Stop a Pandemic.
Start a Movement.
We founded Pardes in 2020 to cultivate change and help lead the way to a post-pandemic future.
MISSION & VISION
We are on a mission to stop a pandemic and start a movement so patients everywhere can get well sooner.
Our vision is to cultivate change for a post-pandemic world.
OUR VALUES
How We Cultivate Change
Lead with Humility
Recognize that it is a privilege to do what we do. Respect the diversity that makes us stronger, and encourage open, inclusive debate. Challenge the status quo.
Be a Change-Maker
Bring your A-game, experience, expertise, resilience, and ingenuity to urgently solve problems and find better ways of doing things.
Innovate with Integrity
Act with agility, taking thoughtful risks with a patient-first mindset to make swift decisions informed by data.
Cultivate Our Chemistry
Foster teamwork by sharing information transparently and building trust by taking accountability for our actions.
LEADERSHIP
A Shared Passion for Solving Pandemic-Sized Problems
To cultivate the change that we believe is needed, Pardes has assembled an experienced Management Team, Board of Directors, and Strategic Advisors, and is rapidly growing our team. Collectively, we bring together decades of experience discovering, developing, and commercializing a broad range of therapeutics. More importantly, we share a commitment to innovating the biopharma business model as we attempt to solve some of the world’s most pressing health challenges.
Management Team
Tom Wiggans
Chief Executive Officer & Chair of the Board
Tom brings over 40 years of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry, including over 25 years of chief executive leadership. He most recently served as Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Dermira, Inc. which he co-founded in 2010, until its acquisition by Eli Lilly in 2020 for $1.1 billion. Prior to founding Dermira, Tom served as Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Peplin, Inc. until its acquisition by LEO Pharma A/S in 2009. He also has served as Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Connetics Corporation and in various other executive positions at CytoTherapeutics Inc. and Ares-Serono S.A. Tom began his career in the industry with Eli Lilly and Company.
Tom holds a B.S. in pharmacy from the University of Kansas and an M.B.A. from Southern Methodist University.
Brian Kearney, PharmD
Chief Development Officer
Brian is a veteran of antiviral drug development in HIV, HBV, and HCV. He spent over two decades at Gilead Sciences working to advance and lead successful development programs for multiple compounds from Phase 1 through Phase 3 clinical studies. Brian formed Gilead’s clinical pharmacology functional area and led first-in-franchise global registrations, including the breakthrough standard of care treatment of HCV with SOVALDI®. His contributions have led to the approval of more than fifteen new drugs.
Brian earned a PharmD degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago. He performed his residency at the University of Pittsburgh and completed a post-doctoral research fellowship at the University of California San Francisco, with a focus on Antiviral Drug Research.
Heidi Henson
Chief Financial Officer
Heidi has over two decades of financial operations experience with both public and private companies. Before Pardes, she served as Chief Financial Officer for Imbria Pharmaceuticals, Kura Oncology, Intellikine (acquired by Takeda), Wellspring Biosciences, and their parent company, Araxes Pharma. Heidi has guided various companies through early-stage start-up activities, SEC reporting, and Sarbanes-Oxley implementation and compliance. She began her career in auditing at PricewaterhouseCoopers. She currently serves on the board of directors of PepGen and Lisata Therapeutics.
Heidi received a BS in Accounting from the University of San Diego and is a Certified Public Accountant (inactive) in California.
Sean Brusky
Chief Commercial Officer
Sean brings over two decades in biopharmaceutical business development, commercial, managed care, and medical affairs experience. He was Head of Healthcare Delivery Innovation for Genentech, Inc. (a member of the Roche Group), responsible for standing up novel multi-stakeholder partnerships in virtual clinical trials, personalized medicine, point-of-care, home-based diagnostics, telemedicine, and digital health. In earlier roles, Sean assembled and led teams responsible for brand-focused marketing and sales spanning multiple products. Prior to Genentech, Sean was part of the business development team at Vertex Pharmaceuticals focused on global corporate development, partnering and out-licensing of antivirals and other therapeutics. Sean serves as a board advisor to early-stage healthcare delivery transformation ventures.
