Planning Committee

Dr. Conoscenti received BS from Fordham University and his M.D. from St George’s University School of Medicine. He completed his residency and chief residency at Hackensack University Medical Center in Hackensack, NJ. Following this he completed his pulmonary and critical care medicine fellowship at the Norwalk Hospital an affiliate of the Yale University School of Medicine.

Dr. Conoscenti is the Sr. Vice President for Clinical Development at Avalyn Pharma where he leads the clinical development, clinical operations, and data management teams. Prior to Avalyn Dr Conoscenti was at Boehringer Ingelheim from 2002 and until 2021 where most recently he was the Therapeutic Area Head and Executive Director for Interstitial Lung Diseases in the Clinical Development and Medical Affairs Specialty Medicine Department.

Prior to entering industry, he practiced in a clinical academic program at Norwalk Hospital in Norwalk, CT for 19 years serving as a senior consultant in pulmonary and critical care medicine. Additionally, he was research physician in the Hinds Center for Respiratory Research and the director of the diving and hyperbaric medicine division. He was a faculty educator for both the fellowship and residency programs. His clinical and research focus was interstitial lung disease and pulmonary blood flow.

He is a Fellow of the American Thoracic Society and the American College of Chest Physicians, where he has held several committee positions, and the European Respiratory Society. He received the Norman S Brady Fellowship where he served sabbatical time at the Brompton Chest Hospital in London studying quantitative and qualitative chest CT analysis in interstitial lung disease. He is a frequent speaker and lecturer nationally and internationally.

Niall O’Donnell, Ph.D., is a managing director of RiverVest Venture Partners, a leading venture capital firm building life science companies to address significant unmet needs of patients and deliver consistently strong results to investors.

Since joining RiverVest in 2006 as a Kauffman Fellow, Niall has been instrumental in developing and shaping the firm’s successful biopharmaceutical strategy. He has founded or co-founded five biopharmaceutical companies, directed clinical strategy, co-founded key patents, and helped to raise over a billion dollars in venture capital for early-stage companies addressing significant unmet medical needs. Niall is currently chairman of the board of Avalyn Pharma and a board member of Engrail Therapeutics, Sparrow Pharmaceuticals, and Glycomine. As a portfolio company founder, Niall served as interim CEO of Reneo Pharmaceuticals and interim chief medical officer at Lumena Pharmaceuticals before its 2014 acquisition by Shire (now part of Takeda America Holdings). In 2018, Niall helped spin the Lumena assets out of Takeda and drove the creation of Mirum Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: MIRM), which has become an established leader in the development and commercialization of life-changing rare disease medicines.

Niall also helped found and develop the clinical strategy for RiverVest portfolio companies Curzion Pharmaceuticals (acquired by Horizon Therapeutics in 2020) and Excaliard Pharmaceuticals (acquired by Pfizer in 2011). He was a member of the boards of directors of Amplyx Pharmaceuticals (acquired by Pfizer in 2021) and Spruce Biosciences, and the scientific advisory board of Ziarco (acquired by Novartis in 2016).

Prior to joining RiverVest, Niall was an immunologist at Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research and Development in San Diego, where he was part of a successful cross-disciplinary team of chemists and biologists that drove small-molecule anti-inflammatory drugs into clinical trials.

Niall earned a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Dundee, Scotland, and an M.A. in Biochemistry from Pembroke College, Oxford. He completed his postdoctoral work at the University of California, San Diego, and later earned an MBA from the University of California, San Diego – Rady School of Management

Courtney Crim, MD currently is Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine in the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. He also serves on the Drug/Device Discovery and Development Committee and assumed the role of Chair in 2021. Formerly, he was Group Director in Clinical Development in Respiratory Clinical Sciences at GlaxoSmithKline. He had approximately 22 years of experience designing Phase II-IV clinical trials that encompassed developing new medical entities. Prior, he was a member of the US FDA Pulmonary and Allergy Drug Advisory Committee, and has also presented submissions for drug approval at US, European and other country regulatory agencies.

