Past Events
The Leap from Academia to Life Sciences Venture Investor
Christin Godale, Ph.D., is a highly accomplished professional in the field of life sciences, currently serving as the Director of Life Sciences at CincyTech, a seed-stage venture investor in Cincinnati focused on healthcare and software investment opportunities. With a strong academic background and a passion for scientific innovation, Dr. Godale plays a pivotal role at CincyTech in managing life science companies for the fund, overseeing various aspects such as sourcing, tracking, and vetting deals, and managing engagements with stakeholders.
Dr. Godale's educational journey began when she graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience and Biology from Baldwin Wallace University in 2016. During her time at Baldwin Wallace University, she was able to intern for NASA Glenn Research Center, which fueled her fascination with the intricacies of scientific research and laid the foundation for her future endeavors. She went on to earn a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the University of Cincinnati in 2022. Dr. Godale devoted a large portion of her professional life to researching and understanding the mechanisms underlying the development of temporal lobe epilepsy, focusing her dissertation work on this complex neurological disorder.
Dr. Godale's dedication to excellence has garnered recognition through several notable awards and accolades. She was honored with the University of Cincinnati Presidential Medal of Graduate Student Excellence, acknowledging her exceptional contributions during her time as a graduate student. Additionally, she received the Trainee Professional Development Award from the Society for Neuroscience and was selected for the NIH Outstanding Scholars in Neuroscience Award Program, further highlighting her outstanding accomplishments in the field.
Beyond her professional responsibilities, Christin actively engages in various activities and committees. She has served as a former Graduate Trustee on the University of Cincinnati Board of Trustees, demonstrating her commitment to academic governance and decision-making. Currently, she contributes as a member of the Ohio Third Frontier TVSF Project Selection Committee for Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and the University of Cincinnati. Furthermore, Dr. Godale is involved in important committees such as the Governance and Public Affairs Committee at the Society for Neuroscience and the Early Career Membership Committee at the American Epilepsy Society. She is also a valued member of the CURE Epilepsy Community Advisory Committee.
Dr. Godale's expertise and passion extend beyond her professional responsibilities. She has been featured as a guest for esteemed organizations such as Nature Careers, the Child Neurology Society, the Society for Neuroscience, CURE Epilepsy, and others. Through these platforms, Christin advocates for epilepsy awareness and shares her insights to inspire and
educate others.
With a remarkable blend of academic excellence, industry knowledge, and commitment to advocacy, Christin Godale, Ph.D., continues to make significant contributions to the life sciences landscape. Her achievements, leadership roles, and dedication to scientific progress position her as a respected and influential figure in the field.
Dr. Godale's educational journey began when she graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience and Biology from Baldwin Wallace University in 2016. During her time at Baldwin Wallace University, she was able to intern for NASA Glenn Research Center, which fueled her fascination with the intricacies of scientific research and laid the foundation for her future endeavors. She went on to earn a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the University of Cincinnati in 2022. Dr. Godale devoted a large portion of her professional life to researching and understanding the mechanisms underlying the development of temporal lobe epilepsy, focusing her dissertation work on this complex neurological disorder.
Dr. Godale's dedication to excellence has garnered recognition through several notable awards and accolades. She was honored with the University of Cincinnati Presidential Medal of Graduate Student Excellence, acknowledging her exceptional contributions during her time as a graduate student. Additionally, she received the Trainee Professional Development Award from the Society for Neuroscience and was selected for the NIH Outstanding Scholars in Neuroscience Award Program, further highlighting her outstanding accomplishments in the field.
Beyond her professional responsibilities, Christin actively engages in various activities and committees. She has served as a former Graduate Trustee on the University of Cincinnati Board of Trustees, demonstrating her commitment to academic governance and decision-making. Currently, she contributes as a member of the Ohio Third Frontier TVSF Project Selection Committee for Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and the University of Cincinnati. Furthermore, Dr. Godale is involved in important committees such as the Governance and Public Affairs Committee at the Society for Neuroscience and the Early Career Membership Committee at the American Epilepsy Society. She is also a valued member of the CURE Epilepsy Community Advisory Committee.