Sean earned his BS degree in Biochemistry & Molecular Biology from Brown University and MBA degree from Harvard Business School.
Elizabeth Lacy, JD
General Counsel & Corporate Secretary
Elizabeth has over 25 years of legal experience. Prior to Pardes, she was the General Counsel, Senior Vice President of Legal Operations, and Corporate Secretary for Assembly Biosciences. During her tenure, she built the legal team that supported operations and advised on corporate governance, SEC reporting, equity offerings, compliance, and operational matters related to the pre-clinical stage to clinical-stage company transition. Elizabeth has worked in various legal areas throughout her career, including venture capital, private equity, and asset-based lending.
Elizabeth earned a BA degree in Public Policy from Duke University and a JD, summa cum laude, degree from Case Western Reserve University.
Ann Kwong, PhD
Executive Vice President, Research
Ann has over 30 years of experience in in the biopharmaceutical industry and has helped move multiple antiviral compounds into the clinic. At Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Ann played a leading role in the research, development, and commercialization of telaprevir, an HCV protease inhibitor that received the Prix Galien Award for Best Pharmaceutical Agent in 2012. Ann also designed Vertex’s influenza virus program, which led to the development of pimodivir, a first in class PB2 inhibitor; she was awarded the Gertrude Elion Memorial Award in 2020 by the International Society for Antiviral Research. Ann founded Trek Therapeutics to develop affordable HCV treatments; most recently she was the EVP of R&D at Dewpoint Therapeutics. Ann is a co-author or inventor on numerous publications and patents.
Ann received her BA degree in Biology and PhD degree in Virology from the University of Chicago.
Dave Kuo
Senior Vice President, Human Resources
Dave is responsible for leading the people strategy at Pardes Biosciences. He enjoys architecting an employee experience that amplifies the organization's mission by creating an inclusive culture where people feel valued for their unique contributions. His leadership philosophy emphasizes the power of coaching and developing talent from within an organization. He is passionate about partnering with leaders to evolve and transform organizations as they scale from research stage through commercialization. He brings over two decades of leadership experience working in various biotech and high-tech industries. Most recently, he was VP of HR at Freeline Therapeutics and Global Blood Therapeutics. Prior to that, he held senior management positions in HR and Information Technology at Jazz Pharma, Gilead Sciences, and CV Therapeutics.
Dave earned his B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of California at Davis.
Patrick O’Brien
Senior Vice President, Investor Relations
Patrick brings over twenty years of investor relations experience focused within the biotechnology sector. Prior to joining Pardes, he served as an investor relations advisor to Sangamo Therapeutics. Before his advisory role, Patrick spent 5 years leading the IR function at both commercial and development stage companies, including Ligand Pharmaceuticals and Vir Biotechnology. Additionally, he spent over nine years at Gilead Sciences, Inc. where, as Vice President of IR, he led the #1 ranked team in Institutional Investor Magazine by both buy-side and sell-side analysts in the healthcare / biotechnology category for 2014, 2015 and 2016. During this time, Patrick was ranked as the #1 IR professional in the biotechnology categories for 2014, 2015 and 2016.
Patrick earned his BA in Economics from Loyola University and an MBA from Northwestern’s Kellogg Graduate School of Management.
Valdas Jurkauskas, PhD
Senior Vice President, Technical Operations
Valdas specializes in pharmaceutical manufacturing, clinical and commercial drug supply and enabling transition from clinical stage into commercialization.
Prior to Pardes, Valdas was a key member of the teams that commercialized antiviral INCIVEK® with Vertex Pharmaceuticals, antibiotic ZERBAXA® with Cubist Pharmaceuticals (acquired by Merck) and anemia treatment VAFSEO® with Akebia Therapeutics. Valdas also led the Technical Operations team at STA Pharmaceutical, a WuXi AppTec company, responsible for clinical supplies and commercial production. Valdas is a co-inventor of 20 US-issued patents.
