Chris O’Brien brings over 20 years of experience in building operational excellence across regulated industries. In his role as CEO, his responsibilities include setting the business strategy for Biorasi, as well as recruiting and coaching extraordinary people and developing a culture of high performance. Previously, Chris served as President and COO at Decision Resources Group and was responsible for operating a 1000+ person healthcare data and insights business. Chris holds an MBA from the Amos Tuck School at Dartmouth College and received his BA in English Studies from Middlebury College in Vermont.

Nilufer (“Nilu”) Celenk has over 18 years of operational expertise in the clinical research and healthcare industries, across client services and project management. Nilu’s current responsibilities include partnering with Project Operations, Program Development, and Finance teams at Biorasi to maximize efficiencies and enable successful collaboration across the organization by leveraging her subject matter expertise in project operations. This includes bridging the gaps between different groups to provide visibility, alignment, and growth in operational success rates and ensuring successful financial planning, monitoring, and control of efficiency margins across projects. Previously, Nilu served as VP of Operations at Care Systems, Inc., building the company into a competitive organization and achieving significant revenue growth. She received her MBA/MIS from Loyola University and holds a BS in Environmental Engineering from Istanbul Technical University.

Brian Chaiken has over 25 years of legal and management experience across multiple industries, focusing on law, governance, strategy, and business planning. In his current role, Brian provides legal counsel to the Biorasi board of directors and senior leadership team on a broad range of legal matters affecting the company. Previously, he served as the Senior Executive Officer for Z Trim Holdings, a public biotechnology company, supporting equity and debt funding and establishing integral corporate policies. Brian received his JD from DePaul University and his BA in Accountancy from the University of Illinois, Champaign.

Cathy Gooch has over 25 years of experience in Human Resources, Talent Acquisition, Resource Management, and Career Development within clinical research and the CRO industry. In her current role, Cathy is responsible for the overall leadership and strategic direction for all matters concerning People Operations, Talent Acquisition, and Biorasi Culture – fostering a diverse workplace that enables all Biorasi employees to contribute at their full potential. Previously, Cathy served as Senior Vice President of Talent and Resource Management at Linical, a global CRO, where she was responsible for Human Resources, Talent Acquisition, and Resource Management. Prior to Linical, Cathy worked with Chiltern, a global CRO, serving as the Executive Director of Talent Acquisition, Human Resources, and Resourcing Solutions (FSP). Cathy holds an MBA in Human Resource Management from Columbia Southern University and a BA in Human Resource Management from Georgia State University.

As Head of Biorasi’s Neurology and Regenerative Medicine Centers of Excellence and VP of Program Development and Medical Insights, Dr. Jimmy El Hokayem oversees clinical projects related to neurological indications and therapies. His unique expertise in the basic, translational, and clinical research spectrum provides critical insights at strategic, operational, and managerial levels. He is an expert clinical trial decentralizer and an early adopter of digital technologies and digital therapeutics.

With over twenty years’ experience in both academia and clinical research, Dr. El Hokayem has focused his research on rare neurological diseases. He currently serves on the Scientific Advisory Board of the Foundation for Angelman Syndrome Therapeutics (FAST). Dr. El Hokayem has published over twenty peer reviewed papers and received multiple awards from international foundations and entities.

Dr. El Hokayem received his Ph.D. from University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine, in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. He continued his training with post-doctoral work at the University’s Hussman Institute for Human Genomics.

Becky Knockemus has more than 30 years of sales, operations, and executive management experience in the healthcare industry. Becky’s current responsibilities involve pipeline development and sales management, including leadership of the program development team and building short-term and long-term sales strategies for Biorasi’s continued growth. Previously, Becky served as Senior Vice President of Data and Analytics Sales for Decision Resources Group, a global company focused on data-based solutions for pharmaceutical and biotech companies. She received her BA in Political Science from the University of Alabama.

