Steven E. Nissen MD is Chairman of the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine at the Cleveland Clinic. Dr. Nissen came to the Cleveland Clinic in 1992. He served for 9 years as Vice-Chairman of the Department and five years as Medical Director of the Cleveland Clinic Cardiovascular Coordinating Center (C5), an organization that directs multicenter clinical trials. In 2006, he was appointed Chairman.National leadership positions include a term as President of the American College of Cardiology (ACC), the professional society representing American cardiologists (March 2006 to March 2007). Dr. Nissen has served numerous ACC committees and working groups, and currently serves as a member ACC Board of Trustees. Steven Nissen earned his medical degree from the Michigan University School of Medicine in Ann Arbor. He completed Internal Medicine internship and residency at the University of California, Davis in Sacramento, and Cardiology Fellowship at the University of Kentucky Medical Center in Lexington. Dr. Nissen’s research during the last two decades has focused on application of intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) imaging to the assessment of progression and regression of coronary atherosclerosis. Contributions to scientific literature include being author/coauthor of more than 300 journal articles and 60 book chapters. As a physician/scientist, Dr. Nissen consults for many pharmaceutical companies on the development of new therapies for cardiovascular disease, but maintains a longstanding personal policy of requiring companies to donate all related honoraria directly to charity so that he receives neither income, nor a tax deduction. In recent years, he has also written extensively on the subject of drug safety. In 2001, he was co-author of the first manuscript that raised concerns about the safety of rofecoxib (Vioxx), which was withdrawn from the market 3 years later. In 2005, he re-analyzed data submitted to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to support approval of muraglitazar, a new agent to treat diabetes and lipid disorders. Despite a recommendation by an FDA Advisory Panel to approve this new agent, Dr. Nissen’s study reported that muraglitazar doubled the risk of major adverse cardiovascular outcomes and the Agency halted approval. In 2007, he was the author of a manuscript that demonstrated that the widely used diabetes drug rosiglitazone (Avandia™) raised the risk of myocardial infarction, resulting in a “black box’ warning by the FDA 6 months later. Dr. Nissen served as a member of the CardioRenal Advisory Panel of Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for 5 years, and as Chairman of the final year of his membership. He continues to serve as Advisor to several FDA committees as a Special Government Employee. In July 2008, while serving as guest member of the Endocrine and Metabolism Advisory Panel, Dr. Nissen recommended a new approach to approval of diabetes drugs, which was ultimately adopted by the Agency in November 2008. Steven Nissen is also known for his role in public policy discussions, particularly in the area of drug safety. He has testified in both the Senate (Health Education and Labor Committee) and House of Representatives (Energy and Commerce Committee) on the need to reform the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). He was actively involved in discussions with Congress on the FDA Amendments Act of 2007 that added additional regulatory authority for the Agency. Professor Steven Nissen was selected for the Outstanding Scientist Award by the Cleveland Clinic in 2004. Cleveland Clinic Cardiovascular Medicine Fellows have awarded him the Outstanding Teaching Award, an annual recognition, on 3 occasions. He also received Award for Outstanding Contributions to Cardiovascular Research from the Gill Heart Institute of the University of Kentucky in 2004.

Mr. Coburn has been Executive Director of CCI since its establishment in 2000 and is responsible for all activities and outcomes of the department. He is a recognized authority of technology commercialization and has consulted and spoken on the subject throughout North America and in 18 countries. He leads a team of a dozen industry veterans. Mr. Coburn serves on the board of directors of CleveX, Merlot Therapeutics, PeriTec, PrognostiX, and BioEnterprise. He is a trustee of Hathaway Brown School, Northeast Ohio Council of Higher Education, and Town Hall of Cleveland. He is a former director of the U.S. Enrichment Corporation ( NYSE:USU) and author of numerous articles and book chapters on technology commercialization. He was editor and co-author of Partnerships, a key reference book on technology commercialization. His Master’s Degree is from George Washington University.

