Science Advisory Board

Jeffrey (Jeff) W. Sherman, MD, FACP, is Chief Medical Officer and Executive Vice President at Horizon Therapeutics based in Deerfield, Illinois. Jeff has more than 25 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry. Before joining Horizon Therapeutics, Jeff was Chief Medical Officer and Senior Vice President of Research and Development at IDM Pharma. He also served previously as Vice President of Clinical Science at Takeda Global Research and Development, and Chief Medical Officer and Executive Vice President at NeoPharm. In addition, Jeff held various positions at Searle/Pharmacia, including Director, Senior Director, and Executive Director of Clinical Research, for a variety of therapeutic areas, including infectious diseases, women’s health, sleep, central nervous system, and oncology. He also served as Head of Oncology Global Medical Operations. Prior to Searle/Pharmacia, Jeff worked at Bristol-Myers Squibb in Clinical Pharmacology and Clinical Research.

Jeff received his medical degree from the Rosalind Franklin University/Chicago Medical School. He completed an internship and residency in internal medicine at Northwestern University, where he also served as chief medical resident. Additionally, he completed fellowship training at the University of California-San Francisco (UCSF) and was a research associate at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute at UCSF. Jeff is an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and a member of a number of professional societies as well as a Diplomat of the National Board of Medical Examiners and the American Board of Internal Medicine.
Jeff is a Past President of the Drug Information Association (DIA) and a former member of the Board of Directors. He also was chairperson of the DIA Annual Meeting, received an Outstanding Service Award, is an inaugural fellow, and serves as the DIA liaison to the FDA Clinical Trial Transformation Initiative (CTTI) Steering Committee. Jeff in addition serves on the Board of Advisors of the Center for Information and Study on Clinical Research Participation (CISCRP).

Prof. Andrés Klein’s research interests include uncovering the genetic and cellular basis of phenotypic variability as a way for identifying novel therapeutic targets for diseases with lysosomal dysfunction including Parkinson’s disease. To this end he uses population based approached in yeast, flies, mice and humans. His work has led to the discovery of potential treatments for two genetic diseases (Niemann-Pick C and neuropathic Gaucher disease), using FDA-approved drugs.

Andrés Klein received his B.Sc in Biochemistry and his PhD in Cellular and Molecular Biology at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. Dr. Klein did a postdoc at Stanford University (2009-2011) and a second postdoc (2011-2015) at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel. Currently he is the Director (Head) of the Center for Genetics and Genomics at the Universidad del Desarrollo (UDD) in Chile, where he is applying system biology approaches for the identification of modifier genes of disease progression and biomarkers (precision medicine).

Dr. Klein has been endorsed by several institutions including Pew Charitable Trust (2009-2011), the UK Gaucher Association (2011-2013), and others. Prof. Klein was awarded with the young Chilean innovator prize by MIT technology reviews (2013) and he was selected as one of the top 100 young Chilean leaders of 2013. He has received grants from several organizations including the Rosetrees of Trust (UK), Cure & Action for Tay-Sachs disease (UK), Horizon 2020 (EU), FONDECYT (from the Chilean Government), and recently from the Pew Innovation Fund.

Kevin B. Clark earned his Ph.D. from the Brain and Cognitive Sciences Program at Southern Illinois University in 1999. He is lifetime Member of the Max Planck Society and elected Full Member of Sigma Xi and the NIST/ANSI US National Committee, with an academic pedigree including eight Nobelists. Dr. Clark uses his broad professional expertise to advance smart quantum biomolecular logic and memory systems in cell biology and for theragnostic medicine and other purposes. He helped pioneer neurocybernetic prosthetic-driven targeted neuroplasticity training for human cognitive-emotional restructuring and disease/injury treatment, natural and technology-based classical/quantum (anti)Hebbian learning in neurocognition and problem solving, and exotic information processing in spatial cognition and communication. Dr. Clark serves/has served as Founding Member of Max Planck Alumni Entrepreneurs; Founding Organizer of MPAA Natural and Artificial Intelligence; VAGLA Consultant/Collaborator/PI; BioCoRE Member at NIH Center of Macromolecular Modeling and Bioinformatics; Senior Scientist/VP of Finance and Partnership Development at Ivy League/Oxbridge CBSA; Director at Felidae Conservation Fund; SME at UPenn PCI; Computational Neurolinguist for Google’s The Endangered Languages Project; Affiliate at NASA NAI, ARC, NfoLD, LIFE, and SETI Institute; NASA GeneLab AWG Member; COV-IRT Neurology Subgroup Lead; NASEM Projects/Workshops Guest Expert; Entrepreneurship Incubation Finalist at Stanford University’s Brainstorm Innovation Lab; Berkeley Lab Molecular Foundry Community Member; Founding Member of Peace Innovation Institute at Stanford University and The Hague; Member of American Red Cross Ambassador Council and Biomedical Services Committee; Member of IEEE Brain, Life Sciences, and Quantum Initiatives; Mentor at NeuroLaunch, CyberLaunch, NeuroLex Laboratories, ConservationX Labs, NASA TRISH B-SURE, and MIT COVID19 Challenge; MIT Solve Tech Vetter; MPI for Biological Cybernetics Postdoctoral Fellow; Editor for technical journals and books; and Manager/Technical Advisor for STEAM programs sponsored by SfN, HHMI, NSF, FDA, NIH, NAIRR, NASA, ACM sigHPC, Conrad Challenge, Portland Public Schools, UN, White House OSTP, IEC/ISO, NEON, and The Franklin Foundation for Innovation, where he was CPO and First Vice Chairperson and acting Chairperson, Board of Directors. He has (co)authored over 110 peer-review scientific journal articles and book chapters, generated millions of US research dollars and billions of US capital building project dollars, licensed patents, and received over 80 news releases from notable multimedia sources for his collaborative science, business, and charitable activities.

