Oversight Board
The Coulter Oversight Board selects projects for funding and helps steer the direction of the UVA- Wallace H. Coulter Center for Translational Research.
Oversight Board members provide advice and insight and share their extensive relationship of industry contacts. Thanks to their experience, they are perceptive critics of our teams' work, able to see the potential that might be hidden from less seasoned observers.
The insight and experience of the Oversight Board is critical both to the success of the program and the progress of the individual projects we fund.
Coulter Center Oversight Board
Insight from experts who understand the power of academic research
Ultimately, the future of the Wallace H. Coulter Center for Translational Research rests on the quality of our Oversight Board.
UVA's Wallace H. Coulter Center for Translational Research is extremely fortunate in having secured the active participation of a diverse group of outstanding individuals—senior scientists and clinicians, serial entrepreneurs, and industry leaders—who are deeply engaged in the Coulter process and are generous contributors of time, resources and expertise.
Nathan Price Ph.D.
Chief Scientific Officer of Thorne HealthTech
Dr. Nathan Price is the Chief Scientific Officer of Thorne HealthTech. He is co-author with Lee Hood of The Age of Scientific Wellness and has written articles for The Wall Street Journal, LA Times, and Scientific American. In 2019, he was named one of 10 Emerging Leaders in Health and Medicine by the National Academy of Medicine, and in 2021 he was appointed to the Board on Life Sciences of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
Bruce Littlefield, Ph.D.
Founder and Principal, Shagbark LLC
Biochemist with core expertise in cancer biology, oncology therapeutics, natural products and their use as starting points for drug discovery. Roles on both sides of academia-industry interface over 40+ year period. In industry, initiated and led pharmacology discovery efforts that led to development of marine sponge natural product-based Halaven® (eribulin mesylate), approved in the US, EU, Japan and many other countries worldwide for certain patients with advanced breast cancer, liposarcoma or soft tissue sarcoma.
Matt Link, Ph.D.
Healthcare Executive | Board Member | Venture Investor
Senior executive and business strategy leader with a track record of above-market revenue growth and margin expansion. Experienced global general manager with demonstrated leadership in all functional areas, including commercial, R&D, marketing, operations, strategy, and corporate development. Expertise in driving product and commercial market leadership, cross-functional collaboration, leading business transformation initiatives, and scaling inspired teams.
Sharon Presnell, Ph.D.
VP Life Sciences Product Development, LifeNet Health
Before LifeNet Health and Amnion Foundation, an organization dedicated to developing a national, public stem cell bank, Dr. Presnell was simultaneously president of Samara Sciences and CSO of Organovo Holdings.
Rich Chylla, M.B.A., Ph.D
Executive Director, UVA Licensing and Ventures Group (LVG)
Rich has extensive experience in licensing and technology commercialization in both academic and industry settings. He has amassed career accomplishments with top-tier organizations including the University of Michigan and BASF Corporation. He also has broad international experience having worked in various technical roles with Johnson Polymer in Singapore, Japan, and the Netherlands.
Kate Taylor, Ph.D.
Senior Global Innovation Program Manager, Boston Scientific
Dr. Taylor is the global innovation program manager at Boston Scientific, a leading developer and manufacturer of medical devices used in interventional medical specialties. Before coming to Boston Scientific, she worked for a variety of drug delivery and medical device companies including Medtronic.
Keren Ziv, Ph.D.
VP of operations and research, Corsalex
Dr. Ziv is the VP of operations and research at Corsalex, a company with a mission to identify, fund, and develop promising projects to treat C9-ALS/FTD. Among her previous roles, she was chief scientific officer at CytoMag, a microfluidic systems company, and a senior director at X37, an AI aided drug discovery company.
Patrick Norton, MD
University of Virginia Department of Radiology & Pediatrics
Dr. Patrick Norton is the Fellowship Director of Noninvasive Cardiovascular Imaging and Director of Advanced Visualization Laboratory. He started his higher education path with a bachelor’s of science in mechanical engineering. He eventually completed his residency and fellowship here at UVA, after which he joined our attending faculty. He’s currently a joint faculty member in the Department of Radiology and the Department of Pediatrics.
Jessica Dunne, P.hD.
US Medical, Autoimmune Diabetes Medical Director
Experienced Research Director with a demonstrated history of working in the non-profit sector. Strong research professional skilled in Translational Medicine, Molecular Biology, Biotechnology, and Cell Culture.
Wes Gilson, P.hD.
Director of Scientific Engagement, Research & Innovation at Siemens Healthineers
A doctoral graduate of UVA biomedical engineering, Wes has spent his professional career at Siemens developing new medical imaging innovations, leading R&D teams, driving research collaborations, establishing new business partnerships, launching new products, and using these new products to break into new markets. He currently leads efforts to build enterprise-level research & innovation partnerships between strategic customers and Siemens Healthineers.