Team

Prior to joining LifeSci Public Relations, Matt was a vice president at Russo Partners where he planned and oversaw numerous successful communications programs and supervised all corporate messaging and positioning activities. Before joining Russo Partners, Matt held an assistant professorship at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and a faculty position at the Montefiore Medical Center specializing in transplant anesthesiology. Matt also spent time as a biotechnology equities analyst for an independent research firm. Prior to his time as an analyst, Matt trained and taught at top institutions with many years of clinical experience practicing in multiple fields, including surgery and anesthesiology, as well as conducting research in immunology and oncology at the NIH and Mount Sinai. Matt holds a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences from Cornell University and received his medical degree from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. Matt has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications.

Maureen Franco is a healthcare marketing veteran with deep industry experience from her time on both the client and agency sides of the business. Prior to joining LifeSci Maureen was CEO of Cambridge BioMarketing, the leading communications agency in the rare disease space. Under her leadership the agency executed innovative commercial programs, transformed patient and healthcare provider communications and managed the global launch of over 10 orphan products. Prior to this she spent 12 years at Genzyme, now a Sanofi company, in the cardiorenal and rare disease divisions where she held a number of executive leadership roles in product marketing, commercial development, and global brand management. Maureen began her career in healthcare public relations and pharmaceutical advertising. Her work has been focused on the intersection of high science and strategic communications with the patient always in the center. She holds a bachelor of science degree in management and marketing from Boston College.

Drew Levinson is an Executive Vice President, Director of Media Relations at LifeSci Public Relations. Drew spent 25 years working in public relations and journalism providing clients with media strategy, crisis and reputation counsel.

Prior to joining LifeSci, Drew was a senior vice president at Hill+Knowlton Strategies where he worked closely with the firm’s global account teams helping them develop messages and story angles relevant to journalists and their audiences. He provided media strategy, crisis management and executive communications coaching to a full range of clients including biotechnology firms, pharmaceutical companies, medical groups and hospitals.

Drew spent more than two decades as a local and network television news correspondent. While at CBS News, he reported on major world stories including the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, five presidential elections and natural disasters. He covered hundreds of medical and health stories including the first self-contained mechanical heart implanted in the U.S., major breakthroughs in cancer and Parkinson’s research.

Drew is capable of leveraging his extensive media relationships to position clients with influential top tier television, print and online media outlets.

Drew graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a Bachelor of Arts in Peace, War and Defense.

Sara Zelkovic is an Associate Director at LifeSci Public Relations. Sara has experience planning and implementing public relations and media relations campaigns for global pharmaceutical and emerging life sciences companies, including Sanofi Genzyme, PTC Therapeutics, Novo Nordisk and Depomed.

Prior to joining LifeSci, Sara was an account supervisor at Berry & Company, a public relations firm focused on healthcare and life science communications. At Berry & Company, Sara provided strategic and executional support for communications programs for clients across a broad range of sectors, including oncology, medical devices, neurology, specialty pharmaceuticals and rare diseases. She also led numerous media relations campaigns targeting patient, clinician and investor audiences.

Prior to working at Berry & Company, Sara worked at healthcare agencies including Grey Healthcare Group and IOMEDIA.

Sara holds a bachelor’s degree in communications and media studies from Fordham University.

Andrew Mielach is an Associate Director at LifeSci Public Relations and has more than 10 years of life sciences communications experience, specializing in providing strategic counsel for companies at various stages of development.

Prior to LifeSci, Andrew was a managing supervisor for JFK Communications, where he served as an account co-lead helping to drive physician, patient and disease awareness campaigns for multiple clients primarily in the oncology space. Before JFK, Andrew was a vice president with Ruder Finn, Inc., and worked to execute public relations initiatives for Novartis Oncology’s neuroendocrine tumor (NET) franchise and UCB Pharma’s neurology products.

Prior to Ruder Finn, Andrew was a vice president at Tiberend Strategic Advisors, Inc., an investor relations and corporate communications firm where he counseled healthcare clients on message development, corporate positioning, content development, milestone planning and media relations. As a lead on Tiberend’s media relations team, Andrew has secured coverage in a variety of highly-influential business, industry and consumer media. Andrew was also an account executive at Rx Mosaic Health and worked on product visibility campaigns for Sepracor and Teva Neuroscience.

Andrew received his bachelor’s degree in Communications from Seton Hall University.

Alison Chen is an account supervisor at LifeSci Public Relations. She is an experienced healthcare communications professional who has worked across public relations, investor relations and corporate strategy to help life science clients solve complex communications challenges.

Prior to joining LifeSci Public Relations, Alison was a senior account executive at LaVoieHealthScience (LHS), an integrated communications agency focused on the health and life science industry. At LHS, she developed relationships with key industry journalists and managed comprehensive communication activities for her clients in various areas including immuno-oncology, CNS, rare genetic diseases, orthopedics, and digital health solutions. Prior to working at LHS, Alison worked at global PR agencies including SHIFT Communications and Fleishman-Hillard.

Alison holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism and a master’s degree in public relations. She is bilingual in English and Chinese.