Valdas holds a PhD degree in Organic Chemistry from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a BS degree in Chemistry with honors from the University of Toronto.
Board of Directors
Tom Wiggans
Chief Executive Officer & Chair of the Board
Tom brings over 40 years of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry, including over 25 years of chief executive leadership. He most recently served as Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Dermira, Inc. which he co-founded in 2010, until its acquisition by Eli Lilly in 2020 for $1.1 billion. Prior to founding Dermira, Tom served as Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Peplin, Inc. until its acquisition by LEO Pharma A/S in 2009. He also has served as Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Connetics Corporation and in various other executive positions at CytoTherapeutics Inc. and Ares-Serono S.A. Tom began his career in the industry with Eli Lilly and Company.
Tom holds a B.S. in pharmacy from the University of Kansas and an M.B.A. from Southern Methodist University.
Uri Lopatin, MD
Board Member and Founder
Uri is a biotech entrepreneur and has worked in various executive clinical and translational science positions for esteemed organizations, including Schering Plough, Roche, Gilead Sciences, and Y Combinator where he served as a visiting partner. He also co-founded Assembly Pharmaceuticals, functioning as both Chief Medical Officer and Vice President of Research, and successfully raising over $300 million to move two first-generations of novel therapeutics for hepatitis B into global Phase 1 and Phase 2 clinical studies. Uri has published and patented broadly in virology and immunology.
Uri received a BA in Biology from Cornell University and MD degree at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey – New Jersey Medical School. He completed his residency at New York University Medical Center, internship at the University of Washington, and fellowship training in Infectious Disease at the National Institutes of Health.
Mark Auerbach
Board Member
Mark has 20 years of experience working as an independent director for pharma and biotech, including Assembly Bio, Optimer, and Par Pharmaceutical. Mark was both Chairman of the Audit Committee and a member of the Compensation Committee for Assembly Bio. Mark was also Lead Independent Director and then Non-Executive Chairman of Par. He was the Lead Independent Director and Chairman of the Audit Committee at Optimer and Chairman of Neuro-Hitech.
Mark received a BS degree in Accounting from Rider University.
Deborah M. Autor, JD
Board Member
Deborah brings extensive pharmaceutical and regulatory experience to Pardes. Deb served as Vice President, Global Head of Regulatory Excellence at AstraZeneca, where she led Regulatory Operations, Policy, and Intelligence for the company’s submissions globally. Deb held various positions for Mylan NV, including Head of Strategic Global Quality and Regulatory Policy. She also worked for the Food and Drug Administration in different roles, ending her distinguished tenure as Deputy Commissioner, Global Regulatory Operations & Policy. She serves on many committees, including the Centre for Innovation in Regulatory Science – Scientific Advisory Council and the U.S Pharmacopoeia Quality Institute – Advisory Board. She currently serves on the board of directors of Amneal Pharmaceuticals.
Deb received a BA degree in Psychology from Columbia University and a JD, magna cum laude, degree from Boston University School of Law.
Laura J. Hamill
Board Member
Laura is an experienced professional with years of expertise in global commercial operations and strategic planning. Her career history spans decades and has included diverse roles, including Executive Vice President, Worldwide Commercial Operations at Gilead Sciences. Laura also worked in various roles at Amgen, including Senior Vice President, U.S Commercial Operations. She currently serves on the board of directors of numerous companies, including Anaptysbio, Y-mAbs Therapeutics, and Scilex Holding Company.
Laura holds a BS in Business Administration from the University of Arizona.
Jay Lobell
Board Member
Jay brings a diverse skill set with years of experience ranging from regulatory, transactional, and litigation matters to commercial real estate and healthcare. He is currently CEO and Founder of JSB Capital Group LLC, a commercial real estate private equity firm. Jay previously was President and Co-Founder of GMF Real Estate LLC, a commercial real estate and healthcare private equity investment firm, which was the successor in interest to JSB. Jay previously co-founded and served as Vice Chairman of Beech Street Capital, a delegated Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac/Department of Housing and Urban Development lender that was acquired by Capital One Bank. Jay started his career at Covington & Burling LLP, a national law firm, where he advised companies and individuals. He currently serves on the board of directors of Fortress Biosciences and several privately held healthcare operating companies.
