Leadership

Corey Casper is the Chief Executive Officer at the Access for Advanced Health Institute (AAHI), where he oversees a portfolio of vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics that provide comprehensive solutions to global health problems. These include immune-enhancing adjuvant formulations that enable strong, safe and durable vaccines, a novel RNA vaccine platform for the prevention of pandemic / emerging viruses, and products for the treatment and prevention of cancer in low- and middle-income countries.

Dr. Casper received his medical degree from Cornell University, completed Residency in Internal Medicine at the University of California – San Francisco and Fellowship in Infectious Disease at the University of Washington, where he also earned a Masters of Public Health. A committed educator and clinician, Dr. Casper is Clinical Professor of Medicine and Global Health at the University of Washington and an Affiliate Professor in the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.

Candice Decaire is Chief Strategy Officer and General Counsel for the Access to Advanced Health Institute ("AAHI") where she works to develop, execute, and sustain AAHI’s strategic initiatives. She advises AAHI on a broad array of legal and transactional issues, strategic growth, and protection of intellectual property. As former outside counsel to numerous biotech and life sciences clients, Candice acquired significant expertise in developing, protecting, and maximizing the value of intellectual property and other proprietary data, including by conducting due diligence, investigating validity and freedom to operate, advising on patent portfolio growth and management, and assessing and mitigating risks of infringement or misappropriation.

She has negotiated numerous company-critical licensing, collaboration, and other agreements and represented her past clients in litigation, appeals, arbitration, ITC investigations, and inter partes review proceedings concerning biologics, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and diverse other technologies. Candice received her law degree from the University of Georgia School of Law and served as the Senior Articles Editor of the Georgia Law Review. After graduating magna cum laude and a member of the Order of the Coif, Candice served as judicial clerk to the Honorable Anthony A. Alaimo, Senior District Court Judge for the Southern District of Georgia. Candice received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Smith College, as an Ada Comstock Scholar, with an emphasis in Art History and Architecture.

Jerry Kuo is the Chief Financial and Operations Officer at AAHI and a member of the executive team. He is responsible for the overall administration and operations of the organization, which includes finance, human resources, information technology, research administration, facilities, and manufacturing. Over his career, Jerry has served in a number of finance, operations, and consulting roles at organizations in the global health, technology, professional services, and philanthropic sectors.

Prior to joining AAHI, Jerry was most recently Chief of Strategic Finance and co-CFO at PATH, a large global health non-profit with offices in over 20 countries working to deliver innovative solutions in vaccines, medical devices, diagnostics, and primary healthcare. Before serving as the Chief of Strategic Finance, Jerry was the Director of Financial Planning and Analysis at PATH and was at the Gates Foundation in various finance and consulting roles. Jerry holds an undergraduate business degree from Washington University in St. Louis and an MBA from the University of Michigan.

Anna Marie Beckmann is the Executive Vice President of Product Development at AAHI. She is responsible for guiding products through the transitional phase from pre-clinical research to evaluation in clinical trials. In the regulatory affairs arena, her group provides the necessary documentation to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for review and approval of AAHI’s vaccine and adjuvant candidates in human clinical trials. She is also responsible for AAHI’s vaccine and adjuvant candidates in human clinical trials. She is also responsible for AAHI’s in-house pilot manufacturing facility that produces cGMP adjuvant formulations for Phase 1 vaccine clinical trials.

Anna Marie was a Senior Fellow in the STD Training Program at the University of Washington and a faculty member at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, where her research focused on the pathogenesis of human papillomavirus infections (HPV) and the relationship between HPV infections and human anogenital cancers. In 1998 she joined Corixa Coporation as Director of Regulatory Affairs and worked on early stage clinical development of vaccines for infectious diseases and cancer. Anna Marie Beckmann earned her Ph.D. from the Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases at Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health. Her thesis was focused on the pathobiology of infection with the human papillomaviruses JC and BK.