Todd Davenport is an Account Supervisor at LifeSci Public Relations. Prior to joining LifeSci, Todd was a senior account executive at Russo Partners where he developed and implemented strategic communication programs for biotechnology, pharmaceutical and medical device companies. Previously, Todd was a sell-side biotechnology associate analyst at Bear Sterns. Prior to Bear, Todd was a science consultant to product liability attorneys at Chadbourne and Parke. Todd was also an adjunct professor of biology at St. Petersburg College. Todd earned his Ph.D. in Genetics and Development from Columbia University and a bachelor’s degree in biology from Rollins College.

Josephine Belluardo is an Senior Account Executive at LifeSci Public Relations. Prior to joining LifeSci, Jo received her Ph.D. in neuroscience from Weill Cornell Medicine. While at Weill Cornell, Jo performed academic research in a lab at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center where she gained expertise in many fields, including neuroscience, gastroenterology, developmental biology, and genetics. She also worked in the Cornell Center for Technology Licensing where she determined the patentability of inventions and tracked current trends in all areas of the life sciences. Jo had previously conducted neuroscience research in labs at Princeton University and Rutgers University. She received her bachelor’s degree in neuroscience from Colgate University.

Dr. Cherilyn Cecchini is an Account Supervisor at LifeSci Public Relations. Prior to joining LifeSci, Dr. Cecchini completed residency training in pediatrics at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, DC. Her research focus was end-of-life care communications. Prior to residency, Dr. Cecchini obtained her medical degree from Sidney Kimmel Medical College (formerly Jefferson Medical College) in Philadelphia, Pa. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Biology from The Pennsylvania State University.

Darren Opland is an account executive at LifeSci Public Relations with over 15 years of experience in biomedical research. Immediately prior to joining LifeSci, Darren worked in the Psychiatry Department at Yale University where he utilized a variety of techniques ranging from cell and molecular studies to behavioral testing to investigate the neural encoding of reward and aversion. These studies have direct application to models of eating disorders and depression. Over the years he has also studied obesity, other psychiatric illnesses and vascular complications in diabetes and has collaborated extensively with both domestic and international researchers. Darren holds a Bachelor’s degree in Neurobiology from Cornell University and a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the University of Michigan.

Cait Williamson is an account executive at LifeSci Public Relations. Prior to joining LifeSci, Cait received her Ph.D. in behavioral neuroscience from Columbia University, where her research focused on the neurobiological and neuroendocrine mechanisms regulating group social behavior. Through this work, she gained advanced expertise in genomics, epigenetics, social network analytics and disorders of social behavior. Prior to beginning her Ph.D., she worked in the Department of Psychiatry at Columbia University investigating novel treatments for the negative symptoms of schizophrenia. She received her bachelor’s degree in neuroscience and behavior from Columbia University.

Amy Jobe is an account executive at LifeSci Public Relations. Prior to joining LifeSci, she completed a Ph.D. in biological sciences as well as a postdoctoral fellowship at Columbia University in a Nobel Prize winning laboratory. Her work employed electron microscopy to study the detailed three-dimensional structure of the ribosome, the cellular machine that makes proteins in all forms of life. Combined with pre-doctoral research experience, Amy is knowledgeable in the areas of structural biology, biochemistry, genetics, and epigenetics. Amy also spent time as an instructor in Columbia’s Summer Health Professions Education Program. She earned her bachelor’s degree in biological sciences from Cornell University.

Kirsten Frazer is an account executive at LifeSci Public Relations. Prior to joining LifeSci, she completed a Ph.D. in behavioral sciences from Columbia University, where she focused on the effects of psychoactive drugs on the brain and behavior and gained expertise in neuropsychopharmacology, neuropsychology and cognitive psychology. Prior to completing her Ph.D., Kirsten worked in the Department of Psychiatry at Columbia University investigating novel treatments for cocaine and opioid dependence. She received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Connecticut College.

Mónica Rouco Molina is an account executive at LifeSci Public Relations. She has more than a decade of science research and communication experience, having worked at research institutions in the U.S., England, and Spain. Before joining LifeSci Public Relations, Mónica was the assistant director of the K=1 Project at Columbia University, where she acted as liaison to communicate scientific results and programmatic ideas while overseeing establishment of scientific and financial partnerships. Prior to that, Mónica held a lecturer position at Columbia University and completed two postdoctoral positions at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and Columbia University, where her research focused on the field of microbiology and genomics. Monica has authored nearly 30 peer-reviewed publications. Throughout her years in academic research, Mónica worked passionately on the translation of sophisticated science to diverse audiences, developing numerous science outreach programs. Mónica earned her Ph.D. at University Complutense of Madrid, Spain, and holds a bachelor’s degree in veterinary medicine from the same university.

Mike Tattory is an Account Executive at LifeSci Public Relations. Prior to joining LifeSci, Mike was an account coordinator at ETHOS Health Communications where he worked in medical marketing. There, he supported advisory boards, competitive readiness, medical congress efforts and KOL engagement while working alongside clients such as Novartis’s neuroscience brand team. Mike graduated from Villanova University with a bachelor of science degree in biology.

Kristin DeMauro is an Account Executive at LifeSci Public Relations. Prior to joining LifeSci, Kristin worked at Cohn & Wolfe and Ruder Finn where she handled large pharmaceutical and biotech brands focusing on unbranded disease and treatment awareness campaigns in support of Alkermes’ VIVITROL, AstraZeneca’s FARXIGA, and Alcon’s LenSx Laser. Kristin graduated from Quinnipiac University with a bachelor’s degree in public relations.