO of NorthBridge Therapeutics. Over the course of her career, she’s served as Chief Medical Officer in multiple biotechnology companies, including Black Diamond Therapeutics, CytomX therapeutics and Mirati Therapeutics. She’s also held numerous senior leadership roles in large pharmaceutical companies including SVP and Head of Immuno-Oncology at AstraZeneca, and VP, Clinical Development and Immuno-oncology at Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS) where she supervised the development of ipilimumab (Yervoy) from early development to post-launch and founded/chaired the first Immuno-oncology working group. She currents serves on the board of directors of Sporos Biosciences and Asylia Therapeutics, and previously served on the Board of Directors of Xilio and CytomX Therapeutics, respectively. Dr. Humphrey holds an M.D. from Case Western Reserve University and a B.A. from Harvard University. She received her training in internal medicine at The Johns Hopkins Hospital and started her career as an oncology fellow and staff physician at the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, MD.

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Michael A. Metzger

Director

Michael A. Metzger has served as Syndax Pharmaceutical’s Chief Executive Officer since February 2022 and previously served as its President and Chief Operating Officer since May 2015 and as a member of the board of directors since July 2019.  Prior to joining Syndax, Mr. Metzger was President & COO from December 2013 to October 2014 and President, CEO and a member of the board of directors of Regado Biosciences, Inc., a former publicly traded biotechnology company, from October 2014 to May 2015, where he oversaw the company’s successful merger with Tobira Therapeutics, Inc. in 2015. Previously, Mr. Metzger served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Mersana Therapeutics, Inc., a publicly traded company focused on the development of ADCs for oncology, from March 2011 to November 2013, and in senior business development positions including leading mergers and acquisitions at Forest Laboratories, LLC, which was acquired by Allergan plc, a publicly traded company, from 2006 to February 2011. Prior to Forest, he served as Vice President Corporate Development at Onconova Therapeutics, Inc. and was a Managing Director at MESA Partners, Inc., a venture capital firm. Mr. Metzger recently served on the board of CTI Biopharma Corp., a publicly traded biopharmaceutical company which was acquired by SOBI AB in 2023, and currently serves on the board of a not-for-profit company.  Mr. Metzger received a B.A. from George Washington University and an M.B.A. in Finance from the New York University Stern School of Business.

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Santhosh Palani, Ph.D., CFA

Director

Dr. Palani is a former investment partner and a current advisory partner at PFM Health Sciences. At PFM, Dr. Palani led public and private biotechnology investments and served on the board of companies in the cell therapy and gene editing fields. Prior to joining PFM in 2020, Dr. Palani was a Principal at New Enterprise Associates (NEA), where he invested in early-stage private biotechnology companies and served on the boards of companies in the radiopharmaceuticals, cell therapy, targeted oncology, and gene editing fields. From 2016 to 2018, Dr. Palani was a Vice President of equity research at Cowen and Company, where he covered small- to mid-cap biotechnology stocks across numerous therapeutic areas. Prior to Cowen, Dr. Palani was in oncology drug development at Pfizer Inc. and Takeda Pharmaceuticals. Dr. Palani has a Ph.D. in bioengineering from the University of Pennsylvania and completed his postdoctoral work in biochemistry and molecular biophysics at Columbia University. He also holds an M.S. in chemical engineering from Texas A&M University and a B.S. in chemical engineering from the University of Madras. Dr. Palani is a CFA® Charterholder.

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Charles T. Gombar, Ph.D.

Senior Vice President, Portfolio & Program Management

Dr. Gombar is the SVP, Portfolio & Program Management at Pyxis Oncology. Charlie brings forty years of drug development experience, across several therapeutic areas, to Pyxis Oncology. Prior to joining Pyxis Oncology, Charlie was Deputy Director, HIV drugs at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation where he was responsible for the programs investing in the development of long acting antiretrovirals for prevention of HIV infection. Prior to the Gates Foundation, Charlie had a long career in the pharmaceutical industry at companies including Wyeth, Knoll, Sterling-Winthrop, and SmithKline Beecham. Charlie spent much of his time in the industry as a development team leader, and as the leader of portfolio and project management groups. Charlie also has experience leading a group responsible for defining the strategic path forward in R&D to help Wyeth thrive in the increasingly challenging environment and drive process improvements in R&D. Charlie has devoted time to teaching drug development and is currently the director of the American Course on Drug Development and Regulatory Science. Dr. Gombar holds a Ph.D. in Pharmacology from the Albany Medical College and a undergraduate degree in Chemistry from Pace University.

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Jay M. Feingold, M.D., Ph.D.

Chief Medical Officer

Dr. Jay M. Feingold has extensive experience in academic medicine and the pharmaceutical industry. Before joining Pyxis Oncology, he spent seven years at ADC Therapeutics where he was Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer. Jay created the organization responsible for the submission of 6 INDs and initiated 6 clinical programs. Most recently, FDA granted accelerated approval for Zynlonta this past April, the first approved CD19 directed ADC. Prior to joining ADCT, he was Vice President of US Medical Affairs and Chairman of the Global Medical Affairs Oversight Committee at Daiichi Sankyo. Previously Vice President of Global Oncology Clinical Development and Global Therapy Area Director of Oncology at Wyeth. Before joining Wyeth, Jay was a member of the Departments of Medicine and Pediatrics and Associate Director of the Bone Marrow Transplant Program at the University of Connecticut, overseeing the Alternative Donor and Pediatric Transplant Programs. Jay received his M.D. and Ph.D. from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and trained in Pediatrics and Pediatric Hematology and Oncology at the UCLA Center for the Health Sciences.

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Jan Pinkas, Ph.D.

Chief Scientific Officer

Dr. Jan Pinkas is the Chief Scientific Officer of Pyxis Oncology. Prior to joining Pyxis Oncology, Jan was Senior Vice President, Head of Translational Sciences at Magenta Therapeutics where he was responsible for all therapeutic programs from development candidate nomination through Phase II with particular focus on toxicology, clinical pharmacology, and biomarkers. Prior to this role, Jan worked at ImmunoGen as Vice President, Translational Research & Development where he led nonclinical and translational research and development related activities in discovery through late stage clinical development. He obtained his Ph.D. in Molecular and Cellular Biology from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and his undergraduate degree in biology from Johns Hopkins University.