Since joining IDRI in 2007, Dr. Fox has led development of cGMP vaccine adjuvant formulations for clinical evaluation of vaccine candidates against a variety of infectious diseases. He currently serves as principal investigator on NIH contracts to develop a first-in-human intranasal vaccine against amebiasis and to develop a thermostable tuberculosis vaccine through Phase 1 clinical testing. Moreover, he leads a BARDA-funded effort to establish a large-scale adjuvant manufacturing hub for pandemic influenza preparedness and an NIH R01 grant to develop sustainable raw material sources for vaccine adjuvant formulations using bioengineering and chemical engineering approaches. Dr. Fox has also directed technology transfer of adjuvant formulation manufacturing to institutes in India, Brazil, South Africa, and Romania. These local capacity building efforts were recognized in 2015 with the WGHA Pioneers of Global Health Rising Leader Award. Dr. Fox has authored >80 publications including serving as editor for the Springer Methods in Molecular Biology volume entitled “Vaccine Adjuvants: Methods and Protocols” published in 2017. Prior to joining IDRI, he obtained his Ph.D. in bioengineering at the University of Utah and his B.S. in biological engineering at Utah State University.

Dr. Emily Voigt heads AAHI’s RNA vaccine development efforts, from early-stage preclinical development and testing through preparation for Phase I clinical trials. A trained vaccine immunologist, she serves as Key Scientist on a major NIH vaccine development contract targeting yellow fever and Zika viruses using AAHI's NLC-delivered RNA platform, with plans to enter Phase I clinical testing by 2023. Additionally, Dr. Voigt serves as principal investigator on a Department of Defense-funded grant to further enhance AAHI’s RNA vaccine platform with the use of genetic adjuvants, and contributes vaccine immunology expertise to AAHI’s adjuvant development efforts. Dr. Voigt was previously a Research Fellow in the Mayo Clinic’s Vaccine Research Group, where her research focused on studies of human immune responses to viral vaccines. She earned her Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison studying the interactions between replicating RNA viruses and the innate immune responses of the cells they infect.

Alana Gerhardt leads the Product Development and Characterization group at AAHI, developing thermostable vaccines for infectious diseases with a particular focus on lyophilized and spray dried formulations. In this role, Alana oversees the characterization of vaccine antigens and develops vaccine formulations to ensure that the vaccine product will remain stable from the time it’s manufactured until it’s administered to a patient. Working closely with AAHI’s Adjuvant Formulations, RNA Vaccines, and Manufacturing teams, Alana’s ultimate goal is to increase vaccine access and equity across the globe.

Alana received her B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University. A summer internship with a biotech company led her into the field, and she went on to graduate studies at the University of Colorado-Boulder, where she earned her Ph.D. in Chemical and Biological Engineering in the lab of Professor Ted Randolph. Alana’s graduate work investigated the effects of different stresses on the stability of therapeutic protein formulations and proposed ways to mitigate the negative effects of these stresses. After a two-year stint in Denmark working at a medical device company, Alana returned to the US and to formulation development when she joined IDRI in 2017.

Ms. Hawkins is a biopharmaceutical and medical device quality assurance professional with more than 25 years of experience in establishing and overseeing quality management systems to meet US FDA and EU regulatory requirements. Ms. Hawkins joined IDRI in 2010 as Director, Quality Assurance and Compliance and as part of the original GMP operations team. Previous experience includes Vice President of Quality and Regulatory, Vice President of Quality and Director of Quality Assurance for Dharma Therapeutics, Seattle, WA, 5 years; Quality Assurance Supervisor and Quality Assurance Engineer for Xcyte Therapies, Seattle, WA, 4 years; Quality Assurance Manager, Intracel Corporation, Issaquah, WA, 4 years; and Quality Assurance Manager, Molecular Probes, Eugene, OR, 3 years. Ms. Hawkins’ experience includes quality control and quality assurance for clinical and commercial regulated drug and medical device products, quality system design and management, and ISO 9000 certification. Ms. Hawkins’ education includes a Bachelor of Arts, Biochemistry, University of California, Berkeley, CA (1987); Biomedical Regulatory Affairs Certificate, University of Washington, Seattle, WA and educational courses in ISO 9000 lead auditing, , ISO 13485 implementation, medical device testing and design controls, US FDA and EU GMP regulations for drug and medical device products, and auditing.