Dr. Paul E. DiCorleto is Chair of the Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute (LRI), and Professor and Chair of the Department of Molecular Medicine, Case School of Medicine. The LRI is home to over 190 principal investigators and 1200 employees performing biomedical research. Dr. DiCorleto received his undergraduate training in chemistry at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and his doctorate in biochemistry from Cornell University. Dr. DiCorleto’s research, which has been continuously funded by NIH for over 27 years, focuses on the molecular and cellular basis of atherosclerosis. He has been with the Cleveland Clinic for 28 years, having served previously as Chairman of the Department of Cell Biology, and as an Associate Chief of Staff. He is currently a member of the Clinic’s Board of Governors and Board of Trustees. On a national level, he has chaired multiple NIH and American Heart Association review panels, as well as several national conferences on research into heart and vascular disease. He has published over 100 articles in his field and serves on the editorial board of multiple scientific journals. Dr. DiCorleto is a Community Trustee of Cleveland State University and a member of the Association of American Medical College’s Advisory Panel on Research. He is also a director of Cleveland BioLabs, Inc. (CBLI) – a publicly traded, Cleveland Clinic spin-off company.

A nationally recognized healthcare leader, Adele Gulfo has spent more than 20 years at the cutting edge of the industry, playing a pivotal role in the development and commercialization of some of the world’s most famous and successful drugs, such as LIPITOR®, CRESTOR®, and TOPROL-XL®. She has been a pioneer in science-based marketing and has a proven track record at establishing strategic partnerships with the most well respected medical institutions in the world.

Ms. Gulfo brings this wealth of experience to her current role as President and General Manager, U.S. Primary Care with responsibility for the five Regional Business Units, Commercial Operations, Corporate and Government Customers, and the Patient and Physician Marketing teams.

She joined Pfizer in November, 2009 and in her short tenure has implemented a number of measures aimed at driving innovation throughout the organization, in support of her continued focus on strengthening and evolving Pfizer’s US Primary Care business.

Ms. Gulfo joins Pfizer from AstraZeneca, where she was most recently Vice President, Business Development and Design for Launch, responsible for sourcing, evaluating and securing all external assets including partnerships, acquisitions, and licenses, as well as clinical and commercial development across all therapeutic areas of products entering Phase 2b.

She previously led AstraZeneca’s Cardiovascular Business and played a large part in the success of Crestor. She led commercial and development functions, including marketing, sales, clinical development, regulatory and life-cycle management for Crestor and other cardiovascular brands, including Toprol XL, Zestril, Sular, Plendil, and Atacand.

Prior to joining AstraZeneca in 2000, Ms. Gulfo was the Senior Director, Cardiovascular Marketing, Pfizer (formerly Park-Davis). During her tenure, she was responsible for the launch and commercialization of the cholesterol-lowering product LIPITOR®, one of the most successful drugs in pharmaceutical history. She also led the marketing and launch for other prominent cardiovascular drugs, including ACCUPRIL®, one of the most widely prescribed hypertension drugs in the world. Previously, Ms. Gulfo worked as a research chemist for Fischer Scientific and as a molecular biologist for University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ).

Trained as a scientist and businesswoman with experience in both operational and strategic roles, Ms. Gulfo brings a unique perspective to the healthcare debate. She has been a speaker and panelist for a number of organizations including The Conference Board, Dow Jones, the American Heart Association, the Healthcare Business Women’s Association, and the Healthcare Marketing and Communications Council, addressing brand marketing, the future of healthcare innovation, and other topics. She has also spoken at a number of schools, including Cornell University, Fairleigh Dickinson University and Seton Hall University and has been featured in articles in Fortune, BusinessWeek, Bloomberg News, Pharmaceutical Executive and Advertising Age.

Ms. Gulfo holds a bachelor’s degree in Biology and Chemistry from Seton Hall University and a Master of Business Administration degree in Marketing from Fairleigh Dickinson University. She is a member of the Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association’s Advisory Board helping to further the advancement of women in healthcare worldwide. She also serves as a member of the Board of Directors for the Cleveland Clinic’s Global Cardiovascular Innovation Center, a $250 million research and product development consortium established to accelerate the commercialization of cardiovascular products.

