The ITF Therapeutics team includes experts in all areas of rare disease product development and commercialization who share a passion to make a positive difference for people living with rare diseases.
Matt Trudeau has dedicated his career to bringing innovative life-changing therapies to patients in need around the world. He has more than 25 years of experience leading the development and execution of commercialization strategies for biotechnology products in a range of therapeutic areas including rare diseases, oncology, and neurology. Matt has made his impact by leading mission-focused teams at Genzyme, Biogen, and bluebird bio. He earned his BA in biochemistry at Colby College and his MS in molecular biology at Northeastern University.
Scott Baver has more than two decades of experience in neurosciences and neurology. Scott has a passion for building and executing medical affairs strategies to support clinical development and product commercialization in therapeutic areas including neurology, nephrology, and hematology. Prior to joining ITF Therapeutics, Scott held senior roles at several leading life sciences companies where he developed high-impact medical affairs and communications initiatives, supported strategic planning related to clinical development and commercialization, and collaborated with cross-functional teams dedicated to pioneering innovative therapeutic solutions for people with unmet medical needs. He earned his BS and MS in neuroscience and behavior at University of Massachusetts Amherst and his PhD in biomedical sciences/molecular cellular and integrative neurosciences at Colorado State University, and was a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.
Dan O'Connell is a sales and commercial leader with broad global biopharma experience in specialty and rare disease markets. He has developed and executed brand strategies supporting US and international product launches. He held positions of increasing responsibility at Biogen most recently serving as senior director, global MS franchise lead where he led global franchise marketing and long-range commercial disease strategy. Prior to that role he served as the global commercial strategy lead for TYSABRI® and TECFIDERA®. He built and led the East Region field sales team for the launch of SPINRAZA® for the treatment of Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA). Prior to Biogen he was at Genzyme where he launched KYNAMRO® to treat Homozygous Familial Hypercholesterolemia (HoFH), a rare genetic lipid disorder. He began his career at Pfizer starting in sales roles before moving to the primary care marketing group. He earned his BS in business administration from University of Rhode Island and his MBA from Boston College Carroll School of Management.
Caroline Allen is a seasoned biotechnology industry leader with extensive experience in global and regional marketing, patient advocacy, and communications. She has coordinated multiple product development and launch initiatives from strategic planning through execution in the rare/orphan disease space and has a longstanding commitment to ensuring that the patient voice is heard and reflected in all phases of clinical research and product commercialization. She has led the development of effective patient access and support strategies at multiple leading life sciences companies including Apellis Pharmaceuticals, bluebird bio, Biogen, and Shire HGT. Caroline served on the board of directors of the National MPS Society. She earned her BA degree from Hamilton College.
Melinda Keegan is a certified coach, leadership expert, and human resources leader who has worked extensively in the life sciences sector, supporting companies in all phases of development from preclinical to commercial operations. She previously served as head of HR for Relief Therapeutics and as an independent HR consultant where she developed and executed impactful programs and strategies for small and mid-sized companies focusing on organizational development, change management, full life cycle talent management and building teams. She earned her BS in health policy and liberal arts from Providence College and her master’s in human resources and organizational development from Suffolk University.
Stephanie Trafton is a market access and product commercialization expert with extensive experience developing and executing innovative and effective access and reimbursement strategies. She has led teams across functional areas including market access strategy, distribution, patient services, national and regional accounts, and government pricing. Ms. Trafton has worked in the Access field for more than two decades and has launched therapies in multiple rare diseases as the Head of Access. Therapeutic areas that she has led launches and access teams include immunology, hepatology, and oncology. Some of the prior companies where she held leadership roles include Deciphera Pharmaceuticals, Biogen, and Genzyme. Ms. Trafton earned her BS at Bates College and her MBA at Boston College.
Christina Tumminello is a business operations leader with extensive experience developing and executing strategic plans designed to support patients, caregivers, clinicians and customers for companies in the life sciences, health technology and health services industries. Prior to joining ITF Therapeutics, she was a senior consultant at the management consulting firm Vynamic, where she led large-scale cross-functional projects in areas including product launch, operating model definition and design, and integrated business planning. She also held positions of increasing responsibility at the electronic health record company Epic, where she managed client relationships across the implementation lifecycle to continually ensure operational readiness and mitigate risks in high-profile technology transformation projects. She is a strong professional development advocate, supporting coaching and hands-on training for cross-functional teams to help individuals reach their next phase of career growth. She earned her BA in political science from Boston College.
Tony Chambers is a seasoned industry professional with deep global experience leading all functions within commercial organizations. He has successfully built multiple commercial teams from scratch in therapeutic areas including rare diseases, oncology, nephrology, infectious diseases and orthopedics. During his career, he has held positions of increasing responsibility at leading life sciences companies including Genzyme, Cubist, and Keryx. Drawing on this extensive experience, he went on to found NuVida Consulting, a boutique firm focused on driving strategic growth and optimizing commercial strategies for a broad range of clients. Early in his career he did foundational work as a physical therapist, building a strong focus on therapeutic approaches to improve wellness and quality of life for patients. He earned his B.S. from the University of Connecticut.
Francesco De Santis was born in 1956 in Milan and obtained a pharmacy degree from the University of Milan in 1981. With over 40 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry, he is currently the Chairman of Italfarmaco S.p.A.
Francesco De Santis started his career at Italfarmaco in 1981 at the age of 25. Throughout his journey within the company, he has held significant positions, including General Manager, Director, Chairman of Italfarmaco S.p.A., and Chairman of Italfarmaco Holding S.p.A. In each of these roles, he played a key role in the internationalization process and the establishment of all Group companies.
Additionally, from 2012 to 2019 he was a Member of the Technical Research and Innovation Committee of Confindustria and served as Vice President of Farmindustria from 2011 to 2019.
Today he is a Member of the Presidential Committee of Farmindustria and, since 2020, he holds the position of Vice President of Confindustria for Research & Development.
Carlos Barallobre holds a degree in Business Administration from ICADE University in Madrid and an MBA from INSEAD in Fontainebleau. He has more than 30 years of diverse experience in pharmaceuticals and private equity.
Carlos began his professional career in 1993 as a Business Analyst at Mercapital (currently Alantra Private Equity). During his 20 years at the firm he held various positions and was promoted to Managing Partner in 2012. Throughout his tenure in private equity Carlos executed numerous investment transactions, contributed to the fundraising of four investment vehicles and developed deep expertise in the healthcare industry.
In 2014, Carlos joined Italfarmaco, where he served in various roles, including Vice President of Latin America and Vice President of Strategic Planning. In 2016, he was appointed Group CEO. Working closely with Italfarmaco’s Board, Carlos led a strategic review process that resulted in a new organizational design and guided the accelerated expansion of the group into new countries and business segments in recent years.