Dr. Godale's expertise and passion extend beyond her professional responsibilities. She has been featured as a guest for esteemed organizations such as Nature Careers, the Child Neurology Society, the Society for Neuroscience, CURE Epilepsy, and others. Through these platforms, Christin advocates for epilepsy awareness and shares her insights to inspire and
educate others.
With a remarkable blend of academic excellence, industry knowledge, and commitment to advocacy, Christin Godale, Ph.D., continues to make significant contributions to the life sciences landscape. Her achievements, leadership roles, and dedication to scientific progress position her as a respected and influential figure in the field.
UChicago Startup: Game Changer for Diagnosing Cancer
Dr. Rifat Hasina is COO and Co-Founder of OrisDX Inc. OrisDX Inc. is a venture that is poised to launch a novel salivary DNA biomarker based molecular diagnostic test to detect pre-cancers and cancers of the oral cavity. Dr. Hasina is a cancer biologist and translational research scientist at the University of Chicago and a member of the team that developed the science behind the test through a decade of foundational research. She conducted the seminal study that led to the development of the OrisDX salivary diagnostic test and is integrally involved in all aspects of directing OrisDX Inc.
Through the salivary diagnostic test, OrisDX seeks to help in early detection of oral cancers to
alleviate the burden of cancer morbidity globally through greater access to non-invasive diagnostics
and screening.
Rifat has over 20 years experience in basic, pre-clinical, clinical, and translational cancer research across a range of malignancies.
Through the salivary diagnostic test, OrisDX seeks to help in early detection of oral cancers to
alleviate the burden of cancer morbidity globally through greater access to non-invasive diagnostics
and screening.
Rifat has over 20 years experience in basic, pre-clinical, clinical, and translational cancer research across a range of malignancies.
From University of Iowa to an IPO
Meesha Dogan is the CEO, Co-Founder and Director of Cardio Diagnostics, a precision cardiovascular diagnostics company based in Chicago. With over 12 years' experience connecting medicine, engineering and artificial intelligence to address unmet clinical needs such as in cardiovascular disease prevention, she has a deep understanding of the pain points associated with the condition, stemming from her family's two-generation history of heart disease.
Her pioneering work in artificial intelligence/machine learning-driven integrated genetic-epigenetic approaches has been widely cited and presented at the American Heart Association and American Society of Human Genetics. Currently holding two granted patents and several pending patents for the technology behind Cardio Diagnostics, she has successfully led the company from its early stages to commercialization of its technology, with a series of clinical tests aimed at making heart disease prevention and early detection more accessible, personalized and precise, culminating in its 2022 Nasdaq listing.
Under Meesha's leadership, the company secured dilutive and non-diluted funding, was awarded the One To Watch award in 2020 by Nature and Merck, the 2021 Clinical Diagnostics Solution of the Year from Biotech Breakthrough and Fast Company's Next Big Things in Tech 2022, and has become a leading force in cardiovascular diagnostics. Dr. Dogan holds a PhD in Biomedical Engineering, as well as BSE/MS degrees in Chemical Engineering from the University of Iowa.
Her pioneering work in artificial intelligence/machine learning-driven integrated genetic-epigenetic approaches has been widely cited and presented at the American Heart Association and American Society of Human Genetics. Currently holding two granted patents and several pending patents for the technology behind Cardio Diagnostics, she has successfully led the company from its early stages to commercialization of its technology, with a series of clinical tests aimed at making heart disease prevention and early detection more accessible, personalized and precise, culminating in its 2022 Nasdaq listing.
