Industry Advisors Making the World Smarter, Safer and Healthier Artificial Intelligence Biotechnology Computer Science Cybersecurity Data Analytics and Visualization Digital Marketing and Media Mathematics Occupational Therapy Physician Assistant Physics Speech-Language Pathology Biotechnology Management and Entrepreneurship Industry Advisors Meet our faculty Sarah Bettigole, Ph.D. Volastra Therapeutics Sarah Bettigole's Bio Sarah Bettigole, Ph.D. Volastra Therapeutics Dr. Bettigole is an immunologist and senior scientist at Volastra Therapeutics, a biotech company based in New York City that is focused on developing novel cancer therapies targeting chromosomal instability and metastasis. Prior to joining Volastra, she was a co-founder and director of biology at Quentis Therapeutics, a biotech company focused on developing first-in-class cancer immunotherapies to modulate endoplasmic reticulum stress responses in the tumor microenvironment. Her research has focused on immune cell development and tumor immunology, and she has authored multiple peer-reviewed publications on cancer and immunobiology in the journals Cell, Nature, and Nature Immunology. She holds a Ph.D. in immunology from Harvard Medical School and a B.S. in biology from Tufts University. While at Harvard, she was awarded the Jeffrey Modell Award in recognition of her thesis work describing how cellular stress responses regulate hematopoietic cell differentiation. Charles Buchen, M.D. Fortress Biotech Charles Buchen's Bio Charles Buchen, M.D. Fortress Biotech Dr. Buchen is vice president of business development at Fortress Biotech, a New York-based venture fund, where he leads acquisitions of novel clinical and preclinical therapeutics for Fortress’ portfolio, with the ultimate goal of advancing these promising technologies toward improved patient care and treatment. He also has experience analyzing new drug development opportunities across various therapeutic indications for licensing and new company formation. He is also a director at Cyprium Therapeutics, a Fortress Biotech company. He conducted research at Columbia University Medical Center where he published numerous articles in scientific and medical journals. He holds an M.D., with a distinction in research, from Albert Einstein College of Medicine and a B.A. from Brooklyn College. Luana Fioriti, Ph.D. Plico Biotech Luana Fioriti's Bio Luana Fioriti, Ph.D. Plico Biotech Dr. Luana Fioriti is a neuroscientist and the chief scientific officer and CEO of Plico Biotech. Her specialties are neurodegenerative diseases, including Prion, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Huntington's Disease. She founded a start-up company, with the goal of developing new therapeutic and prophylactic tools and strategies that could be used to alleviate and possibly cure fatal neurodegenerative disorders. She has extensive experience in academia successfully leading a team that generated publications in the field of both learning and memory and neurodegenerative disorders. At Columbia University she managed and mentored several undergraduate and junior scientists, resulting in their acceptance to highly competitive M.D., M.D./Ph.D. and Ph.D. programs and publication in peer-review journals. As a result, she received a mentorship award from Columbia. She holds a Ph.D. in neuroscience in Milan in 2006. Mirella Mashiach, M.A. Mesia Ventures Mirella Mashiach's Bio Mirella Mashiach, M.A. Mesia Ventures Mirella Mashiach is a founding partner of Mesia Ventures, a venture capital firm that invests in biotech companies, and has experience in investments, portfolio management and venture building. She has managed a corporate venture fund, led dozens of strategic partnerships and has been a director in startup boards. Prior to Mesia Ventures, she spent several years as an executive at Teva Pharmaceuticals, one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies, and was managing director of the company’s venture capital arm. She managed Teva’s investment portfolio into early- and late-stage opportunities and into other venture capital funds. Early in her career, she was an attorney working at prominent law firms where she specialized in healthcare transactions and intellectual property management. In addition, she has extensive experience negotiating complex commercial agreements, as well as expertise in structuring joint ventures, strategic alliances and M&As. She holds a J.D. degree, an M.A. in philosophy and a B.Sc. in computer science from Tel Aviv University. Faical Miyara, Ph.D. Kadmon Corporation Faical Miyara's Bio Faical Miyara, Ph.D. Kadmon Corporation Dr. Faical Miyara has over 13 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry, including five years of extensive experience in U.S. corporate and business development, with a proven record in negotiating, generating term sheets and finalizing business deals for in-licensing and out-licensing programs. He is senior vice president of external research and business development at Kadmon Corporation where he manages and directs global scouting, evaluation and negotiation of licensing deals, from the early research stage to late clinical development and marketed product opportunities, both in biologics and small molecules. Prior to Kadmon, he spent five years at Pfizer where he co-developed one of its therapeutic innovation centers in