GLOBAL COALITION FOR ADAPTIVE RESEARCH - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Associate Director, Clinical Data Management
Job Titles:
- Chairman, Clinical Leadership
Job Titles:
- Member of the EXECUTIVE TEAM
- Vice President, Trial Operations
Dr. Ashley Powell leads GCAR's Clinical Operations and Data Management teams.
Dr. Powell has over 20 years of experience in translational medical research with a focus on solid tumor oncology and technology development.
As a research associate at Stanford University, Dr. Powell's emphasis was on early detection of breast cancer recurrence and genomic profiling of cells involved in metastasis. During this time, Dr. Powell co-invented the MagSweeper, a semi-automated device that isolated circulating tumor cells from fresh whole blood; this "liquid biopsy" allowed for a comprehensive view of the broad heterogeneity that occurs in metastatic disease. It also demonstrated that actionable tumor markers could be made with a simple blood sample.
Job Titles:
- Director, Cancer Population Genetics
Job Titles:
- Co - Founder
- Member of the Board
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Senior Vice President at Roche / Genentech Pharma R & D
Dr. Brian Alexander is a co-founder of GCAR and served as CEO from 2017-2018. He has been a Board member since its inception.
Dr. Alexander is Senior Vice President at Roche/Genentech Pharma R&D. Previously, he served as Chief Executive Officer of Foundation Medicine from 2021-2023 and as the company's Chief Medical Officer from 2019-2021. He is Associate Professor of Radiation Oncology at Harvard Medical School and Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women's Cancer Center and Founder of the Program in Regulatory Science at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
Prior to his faculty appointment at Harvard, Dr. Alexander served as a White House fellow and Special Assistant to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
Dr. Alexander received his B.A. from Kalamazoo College, M.D. from the University of Michigan Medical School, and M.P.H. from the Harvard School of Public Health. He completed his training in radiation oncology at the Harvard Radiation Oncology Program.
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer
- Member of the EXECUTIVE TEAM
- President
Dr. Meredith Buxton was named Chief Executive Officer of GCAR in March 2020. She previously served as the organization's Chief Operating Officer since 2019.
Involved in clinical research and drug development for over 20 years, Dr. Buxton has been instrumental in the establishment of several innovative clinical research programs, with extensive experience in building and running master protocols and adaptive platform trials.
Dr. Buxton brings expertise in scientific and operational implementation, regulatory strategy, partnership development, and consortium building with a focus on improved and efficient approaches to the design and execution of clinical trials.
Before joining GCAR, Dr. Buxton co-founded the Clinical Trial Strategy Group at Berry Consultants, serving as Director of Clinical Trial Strategy, and provided strategic guidance and implementation expertise for several master protocols by pharma and nonprofit sponsors.
Previously, Dr. Buxton was Assistant Professor at the University of California, San Francisco, where she was Executive Director of the I-SPY Program including the I-SPY 2 TRIAL, a phase 2 response adaptive randomization platform trial considered a seminal adaptive platform trial in oncology.
Dr. Buxton earned an undergraduate degree at Stanford University and completed a Master's in Public Health and PhD in Epidemiology from Columbia University.
Job Titles:
- Co - Founder
- Member of the Board
- CEO of the National Foundation for Cancer Research
Dr. Ba is the CEO of the National Foundation for Cancer Research, the Founder & CEO of the Asian Fund for Cancer Research, and the Co-Founder & CEO of the AIM-HI Accelerator Fund.
Job Titles:
- Chief Financial Officer
- Chief Medical Officer
- Chief Operating Officer
- Co - Founder
- Member of the Board
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Member of the EXECUTIVE TEAM
- Professor of Neurology at the David Geffen School of Medicine
Dr. Cloughesy is Professor of Neurology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and a member of the UCLA Brain Research Institute and Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center. He also serves as Director of UCLA's Neuro-Oncology Program, Co-director of the UCLA Brain Tumor Center, and Director of the Henry Singleton Brain Cancer Research Program.
Dr. Tim Cloughesy is a co-founder of GCAR, serving as the Chief Medical Officer and Board Member since its inception.