Under Meesha's leadership, the company secured dilutive and non-diluted funding, was awarded the One To Watch award in 2020 by Nature and Merck, the 2021 Clinical Diagnostics Solution of the Year from Biotech Breakthrough and Fast Company's Next Big Things in Tech 2022, and has become a leading force in cardiovascular diagnostics. Dr. Dogan holds a PhD in Biomedical Engineering, as well as BSE/MS degrees in Chemical Engineering from the University of Iowa.
How to Raise Money from
Family Offices
Ronald Diamond, Founder and Chairman of Diamond Wealth. Longtime investor and entrepreneur Ronald Diamond is the Founder and Chairman of Diamond Wealth. He represents over 100 Family Offices ranging in size from $250 million to $30 billion. Diamond Wealth invests in private markets (private equity, venture capital, real estate). In addition, Diamond Wealth has divisions that focus on philanthropy, wealth transfer, investment banking, social impact, and governance.
Ronald serves on the Advisory Board of 10 privately held companies and acts as Chairman for 4 of them. Ronald is also the Chair of two TIGER 21 chapters in Chicago and Chairs a newly created Family Office Group for TIGER 21. He is the past Chairman of the Advisory Board for the Disruptive Technology and Digital City’s Program at Stanford University and taught classes in the Entrepreneur Program at Stanford.
A frequent speaker at Family Office and Alternative Investment Conferences, Diamond has spoken at over 100 conferences around the globe. Mr. Diamond is also the Founder of Family Office World — (www.familyofficeworldpodcast.com) a podcast whose mission is to educate the market about Family Offices.
Earlier in his career, Mr. Diamond founded Pinnacle Capital — a $250 million hedge fund that outperformed the S & P index 10 out of 10 years — before ultimately selling his company to an international investment firm. Previously, Diamond served as a Senior Managing Director at Bear Stearns. He began his career as an analyst at Drexel Burnham Lambert.
Deeply committed to giving back, Diamond is an active philanthropist and civic leader. He serves on the Leadership Circle of the Aspen Institute, a global nonprofit organization committed to realizing a free, just, and equitable society. He also sits on the Board of several other charities and non profit organizations in his community.
Ron studied at Northwestern University, graduating Magna Cum Laude and earning his degree in Economics.
Ronald serves on the Advisory Board of 10 privately held companies and acts as Chairman for 4 of them. Ronald is also the Chair of two TIGER 21 chapters in Chicago and Chairs a newly created Family Office Group for TIGER 21. He is the past Chairman of the Advisory Board for the Disruptive Technology and Digital City’s Program at Stanford University and taught classes in the Entrepreneur Program at Stanford.
A frequent speaker at Family Office and Alternative Investment Conferences, Diamond has spoken at over 100 conferences around the globe. Mr. Diamond is also the Founder of Family Office World — (www.familyofficeworldpodcast.com) a podcast whose mission is to educate the market about Family Offices.
Earlier in his career, Mr. Diamond founded Pinnacle Capital — a $250 million hedge fund that outperformed the S & P index 10 out of 10 years — before ultimately selling his company to an international investment firm. Previously, Diamond served as a Senior Managing Director at Bear Stearns. He began his career as an analyst at Drexel Burnham Lambert.
Deeply committed to giving back, Diamond is an active philanthropist and civic leader. He serves on the Leadership Circle of the Aspen Institute, a global nonprofit organization committed to realizing a free, just, and equitable society. He also sits on the Board of several other charities and non profit organizations in his community.
Ron studied at Northwestern University, graduating Magna Cum Laude and earning his degree in Economics.
Alumni Communities:
A New Competitive Advantage in Venture Capital
David Beazley, Managing Partner, Alumni Ventures. David has played a leading role in many aspects of the VC investment cycle: structuring transactions as a fundless sponsor, improving operations as a consultant, leading management teams as a CEO, evaluating opportunities as an investor and advisor, and selling companies as a licensed business broker. Previously, he founded Synergy Financial, a private capital and consulting firm for entrepreneurs, PE professionals, and family offices. He started his investment career as a professional advisor managing millions in assets. David has undergraduate and graduate degrees from Northwestern and played for the two-time Big Ten Championship Northwestern Wildcats Football Team. He serves on the NUvention and Kellogg Entrepreneurial Center Advisory Boards.