New York, holding a series of senior R&D roles of increasing responsibility. Prior to joining Pfizer, he spent five years at ImClone Systems/Eli Lilly where he contributed to the research, optimization and development of numerous FDA-approved biologics to treat cancer, including Cetuximab [Erbitux®], Ramucirumab [CYRAMZA®], Necitumumab [Portrazza™] and Olaratumab [Lartruvo®]. He holds a Ph.D. in reproductive, molecular and cell biology from the University Pierre et Marie Currie (Paris VI, France), a master's/engineer degree of medical biology from the Faculty of Medicine Joseph Fourier, Grenoble, France, and a bachelor of science degree from University Jean Monnet, Saint-Etienne, France. Benjy Neymotin, Ph.D. Albert Einstein College of Medicine Benjy Neymotin's Bio Benjy Neymotin, Ph.D. Albert Einstein College of Medicine Dr. Benjy Neymotin is the assistant director of the Office of Biotechnology and Business Development at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. He is responsible for managing strategic alliances with commercial partners, reviewing and assessing invention disclosures of new technologies, and negotiating a variety of agreements including exclusive license agreements, research-tool license agreements, and industry-sponsored research agreements. Prior to Einstein, he conducted his Ph.D. research at New York University and contributed to the understanding of how and why RNA transcripts within the yeast transcriptome degrade at different rates. The results of those studies are published in a variety of peer-reviewed journals. He holds a Ph.D. in genomics and systems biology from New York University, an M.A. in biotechnology from Columbia University, and a B.S. in biology from Ohio State University. Brendan Parent, J.D. New York University School of Professional Studies Brendan Parent's Bio Brendan Parent, J.D. New York University School of Professional Studies Brendan Parent is director of applied bioethics at New York University’s School of Professional Studies, a faculty affiliate in the Division of Medical Ethics in the New York University School of Medicine, and director of NYU Program on Sports & Society. He also serves as chair of the ethical issues in health care committee of the health law section and as editor for the Health Law Journal of the New York State Bar Association. Parent is a fellow of the Center for Genetics and Society, and his current research areas include ethics of genetic engineering, organ donation and transplant policies, and social responsibility in sports. He has published academic articles in peer-reviewed journals spanning law, medicine, science, sports and ethics, and his work has been featured in the Washington Post and Chicago Tribune, and on NPR. Previously, he was the first Rudin Postdoctoral Fellow in the Division of Medical Ethics at NYU School of Medicine, then special legal adviser for the New York Task Force on Life and the Law, a government agency that assists the state with policy in medicine, law and ethics. He holds a a J.D. from the Georgetown University Law Center, where he was presented with the ABA Award for Excellence in Health Law, and a bachelor’s degree in bioethics from University of California, Santa Cruz. Jason Tardio, MBA Ovid Therapeutics Jason Tardio's Bio Jason Tardio, MBA Ovid Therapeutics Jason Tardio joined Ovid Therapeutics as chief commercial officer in November 2019. Before joining Ovid, he was vice president, head of the Multiple Sclerosis franchise at Novartis, where he was responsible for developing and managing all aspects of the U.S. commercial plan, brand P&L, strategy development and go-to-market modeling. Prior to Novartis, he served as general manager, managing director, for Biogen’s Latin America South affiliate. Earlier at Biogen, he held a wide range of sales and marketing positions in global commercial strategy, the U.S. business unit and at the international affiliate level. His 20 years of commercial experience in the biopharmaceutical industry began at Wyeth and Sepracor, with roles in sales, sales training and marketing. He holds an MBA in pharmaceutical marketing from St. Joseph’s University and a B.S. degree from The College of New Jersey. Cybersecurity Industry Advisors Meet our faculty Sivan Tehila, M.S. Program Director Sivan Tehila's Bio Sivan Tehila, M.S. Expertise: Industrial Cybersecurity, Information Security Management, Cloud Security, Social Entrepreneurship Sivan Tehila, a cybersecurity expert with over 15 years of experience, is program director of the M.S. in Cybersecurity at the Katz School of Science and Health and CEO of Onyxia, a cybersecurity strategy and performance platform. During her service in the Israel Defense Forces, she fulfilled multiple positions including intelligence officer, CISO of Research and Analysis Division and head of the Information Security Department of the Intelligence Corps. She was honorably discharged as a captain. In addition, she was an information security officer and a profiler for the Israeli defense technology company RAFAEL and served as a cybersecurity consultant for the Israel Railways. She currently runs technical and educational workshops in cybersecurity, speaks at conferences around the world and contributes to information and cybersecurity magazines, including SecurityWitch. She also has dedicated herself to promoting women in