Jay received a BA, summa cum laude, from the City University of New York and a JD from Yale University Law School, where he was Senior Editor of the Yale Law Journal.
John C. Pottage, Jr., M.D.
Board Member
John brings over 20 years of executive and clinical development experience, with an expertise in infectious diseases. He most recently served as Chief Medical Advisor of Clear Creek Bio, Inc. a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing small molecule antiviral therapeutics and prior to that served as Senior Vice President and Chief Scientific and Medical Officer of ViiV Healthcare, a joint venture of GlaxoSmithKline and Pfizer focused on treatments for HIV. Prior to ViiV, John served as Senior Vice President, Head of Infectious Disease Medicine Development Center, and Vice President, Global Clinical Development of Antivirals, at GlaxoSmithKline, plc. Prior to joining GlaxoSmithKline, he served as Chief Medical Officer and Senior Vice President of Drug Development of Achillion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Prior to joining industry, Dr Pottage was a member of the faculty and clinical staff at Rush University Medical College in the Department of Internal Medicine and the Section of Infectious Disease. He currently serves on the board of directors of Spero Therapeutics, Inc.
John is board certified in both Internal Medicine and Infectious Disease by the American Board of Internal Medicine. Dr. Pottage holds an A.B. in Biology from Colgate University and a M.D. from Saint Louis University School of Medicine.
Laurie Smaldone Alsup, M.D.
Lead Independent Director
Laurie has over 30 years of biopharmaceutical industry experience, specializing in commercially successful product approvals and global regulatory strategy. She currently serves as the Chief Medical Officer and Chief Scientific Officer of NDA Group AB, a regulatory and drug product development consulting company. Prior to joining NDA Group AB, Laurie served as the President and Chief Scientific Officer of PharmApprove LLC, a regulatory communications consultancy. Previously, Laurie served as the President and Chief Executive Officer of Phytomedics, Inc., a clinical stage company with a focus on auto-immune, inflammatory, and metabolic diseases. She began her career at Bristol Myers Squibb and spent 20 years in roles of increasing responsibility in clinical development, regulatory strategy, and corporate risk management. She currently serves on the boards of directors of Blackberry, Ltd., Arvinas, Inc., Theravance Biopharma, Inc., and Kinnate Biopharma, Inc.
Laurie holds a B.A. in Biological Sciences from Fordham College and a M.D. from Yale School of Medicine and is a medical oncologist by training.
James B. Tananbaum, MD
Board Member
Jim brings extensive experience in healthcare investment strategy. He is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Foresite Capital, a US-focused healthcare investment firm with more than $4 billion in assets under management. He has been a thought partner to some of the most impressive fast-growth companies over the last three decades, including 10x Genomics, Amerigroup, and Jazz Pharmaceuticals. Jim is a five-time Midas List honoree, a coveted accolade for the world's top venture capital investors.
Jim earned a BS and BSEE degree in Applied Math and Electrical Engineering/Computer Science degree from Yale University. He received a MD degree from Harvard/MIT Health Sciences and Technology Program. He received a MBA degree from Harvard Business School.
Mike Varney, PhD
Board Member & Scientific Advisory Board
Mike has been a leader for some of the best companies in the biotech, including Genentech, Inc. (a member of the Roche Group) and Pfizer. As the former Executive Vice President and Head of Genentech Research and Early Development, he was responsible for all aspects of Genentech R&D’s early innovation, drug discovery, and development of drug candidates. He also served as a member of the Roche Corporate Executive Committee. Early in his career, Mike was one of the original fifteen employees at Agouron, a biotech company that developed protein structure-based drug design as a new drug discovery approach. He currently serves on the board of directors of Erasca, Inc.
Mike received a BS degree in Chemistry from the University of California Los Angeles, a PhD degree in Synthetic Organic Chemistry from the California Institute of Technology, and was an American Cancer Society Post-Doctoral Fellow at Columbia University.