Lisa McNeill joined AAHI in late 2007. With more than twenty-five years of assay development and quality control experience in pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies in the United States, she is the Director of Manufacturing at AAHI. Her primary responsibilities consist of leading her group of seven staff members in GMP lot release and stability testing of parenteral products, assay development, environmental monitoring and management of outsourced contract laboratory testing. Prior to joining AAHI, McNeill served as a Senior Scientist in Quality Control for Dharma Therapeutics, a manufacturer of iontophoretic transdermal patches, from 2005. She came to Dharma from Xcyte Therapies, a T Cell therapy company, where she managed the Assay Development group, working on test methods for characterization of T cells, antibodies and magnetic bead-captured antibodies. Previously, McNeill held a lab management position for almost ten years in Bill Harris’s developmental neurobiology laboratory at the University of California, San Diego, with a focus on Xenopus laevis retinal neuron pathfinding and targeting. McNeill received her BA in Animal Physiology from the Revelle College at the University of California, San Diego.

Lisa Bouchard brings over 25 years of analytical and quality control experience in the global biopharmaceutical industry. Prior to joining AAHI in 2011, Ms. Bouchard served as Senior Manager of Quality Control at Dharma Therapeutics and Xcyte Therapies from 2000 to 2011. Her lab roles include positions in Infectious Disease, Formulation/Drug Delivery and Quality Control at Bristol Myers Squibb and Immunology at the Biomembrane Institute, a subsidiary of Otsuka Pharmaceutical and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. She received a Bachelor of Science from the University of Washington. Ms. Bouchard’s experience encompasses quality control, quality assurance, analytical development and validations, and medical device testing. She currently directs an amazing team of six staff members in GMP lot release and stability testing of parenteral products, assay development, environmental monitoring and management of outsourced contract laboratory testing.

Patrick Soon-Shiong, MD, is a surgeon, scientist, inventor, and philanthropist with over 500 issued worldwide patents and 100 scientific publications. He serves as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NantWorks, an ecosystem of companies with developments in a wide variety of complex industries, from medical science to biomaterials, from data transport to AI and from communications to mobility. In 2001, Dr. Soon-Shiong founded American Pharmaceutical Partners (APP), which produced over 300 million vials of injectable products annually for cancer, infectious disease, and critical care. In 2005, the FDA approved his invention Abraxane, the nation’s first protein nanoparticle chemotherapy for breast, lung, and pancreatic cancer. Abraxane has achieved over a billion dollars in annual global sales and has been placed in the medical history collections at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.

In 2011 Dr. Soon- Shiong founded NantWorks to establish an organization addressing health care, clean energy and communication. Under this umbrella, he serves as Executive Chairman of ImmunityBio, Inc., a leading biotechnology company focusing on first in class vaccines, cytokines and natural killer and T cell therapy for cancer and infectious diseases; Chairman and CEO of NantHealth, a Nasdaq listed healthcare company converging biomolecular medicine and bioinformatics with deep learning AI to empower physicians, patients, payers, and pharma to deliver the right care at the right time; Chairman of NantG Power, a privately-held Graphene-based lithium battery company; Chairman of Calcean and NantBioPlastics accelerating the worldwide transformation to renewable biomaterials and developing industrial-scale methods of bioplastics manufacturing; and Owner and Executive Chairman of California Times, publisher of two of the state’s largest newspapers, the Los Angeles Times and The San Diego Union-Tribune.

Dr. Soon-Shiong is also Chairman of the Chan Soon-Shiong Family Foundation and of the Chan Soon-Shiong Institute of Molecular Medicine, a nonprofit medical research organization and minority owner of the Lakers. In 2021, Dr. Soon-Shiong established NantAfrica, Nant South Africa (NantSA), and Nant Botswana (NantBW) to establish a coalition of organizations for the acceleration of advance health in Africa with the goal of manufacturing a billion doses of vaccines in South Africa by 2025. In 2022, he supported the launch of the non-profit organization, Access to Advanced Health Institute, AAHI, to continue the ground breaking research of the former IDRI institute. Born and raised during apartheid in South Africa, Dr. Soon-Shiong has lived in Los Angeles since 1980 and is a citizen of the United States.