Dr. Cunniff is responsible for all scientific and regulatory matters associated with new product development, approval and maintenance on a global basis.
He joined Paragon from the multinational biopharmaceutical company Lundbeck, Inc. (formerly Ovation Pharmaceuticals) where he served as interim President and Vice President for Global Regulatory Affairs, Pharmacovigilance and Clinical Quality Assurance. Under his leadership, Lundbeck/Ovation developed and obtained approval for several products to treat CNS disorders and rare diseases. The company also became an industry leader in the creation and implementation of Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies (REMS). Dr. Cunniff also served as the company’s initial Corporate Compliance Officer and led the company’s expansion from North American to global markets.

Dr. Cunniff also worked for Abbott Laboratories, Pfizer/Agouron and Warner-Lambert /Parke Davis where he began his career in 1989. He participated on several successful development and registration programs for anti-infectives, anti-virals, and cardiovascular agents.

He serves as Clinical Instructor of Pharmacy for the University of Michigan College of Pharmacy, where he received his Doctor of Pharmacy degree in 1989.

Shuli Kulak, MD, MBA obtained a medical degree, with a distinction in research, after which she went on to complete a residency in pediatrics and obtain an MBA.  Her passion rests in drug development for rare diseases.  Past professional experience includes starting portfolio companies in the venture space and leading the gene therapy business development efforts at BioMarin Pharmaceuticals.  She also previously served as Lonza’s Head of Strategy.

Dr. Sandra Laney, a science philanthropy strategist, brings a comprehensive perspective to science and innovation, shaped by her multifaceted career spanning field research, laboratory science, philanthropy, and policy. Her hands-on experience with neglected tropical diseases across 13 endemic countries, combined with her work developing molecular tools for parasite elimination programs, provides a unique ground-level understanding of global health challenges. As a Senior Advisor in Secretary Clinton’s Science Advisor’s Office at the State Department, Dr. Laney gained valuable policy expertise that complements her scientific background. Her subsequent decade in science philanthropy has been marked by notable achievements, including leading initiatives for the Grand Challenges program and managing an $80 million portfolio of grants at the Gates Foundation. Sandra also directed the $100 million Paul G. Allen Ebola Program during the 2014-2015 West African crisis. She built and led the Walder Foundation’s Science Innovation program, where she rapidly created a COVID Response strategy bringing scientists together with the city, county, and state public health departments to help end the crisis, and then developed a strategy to transform Chicago into an inclusive, purpose-driven life science hub. Currently serving as president and principal philanthropy advisor through Strategic Journey Lab, she leverages her extensive experience to guide strategic investments and program development in the scientific sector. Throughout her career, she has demonstrated expertise in developing inclusive and innovative science programs, managing large-scale RFPs, and building strategic partnerships across sectors. Her ability to work effectively at local, national, and global levels makes her a valuable advisor in advancing scientific innovation and impact.

Vidula Sukhatme is the co-founder and CEO of GlobalCures, Inc. GlobalCures is a non-profit medical research organization dedicated to curing patients with cancer and other diseases by rapidly promoting clinical research on scientifically promising, readily available and cost-effective treatments. She is also the co-founder of the Morningside Center for Innovative and Affordable Medicine at Emory University. She has 20 years of experience in information systems in health care environments. She holds two master of science degrees: one in mathematics from Northeastern University and a second in epidemiology from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.