Several national groups have recognized Ms. Gulfo for her experience and outstanding leadership; Advertising Age named her the “Top 100 Marketer of 1999” for the market preparation and “world-class” launch of LIPITOR® and, in partnership with the American Heart Association, she won a 2000 Silver Anvil Award for Public Relations Excellence in Partnership from the Public Relations Association of America. In 2004, Delaware Today named her one of the “5 Most Powerful Women in Delaware” for her role as head of the CV Business at AstraZeneca’s Global Headquarters in Wilmington. In 2007, PharmaVOICE Magazine named her one of the “100 Most Inspiring People in the Life-Sciences Industry” and the Women’s Venture Fund awarded her the Highest Leaf Award in recognition of her entrepreneurial spirit and achievements. In 2008, she was nominated for Healthcare Businesswoman of the Year, a highly-acclaimed award by the HBA, a nationally recognized organization that supports women in healthcare.

Keith Kerman, M.D. is the principal of Field Medical Partners, a healthcare business advisory and investment firm. Dr. Kerman has served as a board member, management advisor, and chief medical officer, to a number of healthcare service, healthcare information technology, and medical device companies. He has 20 years of experience in healthcare related private equity, venture capital, and operating roles, and has been an executive, investor, and board member at more than 25 healthcare businesses and organizations.

Prior to founding Field Medical, Dr. Kerman was a Managing Director and led the healthcare practice at Primus Capital Funds, a growth equity and middle market buyout firm, and was previously a General Partner with Morgenthaler Ventures. Dr. Kerman was an operating executive at U.S. Healthcare, where he was president of the company’s subsidiary providing managed care services to self-funded health plans. Prior to joining U.S. Healthcare, he was a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Clinical Scholar at the University of Pennsylvania, was a member of the clinical faculty at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, and was a Senior Fellow at the Leonard Davis Institute for Health Economics at The Wharton School. He has an AB and an MD from Brown University, and an MBA from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Dr. Kerman currently serves on the Board of Directors of AxioMed Spine Corporation, Cleveland Heart Labs, and Physicians Pharmacy Alliance. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the Healthcare Information Management Systems Society (HIMSS), is a member of the Cleveland Clinic Innovations Industrial Advisory Board, and is Chairman of the Advisory Board of the Cleveland Clinic’s Global Cardiology Innovation Center.

John is founder and Managing Partner of Triathlon Medical Ventures in Cincinnati and brings 13 years of venture investing and 13 years of research and R&D management experience in biotechnology, devices, and diagnostics. John was a Managing Director of Senmed Medical Ventures from 1989 until 2003 and served as a member of the investment committee. He also led the emerging medical technology investment efforts. He represented Senmed on the board or as board observer to several Senmed portfolio companies, including Allergenics, Athersys, Merix BioScience, Transplant Therapeutics, and Optosonics and currently represents Triathlon on the board of Kereos and is an observer to the board of Endocyte. Prior to joining Senmed Medical Ventures, John spent 13 years with Battelle Memorial Institute serving in various research, research management, and business development capacities at Battelle Memorial Institute most recently overseeing Battelle’s international biotechnology activities. Locally and regionally, John was among the early organizers of Bio/Start, Cincinnati’s biomedical business incubator and currently serves on its Board of Trustees. He is also a trustee of Omeris, Ohio’s life science economic development organization. John also holds an adjunct appointment in the department of Molecular Virology, Immunology and Medical Genetics in the School of Medicine and Public Health at Ohio State University. He has authored numerous scientific publications and holds four patents in the fields of virology and immunology. John earned a BS degree in Microbiology, as well as MS and PhD degrees in Microbiology and Virology from The Ohio State University.

Frank Samuel, AAB Chair, has been involved in biomedical technology and health care issues for many years in Washington, D.C., and the State of Ohio. As a lawyer and trade association leader in Washington and a Federal and State official, he has dealt with recurring aspects of health care innovation, including public and private funding, entrepreneurship, venture capital formation, technology evaluation, and domestic and foreign government regulation. His most recent professional position was Science and Technology Advisor to the Governor of Ohio, where he was a principal architect of Ohio’s Third Frontier Project, one of the nation’s premier State initiatives to encourage economic development through support of applied research, technology commercialization and early stage capital creation. He currently serves on the National Advisory Council of the California Health Benefits Review Program and the Board of Directors of Providence Hospital in Washington. He has served as a member of Institute of Medicine advisory bodies on biomedical technology issues and as a member of several biomedical company boards of directors. His paper on a venture capital strategy for the Great Lakes region was recently published by The Brookings Institution. He is a graduate of Hiram College and Harvard Law School.