Accelerating MedTech Innovation
Featuring Heather Walsh, Executive Director, MedTech Accelerator at mHUB
Heather Walsh leads the MedTech cohort of the mHUB Accelerator Program and is responsible for sourcing and evaluation, as well as program execution.
Prior to joining mHUB, Heather headed up the Medical Operations team at Baxter, managing research grants, tracking and driving medical affairs activities, and building relationships with clinical research organizations. Previous to that role, she built and led Baxter’s External Innovation function that focused on increasing open innovation partnerships across universities, incubators/accelerators, medical centers, and other partners. She supported strategically aligned transformational innovation for all the global business units and for technology platforms. She started at Baxter in a role leading technical assessment teams for due diligence of new opportunities for mergers and acquisitions and venture investment at Baxter.
She joined Baxter from the University of Chicago, where she was the Assistant Director and Head of Business Development in the Technology Commercialization and Licensing group, at the Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. In addition to her technology portfolio, Heather supported the efforts of the commercialization team by identifying and managing high-value contacts, coordinating the university’s marketing strategy for the opportunity pipeline, representing the team at multiple partnering meetings throughout each year, and launching a program to cultivate relationships with venture capital groups. She piloted and grew a proof-of-concept fund, redesigned the Polsky Accelerator program and launched several internship programs to leverage the talents of students and postdocs exploring alternative careers.
Heather holds a PhD in Neurobiology, Pharmacology & Cell Physiology from the University of Chicago.
Heather Walsh leads the MedTech cohort of the mHUB Accelerator Program and is responsible for sourcing and evaluation, as well as program execution.
Prior to joining mHUB, Heather headed up the Medical Operations team at Baxter, managing research grants, tracking and driving medical affairs activities, and building relationships with clinical research organizations. Previous to that role, she built and led Baxter’s External Innovation function that focused on increasing open innovation partnerships across universities, incubators/accelerators, medical centers, and other partners. She supported strategically aligned transformational innovation for all the global business units and for technology platforms. She started at Baxter in a role leading technical assessment teams for due diligence of new opportunities for mergers and acquisitions and venture investment at Baxter.
She joined Baxter from the University of Chicago, where she was the Assistant Director and Head of Business Development in the Technology Commercialization and Licensing group, at the Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. In addition to her technology portfolio, Heather supported the efforts of the commercialization team by identifying and managing high-value contacts, coordinating the university’s marketing strategy for the opportunity pipeline, representing the team at multiple partnering meetings throughout each year, and launching a program to cultivate relationships with venture capital groups. She piloted and grew a proof-of-concept fund, redesigned the Polsky Accelerator program and launched several internship programs to leverage the talents of students and postdocs exploring alternative careers.
Heather holds a PhD in Neurobiology, Pharmacology & Cell Physiology from the University of Chicago.
Life Science Philanthropy
Featuring Sandra Laney, Science Innovation
The Walder Foundation
Dr. Laney leads the Science Innovation Program for the Walder Foundation.
Sandra has experience in infectious disease research, global health philanthropy, and pandemics. Her
experience spans the 30’ to 30,000’ range including fieldwork on neglected tropical diseases in a range
of countries, laboratory science, global health philanthropy, and science diplomacy.
Prior to joining the Foundation, Sandra was a Senior Advisor at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation,
Deputy Director for the Paul G. Allen Ebola Program, a Senior Advisor for Secretary Clinton’s Science and
Technology Adviser’s office at the U.S. Department of State, and a Neglected Tropical Disease Research
Scientist at Smith College and the Task Force for Global Health.
Dr. Laney received her PhD in zoology / molecular parasitology from Ain Shams University, her Master
and Bachelor of Arts degrees in Biological Sciences from Smith College, and her Associate degree in
Visual Arts from Quinsigamond Community College.
