Tom Tom Founders Festival

Innovation:

Charlottesville is home to some of the most cutting edge biotechnology firms in the Country. This panel, presented in partnership with U.Va. Innovation and Charlottesville Business Innovation Council (CBIC), explores insights from these innovators and entrepreneurs and offers lessons learned in the entrepreneurial and biotech mine fields. Attendees might be able to avoid some of the pitfalls they’ve experienced.

All startups face enormous hurdles ensuring their innovation reaches its intended destination: the consumer. This session is ideal for anyone curious about how one moves a great idea from their mind to the marketplace, whether developed outside of or within the walls of an academic institution such as U.Va.


Speakers:

Jann Balmer – Director of the Continuing Medical Education
Dr. Balmer was appointed as the first full-time Director for Continuing Medical Education of the University of Virginia School of Medicine in December 1990. In her role as Director for CME, the Office of Continuing Medical Education has demonstrated significant growth in meeting the educational needs of physicians and other healthcare professionals. Over the past 20 years, the number of accredited CME activities has grown to a yearly average of 220 activities. Dr. Balmer served as the President, Past President and Board Member of the Alliance for Continuing Education in the Health Professions (formerly Alliance for CME) from 2005 -2012. She served as the editor for the Best Practices in CME Handbook distributed by the Alliance for CME for 7 years.

Aris Persidis – President and co-founder of Biovista.
Dr. Persidis is President and co-founder of Biovista. He has also served as Senior Vice President at Upstate/Serologicals, Managing Director and President of RHeoGene, and Assistant Director-Medical School Technology Transfer Program – and Assistant Professor (Adjunct) at the Entrepreneurial Center of the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania (1993-1997). Dr. Persidis is also a co-founder of Cellzome, in Heidelberg, Germany, and participated in the founding of Anadys, San Diego, CA. Dr. He has published more than 80 papers and book chapters, has lectured at Wharton, the Columbia Business School, George Washington University and the University of Auckland Business School, and is a frequent speaker at major international meetings. He also serves as an expert evaluator for the European Union and has served on the Business Development Committee of BIO. .

David Kalergis – CEO of Diffusion Pharmaceuticals, LLC
David Kalergis is the co-founder of Diffusion Pharmaceuticals LLC and, since 2004, has served as the company’s Chief Executive Officer. Under his leadership, Diffusion has grown into a clinical-stage drug development company commercializing a novel proprietary pharmaceutical technology. Clinical trials of Diffusion’s lead compound, trans sodium crocetinate (TSC), began in 2007 to explore its use in indications including peripheral artery disease and radiation sensitization in the treatment of cancerous tumors. TSC is currently being tested at 18 major cancer institutions in a Phase II clinical trial in newly diagnosed primary brain cancer (glioblastoma or GBM) patients.


Moderator:

Lianne Landers – Entrepreneurial Networks, U.Va. Innovation
Since 2005, Lianne W. Landers has worked closely with faculty entrepreneurs, helping them to develop early-stage innovations that have commercial potential. She facilitates relationships with the investment and entrepreneurship community, particularly through such programs as the Biomedical Innovation Fund, the U.Va. Venture Summit and the U.Va. Entrepreneurship Cup. As a key mechanism through which these relationships are developed, Landers directs U.Va.’s Venture Forward mentoring program, building teams of alumni business experts around faculty start-up companies and other emerging ventures.