Job Titles:
- Co - Founder
- Member of the Board
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Member of the US National Academy of Sciences
Dr. Webster Cavenee is a co-founder and Board Member of GCAR.
Dr. Cavenee is an elected member of the US National Academy of Sciences, the US National Academy of Medicine, the German Academy of Science Leopoldina, and the Chinese Academy of Engineering. He has published more than 400 scientific papers and received more than 130 honors and named lectures.
Job Titles:
- Professor of Neuro - Oncology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Dr. WK Alfred Yung is Professor of Neuro-Oncology at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, where he held the Margaret and Ben Love Chair of Clinical Cancer Care and dual appointment as Professor of Cancer Biology. He is also a faculty member at the University of Texas Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences in Houston.
Job Titles:
- Chief Business Officer
- Member of the Board
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Member of the EXECUTIVE TEAM
- Senior Medical Advisor
Dr. Gary Gordon joined GCAR in 2018 and serves as a key member of the leadership team. He joined the Board in 2021.
An accomplished pharmaceutical executive and strategic business leader, Dr. Gordon has extensive experience in the development of drugs from first in-human studies to approval and commercialization.
Dr. Gordon brings innovative approaches to the process, leveraging advantageous regulatory pathways and close collaborations with investigators, patient advocacy groups and key academic and government consortiums.
Prior to joining GCAR, Dr. Gordon served as Vice President, Oncology Department at AbbVie (a spin-off of Abbott), where he oversaw the development of AbbVie's oncology projects. He played a critical role in the oncology business expansion, leading to AbbVie's current position in Oncology. This includes the approval of venetoclax, several major acquisitions and other collaborations. Dr. Gordon was on the AbbVie-Genentech team that received the 2017 Prix Galien award for the Best Pharmaceutical Product.
Prior to AbbVie, Dr. Gordon was Chief Scientific Officer and Vice President of Clinical Affairs at Ovation Pharmaceuticals from 2001 to 2003.
Dr. Gordon entered the pharmaceutical industry in 1995, joining the G.D. Searle division of Monsanto, which eventually became part of Pharmacia.
Job Titles:
- Senior Clinical Scientist
Job Titles:
- Associate Chief and Director of Clinical Research, Division of Gynecologic Oncology
Job Titles:
- Director, Comprehensive Cancer Center / Biological Sciences Division Dean for Oncology
Job Titles:
- Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology / Division Chief, Gynecologic Oncology
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Board
- Co - Founder
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Co - Founder of WattEV
Mr. Faramarz Yousefzadeh is a co-founder of GCAR and has served as its Board Chair since its establishment.
Mr. Yousefzadeh is the co-founder of WattEV, the first nationwide developer of electric charging stations for heavy-duty transport.
Previously, Faramarz co-founded Auspex Pharmaceuticals, a San Diego-based drug discovery company that went public in 2013 and was acquired by Teva Pharmaceutical in 2015. While at Auspex, Faramarz served in various positions including President and Chairman of the Board.
In 2003, he co-founded STM Networks, a holding company that acquired the assets of the publicly traded STM, Inc., a leader in small-dish satellite communication. As a private company, STM Networks grew and expanded its business to provide satellite communication and related services worldwide.
A graduate of USC School of Business, Mr. Yousefzadeh received his Master of Laws from NYU School of Law and Juris Doctor from Southwestern University School of Law. He practiced law before California and federal courts for more than 15 years and is currently an inactive member of the California State Bar.
Having lost his wife, Afsaneh, to brain cancer, Faramarz is committed to accelerating the discovery and commercialization of viable drugs that will improve the survival of cancer patients.
Job Titles:
- Co - Founder
- Executive
- Member of the Board
- Member of the Board of Directors
Mr. John Frishkopf is a co-founder and Board Member of GCAR.
John Frishkopf is a seasoned executive and entrepreneur in diverse industries. He is an advisory partner of QLS Advisors, an operating partner of Relay Investments, and serves on the board of directors of several companies.
Mr. Frishkopf has over 35 years of experience in the domestic and international capital markets applying new financial engineering technologies to a range of applications.
