Dr. Vassileva has decades of experience with managing complex multi-stakeholder biomedical research programs. She spent most of her career in the nonprofit sector, leading the Science Team at the Arthritis Foundation, and working at the Foundation for NIH and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. She was also on the leadership teams of two health research organizations, serving as project director on multiple government contracts. Her areas of expertise include musculoskeletal, metabolic, immunity and inflammation disorders, as well as patient engagement. She received her PhD in Biochemistry and Cell Biology from Johns Hopkins.

Dr. Jingyu (Julia) Luan is an Executive Regulatory Science Director in AstraZeneca, overseeing the global regulatory strategy and supporting the research, development and commercialization of CVRM products. She is a core member of CVRM Regulatory Leadership Team. Prior to AZ, she worked at FDA for 13 years and held positions with increasing responsibilities, including Statistical Reviewer, Team Leader, and Acting Deputy Division Director. She had extensive experience in multiple therapeutic areas for both new and generic drugs. In addition, she was a research faculty member at Johns Hopkins University and a statistical consultant at the University of Kentucky. Dr. Luan is President of Chinese Biopharmaceutical Association 2023-2024.

Alissa Goodale is an Executive Director, Regulatory Portfolio Strategy Lead at Genentech, overseeing both oncology and non-oncology Therapeutic Areas. She received her Medical Degree from Southampton University in 1993. After a short time in medical practice, Alissa transitioned to the pharmaceutical industry, where she has since accumulated nearly 30 years of experience in various Regulatory Affairs roles and therapeutic areas. Previously, she served as Digital Health Lead and Global Regulatory Franchise Head, managing a diverse portfolio of oncology projects. Her work included solid tumors, with a focus on breast and gynecological cancers, as well as hematological malignancies, spanning all stages of development and global regions.

Brad Jordan is the Associate Vice President of Regulatory Policy and Strategy at Eli Lilly, where he is responsible for the regulatory policy strategy for Lilly’s cardiometabolic and immunology therapeutic areas.

Fady Tanios is a Medical Affairs executive with over 21 years of experience in medicine development, disease landscape shaping, and global strategic initiatives in market access and healthcare systems. Fady's expertise spans cardiovascular, metabolic, obesity, MASH, urological, and women's health. He has led both US and global medical affairs teams, driving assets lifecycle plans and successful launches. His academic journey includes a B.Sc. from the American University of Beirut, an M.Sc. from SUNY Buffalo, a Ph.D. from McGill University, and post-doctoral research at Harvard. Fady has held leadership roles at Pfizer and Boehringer-Ingelheim, enhancing engagement and strategic coordination. He has over 40 peer-reviewed publications.

Juliana Oliveira is Executive Director – Global Development Lead – Endocrinology/Obesity at Amgen. Her previous roles include Head of US Medical at Vifor Pharma, VP of Clinical Development at Viking Therapeutics, VP Global Project Head CV Metabolism at Sanofi, Senior Medical Director at Takeda, and various positions at Lilly including Emerging Markets Medical Leader in Endocrine. Juliana's extensive experience underscores her leadership and expertise, making her a valuable asset to Amgen. Juliana received her medical degree from the Federal University of Juiz de Fora and a PhD in Endocrinology from the Federal University of Sao Paulo, partnering research with the University of Milan. She joined Amgen in August 2024.

Charu Gandotra, MD, MS, FACC, FASE currently serves as Lead Physician in the Division of Cardiology and Nephrology, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In addition, Dr. Gandotra serves as Clinical Faculty and Associate Professor in the Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, Howard University. She completed her MD from Dayanand Medical College & Hospital, India, internal medicine residency and general cardiology fellowship at Howard University Hospital, Washington DC. She completed Masters in Clinical and Translational Research at Georgetown-Howard Universities Center for Clinical and Translational Science. She joined FDA in 2018.

Aliza Thompson is Director of the Division of Cardiology and Nephrology, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research at the FDA. Dr. Thompson joined the FDA in 2007. Prior to her current position, Dr. Thompson served as Deputy Director of the Division. Dr. Thompson received her medical degree from Johns Hopkins Medical School and completed her Internal Medicine and Nephrology training at Columbia University/New York-Presbyterian Hospital. She holds a Master of Science in Biostatistics/Patient Oriented Research Track from Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health.

Jeffrey Siegel is the Director of the Office of Drug Evaluation Sciences (ODES) in the Office of New Drugs (OND), CDER, FDA. ODES oversees Clinical Outcome Assessments, Biomarker Qualification, Research and Bioinformatics in OND. Dr Siegel has over 20 years of experience in research, regulatory, and clinical drug development. Jeff received his B.A. from Columbia University and M.D. from Yale University. Following his training in internal medicine and basic science research, he served at FDA from 1996-2010 as a medical officer and then Medical Team Leader. In 2010, he left FDA for industry and worked at Genentech/Roche and subsequently at Gilead Sciences before rejoining FDA in February, 2021.

Dr. Sylvia Gonsahn-Bollie, M.D., DABOM, FOMA, is a dual board-certified Obesity and Internal Medicine physician, Executive Director and Clinical Research Physician at Eli Lilly, and founder of Embrace You Weight & Wellness. A passionate advocate for personalized clinical care and health equity, she bridges clinical research and real-world care, particularly for women and Black communities. With over a decade of clinical experience and a personal experience with obesity, she brings a unique lens to obesity drug development—merging innovation, cultural competence, and patient empowerment to advance equitable, evidence-based, personalized care.