The DDI is led by a team of highly experienced scientists.
The Drug Development Institute is led by a team of highly experienced research and drug development scientists with:
For more information, contact the DDI team members individually or at ddi@osumc.edu.
Email: jeffrey.patrick@osumc.edu
I am a residency-trained clinical pharmacist with nearly 20 years of pharmaceutical industry experience. I bring expertise in executive leadership, scientific and medical strategy and program building.
Email: Janel.Ezzell@osumc.edu
I am a business development professional with over seven years of experience negotiating agreements between academia and corporate partners.
Email: chad.bennett@osumc.edu | Phone: 614-685-9230
I am a process and medicinal chemist with over 12 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry at Merck and Schering-Plough, working in both the discovery and early-development phases.
Email: gerard.hilinski@osumc.edu
I am a biochemist with over 15 years of experience in design and synthesis of conformationally stabilized peptides. Previously at FogPharma as scientific co-founder, I bring distinctive expertise and perspective to the DDI.
Email: Damien.Gerald@osumc.edu
I am a cancer biologist supporting an oncology portfolio of small molecules and biologics. Previously at Eli Lilly and Company, I bring extensive expertise in leadership of preclinical programs as well as experience with molecular, cell-based and in vivo methods.
Email: Sebastian.Biglione@osumc.edu
I am a residency-trained research pharmacist with six years of experience supporting all phases of clinical trials and biomedical IRB participation.
Email: Celeste.Alverez@osumc.edu
I am a project manager and medicinal chemist with nearly 10 years of experience in the design and synthesis of small molecule inhibitors for drug discovery, particularly relating to the field of oncology.
Email: reena.shakya@osumc.edu | Phone: 614-293-1675
I am Ohio State’s director of the Target Validation Shared Resource (TVSR). I bring extensive experience with cancer xenografts, GEM models and in vivo validation.
Email: christopher.coss@osumc.edu | Phone: 614-688-1309
I am an assistant professor in the Ohio State College of Pharmacy. Previously at GTx Inc., my experience ranges from preclinical models to late-stage clinical assays.
Email: ddi@osumc.edu
I have over 20 years of experience in administrative management in a variety of roles from small business to academia.