cybersecurity. In addition to Cyber Ladies NYC, she developed a unique cybersecurity program for Manhattan High School for girls. At the Katz School, she teaches Cybersecurity Audit, Assessment, and Testing. She holds an M.S. in business development from Haifa University, and a Certified CISO from the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology. David Schwed, J.D. Advisory Board Chair David Schwed's Bio David Schwed, J.D. EXPERTISE: IT Operations, Information Security, Risk Management, Project Management, Technology Implementation, Process Improvement David Schwed, who has over 20 years of experience in IT, IS and risk management, is chief operating officer of Halborn, an international computer and network security firm. He is also a practitioner-in-residence on the faculty of the M.S. in Cybersecurity at the Katz School of Science and Health, and chair of the program's advisory board. Prior to joining Halborn, Schwed was global head of digital assets technology at BNY Mellon, where he continues to serve as an advisor. Schwed has built frameworks for information technology and information security from the ground up for major Fortune 200 companies in the financial sector, including Bank of New York Mellon, Merrill Lynch, Salomon Smith Barney and Citigroup. With Citigroup, he led global IT audits to ensure compliance with a complex landscape of regulations that included SOX and GLBA. As chief information security officer for Galaxy Digital, a diversified merchant bank dedicated to digital assets and the blockchain technology industry, he led the vision, strategy and execution for information security while building out the IT infrastructure. He is co-founder, CIO and general counsel of MASS Communications, a leading connectivity and telecom management provider which was acquired by a Fortune 500 Telecommunications company. He holds the following industry certifications: Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA); Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP); Certified Data Privacy Solutions Engineer (CDPSE); Certified Bitcoin Professional (CBP); Certified Ethereum Professional (CEP); Certified DeFi Expert; Certified Blockchain Security Professional. He holds a J.D. from Hofstra University School of Law and is a member of the New York Bar, and has taught the courses Architecture of Secure Operating Systems; Applications; and Devices Leading Technology Organizations. General [ret.] Eli Ben Meir, LLM Sdema Group General [ret.] Eli Ben Meir's Bio General [ret.] Eli Ben Meir, LLM Sdema Group General [ret.] Eli Ben Meir served in the Israel Defense Forces for over 30 years in the highest echelons of intelligence, operational and technological positions. Since his retirement from the military in 2016, he has focused on cybersecurity, currently serving as vice president of cyber and intelligence at Sdema Group and founder and partner in CyGov, a cyber security startup. Additionally, he is an adviser to numerous companies and projects from the high-tech sector. General Ben Meir teaches at the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya, is a frequent guest commentator on Israeli and international television and radio, and has a weekly column in Israel’s Maariv newspaper. While in the Israel Defense Forces, he served as the commander of the Intelligence Corps, including the vaunted cyber units and as head of the Research Division in which he was responsible for assessing intelligence threats to the State of Israel in all sectors and areas. He provided regular intelligence briefings to the prime minister of Israel and the security cabinet, the highest-level commanders from the IDF and Israeli security agencies, as well as foreign political and intelligence leaders. He also served in the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C., as the IDF’s intelligence attaché to the United States where he worked to strengthen the ties between the two countries and their respective militaries. Jeffrey Lipson, MSIT Layer 8 Security Jeffrey Lipson's Bio Jeffrey Lipson, MSIT Layer 8 Security Jeffrey Lipson is an entrepreneur and a Reserve Marine colonel, with over 26 years of military service. His last active duty tour was at the National Security Agency with the Marine Forces Cyber Command. He was deployed overseas numerous times to Iraq, Liberia and Bosnia. A career intelligence and communications officer, he is an expert in information assurance. He serves on the board of directors for Immaculata University’s cybersecurity program and on the board of trustees for the Montgomery School. He also is a member of the Philadelphia Committee for the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation. Nadav Zafrir, MBA Team8 Nadav Zafrir's Bio Nadav Zafrir, MBA Team8 Nadav Zafrir is the co-founder and CEO of Team8, which uses its collective cybersecurity and data science expertise and its vast international network to identify problems that can be developed into companies. It is backed by some of the world’s most renowned businesses including Cisco, Microsoft, AT&T, Walmart, Airbus, Softbank, Accenture, Qualcomm, Moody’s, Munich-Re, Dimension Data, Nokia and Scotiabank. Before Team8, he was the founder of the Israel Defense Forces’ cyber command, and the commander of Unit 8200, an elite military technology unit that has become an incubator for Israel’s renowned high-tech sector.