Ella Balasa

Patient Advocacy and Engagement Consultant, Self Employed

Ella Balasa was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis at the age of 1. Having a biology background, she is an advocate for the development of novel therapies for the treatment of antibiotic-resistant infections including phage therapy, as well as speaking publicly at conferences about the value of the patient voice in research. She serves as a member of research committees for the CF Foundation, is a director for the US Adult CF Association, and has been published on MedPage Today, HuffPost, and Pulmonary Therapy Journal. Through opportunities working with healthcare organizations and sharing her journey through writing and speaking, she aims to affect the healthcare landscape to promote self-advocacy to patients and valuable insights to organizations. More of her work and experiences can be found at www.ellabalasa.com.

Erin M. Duffy, PhD

Chief of Research and Development, CARB-X

Erin Duffy Jorgensen is the Chief of Research & Development at CARB-X. CARB-X is a global non-profit partnership dedicated to accelerating antibacterial research to tackle the global rising threat of drug-resistant bacteria. With up to US$480 million to invest in 2016-22, CARB-X funds the world’s largest early development pipeline of new antibiotics, vaccines, rapid diagnostics, and other products to prevent, diagnose and treat life-threatening bacterial infections. Prior to CARB-X, she spent most of her career at Melinta Therapeutics (fka Rib-X Pharmaceuticals) ultimately as EVP, Chief Scientific Officer; Erin began her career in the pharmaceutical industry with Pfizer. She holds a PhD in Chemistry from Yale University.

Greg Frank, PhD

Director, Global Public Policy, Merck

Gregory Frank is Director, Global Public Policy with Merck, where he leads Merck’s global antimicrobial resistance (AMR) policy. Previously Dr. Frank served as Senior Director, Infectious Disease Policy at the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO), where he led several infectious diseases policy issues, including AMR and vaccine regulatory policy. Dr. Frank received his doctorate in immunology at the University of Pittsburgh and pursued his postdoctoral training at the Laboratory of Viral Diseases at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. He has published multiple scientific articles in the field of infectious disease.

John Stanford

Executive Director, Incubate

John Stanford is the Executive Director of Incubate where he advocates on behalf of the early stage life science ecosystem. His leadership of the organization builds on his experience championing pro-growth and innovation agendas. His relationships on Capitol Hill build on nearly a decade of leveraging entrepreneurship to close wealth gap in low-income communities while also advancing breakthrough scientific entrepreneurship and commercialization. John provides regular commentary on key issues around innovation, healthcare and the economy, including in the Wall Street Journal, STAT, Washington Post, CNBC and has been featured on cable television.

Jomana Musmar, MS, PhD

Senior Public Health Advisor, Presidential Advisory Council on Combating Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Jomana Musmar, MS, PhD, is the Designated Federal Office for the Presidential Advisory Council on Combating Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria (PACCARB). She also serves as a Senior Public Health Advisor within the Office of Infectious Diseases and HIV/AIDs Policy (OIDP). Dr. Musmar first joined OASH in 2015 to help establish the PACCARB per Executive Order 13676 and has been managing the council ever since. She has over 10 years of professional experience managing federal advisory committees, including subject matter expertise within the interdisciplinary fields of biodefense, public health security, and health policy at grassroots, national, and international levels. Dr. Musmar holds a Master’s of Science in Biomedical Science Policy from Georgetown University, and a Doctorate in Biodefense with a concentration in International and Homeland Security from George Mason University.