The Walder Foundation
Dr. Laney leads the Science Innovation Program for the Walder Foundation.
Sandra has experience in infectious disease research, global health philanthropy, and pandemics. Her
experience spans the 30’ to 30,000’ range including fieldwork on neglected tropical diseases in a range
of countries, laboratory science, global health philanthropy, and science diplomacy.
Prior to joining the Foundation, Sandra was a Senior Advisor at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation,
Deputy Director for the Paul G. Allen Ebola Program, a Senior Advisor for Secretary Clinton’s Science and
Technology Adviser’s office at the U.S. Department of State, and a Neglected Tropical Disease Research
Scientist at Smith College and the Task Force for Global Health.
Dr. Laney received her PhD in zoology / molecular parasitology from Ain Shams University, her Master
and Bachelor of Arts degrees in Biological Sciences from Smith College, and her Associate degree in
Visual Arts from Quinsigamond Community College.
NEA Perspective: Healthcare Venture Capital and Innovation
May 10th, 2022
Featuring Emily Zhen, Healthcare Investor, NEA
Emily Zhen is a healthcare investor at New Enterprise Associates (NEA) and invests across the digital health and life sciences sectors from company incubation, and venture, to growth stages. NEA is one of the world's largest venture capital and growth investing firms with over 500+ portfolio companies and $24 billion of cumulative committed capital. Emily is a Board Observer for Spiras Health, Slope, and Senti Bio and works closely with NEA's investments in Vori Health, Strive Health, Waymark, AllyAlign, ChromaCode, Vistagen Therapeutics, and Geron. Prior to joining NEA, Emily worked in healthcare investment banking at Goldman Sachs in New York City, where she worked on M&A, equity, and debt financing transactions. She has also worked at the U.S. Department of Treasury, PwC, and early-stage digital health startups Healthie and NeuroFlow.
Originally from the Chicago suburbs (Naperville), Emily graduated summa cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania’s Vagelos Program in Life Sciences & Management, where she earned a B.S. in Finance from Wharton, a B.A. in Biology, and a certificate in healthcare policy as a Public Policy Research Scholar. During her time at Penn, Emily engaged in research on Castleman Disease with Dr. David Fajgenbaum, served as a project leader for 180 Degrees Consulting, and conducted due diligence on healthcare startups as part of the Wharton Impact Investing Partners health & wellness team. She has been featured in several podcasts including Capitalist (Ad)Ventures and Breaking into Finance.
Emily Zhen is a healthcare investor at New Enterprise Associates (NEA) and invests across the digital health and life sciences sectors from company incubation, and venture, to growth stages. NEA is one of the world's largest venture capital and growth investing firms with over 500+ portfolio companies and $24 billion of cumulative committed capital. Emily is a Board Observer for Spiras Health, Slope, and Senti Bio and works closely with NEA's investments in Vori Health, Strive Health, Waymark, AllyAlign, ChromaCode, Vistagen Therapeutics, and Geron. Prior to joining NEA, Emily worked in healthcare investment banking at Goldman Sachs in New York City, where she worked on M&A, equity, and debt financing transactions. She has also worked at the U.S. Department of Treasury, PwC, and early-stage digital health startups Healthie and NeuroFlow.
Originally from the Chicago suburbs (Naperville), Emily graduated summa cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania’s Vagelos Program in Life Sciences & Management, where she earned a B.S. in Finance from Wharton, a B.A. in Biology, and a certificate in healthcare policy as a Public Policy Research Scholar. During her time at Penn, Emily engaged in research on Castleman Disease with Dr. David Fajgenbaum, served as a project leader for 180 Degrees Consulting, and conducted due diligence on healthcare startups as part of the Wharton Impact Investing Partners health & wellness team. She has been featured in several podcasts including Capitalist (Ad)Ventures and Breaking into Finance.