Resources

Measures of Success – Spring 2024 Members Meeting [March 12, 2024]

This session offers an interactive exploration of the multifaceted nature of success in the context of biomedical and health research funding. Recognizing that the definition of success is not one-size-fits-all, the session will delve into how various funders, ranging from disease-specific organizations to disease-agnostic entities and spanning the spectrum from private foundations to public charities, uniquely measure their achievements. For each definition of success comes a way to measure it and this session seeks to provide an interactive avenue for sharing and discussing tools and frameworks across the HRA membership.

Moderator

Kevin Sia, PhD
Program Officer | Doris Duke Foundation

Presenters

Kevin Sia, PhD
Program Officer | Doris Duke Foundation

As program officer for medical research at the Doris Duke Foundation, Kevin Sia manages and evaluates competitive grant programs and actively contributes scientific expertise and knowledge to build relationships with existing grantees.

Prior to joining the foundation in 2021, Kevin was a postdoctoral research fellow at the Sloan Kettering Institute of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. He has a research background in immunology and microbiology, particularly focused on vaccine immunity and antibiotic resistant pathogens.

Kevin earned a Doctor of Philosophy in immunology and molecular pathogenesis from Emory University, where he trained at the Emory Vaccine Center.

Mackenzie Mensch, MHA
Assistant Director of Grantee Engagement | V Foundation

MacKenzie Mensch is the Assistant Director of Grantee Engagement at the V Foundation for Cancer Research. She acts as a liaison between the organization and funded researchers for external engagement opportunities and assists with grants administration. MacKenzie also collaborates with the research team to convey the impact and outcome data of awarded grants. She holds a Master’s degree in Healthcare Administration from the University of North Carolina, Wilmington, and a Bachelor of Arts in Public Policy and Communication from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

Mark Drew, PhD
Director of Drug Discovery & Development | Critical Path Institute

Mark Drew, Ph.D. is the Director of Drug Discovery & Development at the Critical Path Institute’s (C-Path) Translational Therapeutics Accelerator (TRxA), a global drug discovery and development program focused on supporting academic scientists in defining optimal strategies for advancing new, cutting-edge therapeutics from the lab to patients.  Mark completed his doctorate degree in synthetic organic chemistry from the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology, UK. He completed postdoctoral research in Asymmetric Synthesis at Indiana University.  From 1999, he has been a medicinal chemist at Array BioPharma, Sanofi Pharmaceuticals and Icagen, Inc. working on discovery and optimization projects for oncology, inflammatory and rare disease indications. Mark is a USPTO licensed patent agent and holds a current Project Management Professional Certification.

Diane Bovenkamp, PhD
Vice President of Scientific Affairs | BrightFocus Foundation

Diane Bovenkamp, PhD, Vice President of Scientific Affairs, is the chief scientist at BrightFocus Foundation, overseeing global operations of the organization’s research programs. She serves as the scientific liaison in local, national, and international forums, and identifies and develops new research initiatives, partnerships, and funding policies consistent with the mission of BrightFocus.

Dr. Bovenkamp obtained her PhD in Biochemistry from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, discovering and studying Eph receptors in angiogenesis and neural development in zebrafish and mice. She completed a Postdoctoral Fellowship in the Vascular Biology Program at Boston Children’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School, isolating and characterizing zebrafish neuropilins. Dr. Bovenkamp conducted further research at the Johns Hopkins University Bayview Proteomics Center in the Division of Cardiology at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland, using proteomic techniques for biomarker detection in human serum.