Science and Business Advisory Board

Stephen J. Benkovic, Ph.D.

Dr. Benkovic is an Evan Pugh University Professor and holds the Eberly Chair in Chemistry at The Pennsylvania State University. He has been recognized by many awards including the Pfizer Award in Enzyme Chemistry, the Repligen Award for Chemistry of Biological Processes, the Alfred Bader Award, the Chemical Pioneer Award, the Benjamin Franklin Medal in Life Science, the Ralph F. Hirschmann Award in Peptide Chemistry, the National Medal of Science, and the National Academy of Science Award in Chemical Sciences.  He is a member of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Medicine, the National Academy of Inventors, and the American Philosophical Society. Dr. Benkovic’s research has focused on the assembly and kinetic characteristics of the protein machinery that is responsible for DNA replication; the importance of dynamic coupling of proximal and distal residues in the catalytic cycle of dihydrofolate reductase; the intracellular observation through purinosome imaging of de novo purine biosynthesis, and the collaborative development of novel sound based technologies for studying cellular communication.  With Lucy Shapiro, he cofounded Anacor Pharmaceuticals that pioneered the development of boron containing compounds as successful therapeutics for dermatology. Anacor was acquired by Pfizer in 2016.

Usman Shah, M.D.

Dr. Usman Shah is a GI medical oncologist at Overlook Medical Center (OMC), Atlantic Health System where he serves as Medical Director of GI Oncology as well as Section Chief of Hematology & Medical Oncology at OMC. He is also the Medical Director of the Phase 1 Early Drug Development Program at OMC. Dr. Shah obtained his BA in molecular biology from the University of Pennsylvania and attended medical school at the Medical College of Wisconsin. He also holds an MBA with healthcare concentration from DeSales University. He spent 5 years conducting bench research at the Center for Neurodegenerative Disease Research at Penn as well as at the Casey Eye Institute and CROET at OHSU. He completed his residency in Internal Medicine and fellowship in Hematology & Medical Oncology at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. In fellowship, he worked on translational research with Drs. Norman Sharpless and Neil Hayes on LKB1 mutation in NSCLC. He previously served as Chief of Hematology and Medical Oncology at Lehigh Valley Health Network as well as president of the state oncology society of Pennsylvania (PSOH). He has extensive experience in translational research and clinical trials.

Richard Baxter

Richard Baxter is currently with Ligand Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a healthcare royalty and special situations fund with a $2 billion market cap managing one of the largest portfolios of biopharmaceutical royalties in the industry. Mr. Baxter is an operating partner with Birch Lake, a merchant bank focusing on distressed situations. He was Co-Head of Healthcare at Hayfin, co-founded a healthcare special situations fund, and was a Managing Director and Co-Founder of the Healthcare Group at Drawbridge Special Opportunities Fund at Fortress  where his team developed the senior secured loan market for non-credit worthy life sciences companies. Baxter spent much of his career in the biopharmaceutical industry: Chief Business Officer of a computational chemistry platform technology company, Vice President of Marketing and Business Development for ViroPharma, Head of Marketing for PathoGenesis, a start-up which developed, launched and commercialized a novel, inhaled antibiotic for an orphan drug market. Baxter began his career in life sciences in marketing, sales, and strategic planning at SmithKline Beecham. He was an analyst at Goldman, Sachs & Co. and received his MBA from Harvard and AB, cum laude, from Princeton.