Mary Lyda has over 40 years of experience in the oversight of preclinical and clinical research. In her current role, she provides strategy and direction at the leadership level for compliance with global GCP regulations and guidelines. This includes facilitating the growth and development, global alignment, and operational excellence of the Quality Assurance Department. Mary started her career at the FDA, with 22 years of experience in the enforcement of regulations and harmonization initiatives with international regulatory authorities. Prior roles also include consultancies for global quality assurance at KMI/Parexel and Novartis Pharma Quality Assurance, VP of Quality Assurance at Worldwide Clinical Trials, and Chief Corporate Compliance Officer at Accelovance.

Nancy Newark has worked in clinical research for over 25 years and is an accomplished project management and clinical operations executive. She has extensive experience leading complex multi-faceted research programs and global teams. Her research expertise, combined with her experience as a registered nurse, has provided a broad range of therapeutic experience including but not limited to cardiovascular (acute coronary syndromes, heart failure, PAH, hypertension), metabolic (diabetes, obesity), acute and chronic renal failure, rare diseases, liver disease, and gene and cell therapy. Prior to joining Biorasi, Nancy served as an Executive Director of Project Management at Worldwide Clinical Trials. Additionally, she previously worked at the Duke University Medical Center as a registered nurse for 11 years with 14 years at the Duke Clinical Research Institute.

Dr. Sagar Patil has 20 years of experience in healthcare and pharmaceutical/biotechnology R&D, focusing on drug development and project management. In his current role as Executive Director of Asia Regional Operations, Dr. Patil is responsible for strategic development, business operations, project oversight, resource management, and business growth. Prior to his current role, Dr. Patil was Interim Country Head of India Operations for Amgen, a pioneer in the biotechnology industry. Dr. Patil received his MBA from the United Business Institutes in Brussels, Belgium, and holds a Medical degree from Mumbai University.

Dr. Dipali Patel has over seven years of experience in the pharmaceutical and CRO industries, across therapeutic areas including rare disease, neurology, oncology, and hematology. As the VP and Head of the Medical and Scientific Affairs (MSA) team, Dr. Patel’s current responsibilities include serving Biorasi and sponsors by providing precise medical and scientific support with patient safety at its core. This includes establishing Biorasi MSA methodology and best practices for medical monitoring, clinical development, medical writing, pharmacovigilance (PV), and post-market PV surveillance. Prior to this role, Dr. Patel launched medical monitoring solutions at Biorasi and was instrumental in forming the current Scientific Advisory Board. Dr. Patel received her MD from International American University, College of Medicine.

Evgeny Poltanov, MD, PhD brings over eighteen years of intensive experience in the fields of pre-clinical and clinical research, with a deep understanding of clinical development processes in the Eastern European regulatory environment. In his current role, Dr. Poltanov’s responsibilities are focused on developing growth strategies for operations and clinical research in Eastern Europe. Prior to joining Biorasi, Dr. Poltanov worked as a clinical operations director for Synergy CRO, providing strategic direction, leadership, and management across multiple company divisions to ensure the achievement of project goals within cost, time, and quality requirements. Dr. Poltanov received his MD from the Russian State Medical University with a PhD in Biology, focusing on antioxidants and photochemistry.

Paige Queen has over 18 years of experience in clinical monitoring, clinical operations, and project management across the pharmaceutical and CRO industry. As Head of Clinical Operations, Paige is responsible for quality delivery of clinical activities on all Biorasi projects, global leadership of the clinical team, resource management, performance oversight, and training strategies. Previously, Paige served as VP of Clinical Operations at Total Clinical Trial Management and was instrumental in the long-term growth and development of the company. She received her BS in Biology from Texas Tech University.

Kristen Reis brings over five years of administrative experience in supporting executive teams and their initiatives. In her current role, Kristen’s responsibilities include managing the day-to-day operations of the executive leadership team, supporting projects in various branches from Human Resources to Marketing, planning company-wide events, and managing relationships. She received a BA in Sustainability from Florida International University.

Mike Vitek is a senior financial executive who brings over 30 years of experience in all aspects of accounting, auditing, and financial management. As CFO, Mike’s role involves overseeing finance and accounting functions at Biorasi. Prior to his current position, Mike has held CFO, Board Advisor, and General Manager posts with both public and private companies. These include private equity portfolio companies in oilfield services, consumer goods, manufacturing, gaming, and hospitality industries. Mike received his BS in Business Administration in the field of Accounting from the Ohio State University.