Dr. Crim holds a Doctorate in Medicine from the University of Michigan Medical School. He completed post-graduate training in Internal Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston and Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, with sub-specialty training in Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine at the University of Michigan. He is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) in Internal Medicine, Pulmonary Diseases and Critical Care Medicine. He has presented at national and international meetings on respiratory disorders, such as pneumonia, asthma and COPD. Dr. Crim has written several book chapters and authored or co-authored over 100 manuscripts that are published in per-reviewed medical journals. He has also served as a reviewer for the journals Chest, the European Respiratory Journal and the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

Dr. Fessel is currently Chief Medical Officer of the Division of Clinical Innovation at the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), providing translational and clinical science thought to some of NIH’s most interdisciplinary programs. He also helps to lead clinical trial efforts and data science efforts in several trans-agency COVID and long COVID programs. His clinical background is in adult pulmonary and critical care medicine. Dr. Fessel is a member and Fellow of the American Thoracic Society, and a member of the ATS Committee on Drug Device Discovery and Development. His scientific background is in free radical biochemistry, redox biology, molecular metabolism, and mitochondrial biology and their roles in complex disease phenotypes. Prior to coming to NIH 4 years ago, Dr. Fessel was on faculty at an academic medical center, dividing his time between patient care and running a basic and translational research lab.

Dr. Flaim holds a doctorate in Human Physiology and Pharmacology from the University of California at Davis. He held faculty positions in Medicine and Physiology at the Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine and senior management roles at the Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research Institute, the Squibb Institute for Medical Research, Alliance Pharmaceutical Corporation, Trega Biosciences, Inc., Galileo Pharmaceuticals, Inc., OncoFluor, Inc., CardioCreate, Inc. and Leading Biosciences. Dr. Flaim is a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology, the American Heart Association, the American College of Clinical Pharmacology, and the Royal Society of Medicine. Dr. Flaim is Chair Emeritus of the Board of Governors for the Tech Coast Angels, Past President and Chair Emeritus of the San Diego Network of Tech Coast Angels and Emeritus Director of the Angel Capital Association. He is a member of the Editorial Board of the Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, founding member of the Board of Directors and CEO for the John G. Watson Foundation and is active in numerous regional and national scientific organizations. He is a founding member and Technology & Business advisor to the Institute for the Global Entrepreneur at the University of California, San Diego. He is Senior Special Advisor & Investor-in-Residence to the Office of Innovation & Commercialization in the Division of Extramural Research Activities at the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health. He is also an Entrepreneur-in-Residence with the Small Business Education & Entrepreneurial Development (SEED) Office in the Office of the Director of the National Institutes of Health.

Martina joined Insmed in December 2019, bringing more than 17 years of industry experience in both medical and commercial roles. She has launched global brands and managed pipeline portfolios across therapeutic areas and geographies, including the U.S., Europe, Japan, and China. Martina was most recently Head of Corporate Division Customer Value, Senior Vice President at Boehringer Ingelheim International. Previous roles at Boehringer Ingelheim include Vice President Clinical Development & Medical Affairs, Specialty Care Business Unit, and Chief Medical Officer, Vice President of Medicine, Regulatory Affairs & Pharmacovigilance, Boehringer Ingelheim Canada. Prior to that, Martina held commercial and medical roles at Pfizer. She holds a medical degree from the University of Vienna Medical School, Austria, and completed post-doctoral training in internal and emergency medicine. She also holds a Master of Business Administration degree from New York University Stern School of Business.

Dr. Jason P. Kirkness is an executive medical scientist and pulmonary physiologist who builds first-in-human translational programs at the intersection of biotech, devices, and digital health. He currently serves as Global Medical Lead (Medical & Clinical Affairs) at SMSbiotech, designing and executing Phase I regenerative-medicine trials, including an ongoing COPD program. Previously, as Senior Vice President of Medical and Clinical Affairs at a pulmonary imaging processing company, he led global evidence generation and commercialization for FDA-cleared functional lung imaging. His translational work spans COPD, interstitial lung disease (including IPF) and includes pulmonary vascular disease biology research. He chairs the ATS Drug Device Discovery and Development (DDDD) Committee.