He is a member of the board of directors of several not-for-profits and co-founded and serves on the investment committee of the National Brain Tumor Society's Brain Tumor Investment Fund.
A graduate of MIT and MIT Sloan, Mr. Frishkopf has spoken at conferences and has published articles on utilizing financial engineering techniques to speed the drug discovery process.
Job Titles:
- Cancer Research Institute
Job Titles:
- Chief Financial Officer
- Chief Operating Officer
- Member of the Board
- Member of the EXECUTIVE TEAM
- Senior Medical Advisor
Serving as both Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and Chief Operating Officer, Ms. Rachael Coleman is responsible for leading GCAR's Financial, HR and IT operations and strategies.
Ms. Coleman brings solid financial and management expertise from a distinguished 25-year career as a top financial leader, primarily in the bio-pharmaceutical space. She has extensive experience in diverse, global markets having spent time in the Americas, and in Asia and Europe as well.
Prior to joining GCAR, Ms. Coleman worked with some of the largest bio-pharmaceutical companies including Bristol Myers Squibb, Pfizer, Amgen and Merck. Most recently, she served as the CFO for the Americas for International SOS' Assistance division.
Ms. Coleman has experience across several financial disciplines including Audit, Corporate and Regional Finance, Analytics, and Treasury.
Ms. Coleman earned her undergraduate degree at Drexel University and her MBA at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. She started her career with Ernst & Young in Philadelphia, providing audit and assurance services to a wide variety of clients across the region.
Job Titles:
- Senior Director, Communications / Learning & Development
Job Titles:
- Chief Business Officer
- Member of the EXECUTIVE TEAM
- Vice President, Trial Operations
Mr. Rob Murray has served as Chief Business Officer of GCAR since 2020, providing leadership on the strategic growth of GCAR and its initiatives.
As Chief Business Officer, Mr. Murray brings extensive clinical and business development expertise to help expand GCAR's pharma partner model, lead vendor engagement, manage key strategic relationships, and engage with patient advocacy organizations to advance GCAR's patient-first mission.
Mr. Murray has been committed to clinical research since learning that his mother was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in the late 1980s. While at the University of North Carolina, Mr. Murray shifted his research interests to inflammation and later, while working in the laboratory of Nobel Laureate, Dr. Oliver Smithies, cancer research became his passion.
Professionally, Mr. Murray held progressively senior roles while at IQVIA and IQVIA Biotech for over 20 years, where cancer research was the primary focus. During that time, IQVIA Biotech supported the development of 9 FDA approved oncology products.
Prior to his transition to GCAR, Mr. Murray was instrumental in branding strategy, sales and marketing initiatives, and commercial constructs to support the successful launch of IQVIA Biotech.
Mr. Murray holds a Bachelor of Science from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Phoenix.
Job Titles:
- Professor and Clinical Medical Director, Department of Gynecologic Oncology and Reproductive Medicine, Division of Surgery
Job Titles:
- Director, Trial Operations
Job Titles:
- Chief, Division of Gynecologic Oncology
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Dr. W.K. Alfred Yung has been a Board Member since 2020.
Dr. Yung's extensive experience and expertise in brain tumor research includes over three decades of basic, translational and clinical studies at MD Anderson. He has published more than 400 peer-reviewed journals.
He was co-director (1999-2015) of the MD Anderson Cancer Center Brain Tumor Center and led the Neuro-Oncology Department as interim chair (1999-2002) and as chair (2002-2015).
Respected nationally and internationally, Dr. Yung has served in numerous leadership roles, including editor-in-chief of "Neuro-Oncology," from 2007-2014, co-chair of the NCI Brain Malignancy Steering Committee from 2011-2017, special scientific advisor of NBTS, member of the NCI Cancer Moonshot Blue Ribbon Panel 2016, and a member of the MDACC Cancer Moonshot Leadership Committee.
Dr. Yung earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis and an MD from the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine. He completed internship and residency training at the University of California, San Diego and chief residency and a fellowship at Cornell University School of Medicine and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.