Professor David Kerr is a British cancer researcher working in the University of Oxford, whose primary area of focus is treatment and management of colorectal cancer. An established expert in cancer who has spent years working in Sub-Saharan Africa, Dr. Kerr organized the first African Cancer Reform convention attended by 27 African Health ministries in London (2007), and subsequently led AfrOx, a consortium of African Health Ministers formed to improve the delivery of cancer care in Sub Saharan Africa. He was appointed Commander of the British Empire by HM the Queen and was elected President of the European Society of Medical Oncology in 2010. He has served as health adviser to two British Prime Ministers and has supported National Cancer planning in the UK, Ghana, Nigeria and Iraq.

Dr. Mocarski has contributed significantly to the fields of virology, immunology and inflammation, and is recognized as a world expert in herpesviruses, having edited Human Herpesviruses, authored the Cytomegaloviruses in the Encyclopedia of Virology through two editions and Fields Virology through five editions. At Stanford University (1983-2006), he served as Chair of Microbiology & Immunology and Associate Dean of Research, and is currently Emeritus Professor. He was a Distinguished Fellow at MedImmune, LLC, a division of AstraZeneca in 2009 and 2010, where he directed new pipeline vaccine research. At Emory University, his research over the last decade has focused on the infected cell response to infection, mainly the contribution of regulated cell death pathways to host defense.

Edward has over 20+ years in finance, international development and strategy roles. Edward recently joined PwC’s Environment, Social and Governance (“ESG”) Strategic Consulting team, where his role is to advise companies on integrating ESG into their operations and enhance their impact. Prior to joining PwC, Edward spent 15+ years at the World Bank Group in senior management and investment roles. His roles included Chief of Staff, President of the World Bank Group, where he supported President Jim Yong Kim on executing initiatives such as the Pandemic Emergency Facility. As Senior Advisor to the President, he also led strategic initiatives in the area of new technology-driven scalable business opportunities that achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and enhance ESG performance by private sector clients.

His role included devising and implementing strategies, leading thought leadership projects, managing client relationships with global technology firms and working with governments and Bank teams to adopt technologies to improve environmental, social, and economic performance. He also supported President Bob Zoellick as an Assistant to the President. As Principal Investment Officer at the International Finance Corporation (private sector arm of the World Bank Group), Edward also led investments in healthcare, education and agribusiness companies in developing countries including South Africa, Brazil, India and Vietnam. Prior to joining the World Bank Group, Edward worked in JP Morgan’s Global Health Investment Banking and Banca Commerciale Italiana’s Leveraged Finance teams. Edward holds an MBA from Columbia University, an MPA from Princeton University, and a BA from Yale University.

An NRF A1 rated scientist, CEO and President of the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), Professor Glenda Gray is a qualified pediatrician and co-founder of the internationally recognized Perinatal HIV Research Unit in Soweto, South Africa. Prior to her appointment at the SAMRC, she was the Executive Director of the Perinatal HIV Research Unit, an affiliate of Wits University. Glenda’s global profile includes a role as Co-PI of the HIV Vaccine Trials Network (HVTN), a transnational collaboration for the development of HIV/AIDS prevention vaccines. She is also Director of International Programs for HVTN and Chairperson of the Board of the Global Alliance for Chronic Diseases, and a member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, USA. She received South Africa’s highest honor - the Order of Mapungubwe - for her pioneering research in PMTCT. Other prestigious accolades include the Nelson Mandela Health and Human Rights Award for significant contributions in the field of mother-to-child transmission of HIV. Selected as one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People in the World, Glenda is a recognized leader in her field. Her qualifications include an MBBCH, FCPaeds (SA), DSc (honoris causa SFU), DSc (honoris causa SUN), LL.D (Rhodes).

Dr. Raoul S. Concepcion is the Chief Science Officer of U.S. Urology Partners and a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Urology at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville TN Dr. Concepcion’s research has been focused on advanced prostate cancer, biomarker development and developing a model to incorporate genomic testing in urology practices. He is developing a precision medicine comprehensive prostate cancer program for U.S. Urology Partners and affiliated groups, focused on genomic testing, pathway development, data aggregation and clinical trial work.