Jain Krotz, PhD., is currently serving as the Acting Director of the Innovation and Commercialization Office at NHLBI, where she leads investor relations and partnership initiatives for the SBIR/STTR program. Prior to this, she was a Scientific Review Officer at CSR, overseeing the Gene and Drug Delivery Systems Study Section. Jain joined NIH after a successful career in the corporate sector, where she directed R&D efforts across multiple organizations, focusing on targeted drug delivery, cell and gene therapy, and implantable medical devices for oncology, cardiovascular, and metabolic conditions. She has also led business development, licensing, and M&A activities for various life science assets. Jain earned her Ph.D. in Chemistry from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, and conducted post-doctoral research in bioengineering, biomaterials, and drug delivery. Her international experience includes being an AIST Fellow in Japan, a visiting scientist at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, and a post-doctoral researcher at the University of California, Irvine.

Charles A Powell, MD, MBA, is Professor of Medicine and System Division Chief for Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. The Division is ranked #8 Globally and #1 in New York for Pulmonary Specialties by Newsweek. Dr. Powell earned his bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Pennsylvania before completing his medical degree at the University of Chicago. He trained in Internal Medicine at Columbia University and in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at Boston University. He holds an MBA from Yale University. Dr. Powell is Regional Medical Director of the Mount Sinai Hospital Doctors Faculty Practice and CEO of the Mount Sinai Respiratory Institute LLC, which brings together leading expertise in diagnosing and treating all forms of respiratory illness and lung disease, including asthma, lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, interstitial lung disease, and bronchiectasis. He is past-President of the Fleischner Society and holds leadership roles in the International Society of Respiratory Disease. Dr. Powell’s primary Pulmonary Disease focus is on the research and treatment of lung nodules and cancer. Dr. Powell is funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has published over 150 articles, and directs an NIH-funded translational sciences laboratory that examines the genomics of lung cancer. Dr. Powell’s particular area of interest is on deconvoluting the biology and genomics of early stage lung adenocarcinoma, for which recent advances have modified the diagnosis and approach to these tumors. He is an international expert in the diagnosis and management of drug induced lung injury in patients treated with advanced cancer medications such as antibody drug conjugates and immunotherapy. He also directs research programs focused on applications of machine learning and artificial intelligence to advance the diagnosis and treatment of respiratory diseases.

Dr. Rubinson is a Vice President for Technology in the B.Next (life sciences) practice at IQT. IQT has a distinct role at the intersection of government, venture capital and the startup world; its a not-for-profit, strategic investor in startup technologies relevant to national security. Within this mission space, Lewis concentrates on innovative biomedical devices, therapeutics, diagnostics, data and analytics as well as enabling innovative platforms.

Dr. Rubinson attended medical school at Northwestern University Medical School. After training in Internal Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, he completed a fellowship in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at Johns Hopkins University, where he also achieved a PhD in Clinical Investigation. Dr. Rubinson was a faculty member at University of Washington School of Medicine and subsequently in the Program in Trauma and Critical Care at the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center (STC) at the University of Maryland School of Medicine where he achieved the rank of Professor Medicine. Lewis has led numerous clinical innovation projects and programs, been a principal investigator for NIH-sponsored and industry-sponsored clinical trials, and served on clinical advisory boards of startup biomedical companies. His real-life response experiences span being a boots-on-the-ground federal and international responder to health tragedies, government operational leader during major events such as Super Storm Sandy, and recently as the lead physician executive at a major referral hospital during the first few years of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Eric White is a Senior Clinical Program Lead at Boehringer Ingelheim, involved in early and late phase clinical development of assets in the pulmonary fibrosis space. He is also involved in contributing to the design of the Pulmonary Fibrosis strategy at Boehringer as well as in due diligence for in-licensing opportunities. Prior to joining Boehringer in 2020, Eric was a Professor of Internal Medicine in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at University of Michigan, where he served as Director of the Translational Interstitial Lung Disease Research Program and the Sarcoidosis Clinic.

After 17 years in the pharmaceutical and biotech industries, Michelle joined the ATS Staff in 2007, serving as a liaison between the Society and its industry partners. Her experience launching multi-million dollar products through a comprehensive corporate association strategy, and working with start-up companies where $500 is a big decision allows her to have conversations with customers at all stages of the product life cycle.

Michelle has steered the Respiratory Innovation Summit since its inception. She leads a team of people who manage all interactions with the Society’s industry partners and patient advocacy organizations, personal and planned giving, and her team staffs the ATS Committee on Drug Device Discovery and Development. The team she has built has been recognized four times with commendations from the ATS President.

She is a member of the American Society of Association Executives, and currently serves as a member of Board of Directors for the James Madison University Alumni Association.

Michelle received a business degree from James Madison University in Harrisonburg, VA, where she was an active member of the marching band and several other ensembles, and is a life member of Kappa Kappa Psi.

Dustin retired from the US army in December 2022. He has served in TEN combat deployments – 3 in Iraq, 4 in Afghanistan, 1 in Syria and 2 in Africa. From 2016 to 2020, he was an Asymmetric Warfare Special Operations Advisor and selected by the New York Department of Emergency Services to create a task force to help manage a major training exercise for over 200 FDNY and NYPD personnel. He was also Sergeant of a sniper section and a machine gunner.

He has received the Bronze Star Medal twice, Meritorious Service Medal twice, the Army Commendation with Valor Medal, Army Commendation Medal seven additional times, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal and numerous other awards and commendations in service to the US Army. During his time in the military, he has attended the Basic Leaders Course, Advanced Leaders Course, Senior Leaders Course, and Master Leaders Course. He has attended multiple Career enhancing schools including, Air Assault, Sniper, Anti-Terror Evasive Drivers Course, Combat Lifesavers course (advanced), Infantry Leaders Course, Joint Firepower and Control course, Military Deception Planners Course, Multiple Survival Courses, and the Harvard negotiation course. After twenty years of distinguished military service, Dustin is thrilled to be living full-time in Florida with his wife Katie and their beautiful family Davidson (4) and Daisy (2).

Ms. Gonzalo is a Partner at Oberland Capital. Prior to joining Oberland, she was a Managing Director at Vatera Healthcare Partners where she focused on venture capital and private equity investments in the biopharmaceutical industry. Previously, Ms. Gonzalo was a Managing Director with Essex Woodlands, a healthcare-focused growth equity firm, and with the healthcare group of Warburg Pincus, a global private equity firm. Ms. Gonzalo began her career at Goldman Sachs as an Analyst in the firm's Investment Banking Division and Principal Investment Area. Ms. Gonzalo is an honorary member of the Planning Committee and Founding Co-Chair of the Respiratory Innovation Summit, which is hosted by the American Thoracic Society and seeks to unite leading companies, innovators, investors, clinicians and advocacy groups to accelerate innovation in the respiratory space and bring new treatments to patients. Previously, Ms. Gonzalo served as Co-President and board member of the Harvard Business School Healthcare Alumni Association. Ms. Gonzalo earned an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and an A.B. in Biochemical Sciences from Harvard College.

Tim is a Vice President in Inflammation Therapeutics, heading the fibrosis and pulmonary disease Clinical Development franchises at Gilead Sciences. His career has consistently centered him in the biomedical and biopharmaceutical sectors. There, he has focused on improving outcomes for patients with serious diseases, where there are few therapeutic options. Tim is valued for his ability to construct innovative, science-driven strategies with an enterprise mindset, building and leading teams to successfully execute goals. He currently heads the development strategy for therapeutics targeting inflammatory and fibrosing interstitial lung and liver diseases, including IPF and NASH. His experience spans early to late aspects of Clinical R&D, from Phase I safety trials to Phase II proof-of-concept trials, to Phase III programs linked to global registration and commercialization. Tim has worked across a broad number of disease areas, previously serving as a lead for Gilead's respiratory virus programs, but also for inflammation and fibrosis assets spanning PSC, IBD and ocular inflammation. His current role keeps him highly engaged in Gilead’s pipeline, its BD strategy, as well as in scientific studies with industry and academic partners.

Tim is a member of several professional societies, including the American Thoracic Society where he helped found and continues to co-chair the Respiratory Innovation Summit, a well-attended symposium held in conjunction with the annual meetings of the ATS. The RIS brings together leading companies, clinicians, academics and investors in the respiratory, critical care and sleep domains.

Sarah Spencer is a Principal with EcoR1 and is responsible for due diligence and analysis of biotechnology companies for value-oriented investment opportunities. Prior to joining EcoR1 in 2018, Ms. Spencer spent two years at the University of Virginia Investment Management Company, where she performed diligence on investment managers across asset classes. She graduated from the University of Virginia with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and a minor in History