Bios
Andrew Whiteley
TREASURER
Andrew Whiteley is VP of Business Development & Technology Transfer at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL), the globally renowned NCI-designated cancer center. He leads the technology transfer team that supports all scientists in commercialization activities, including licensing, company start-ups, and corporate partnerships and collaborations on projects seeking novel treatments for PDAC and Triple-Negative Breast Cancer.
Andrew has served as the advocate member of the Pancreatic Cancer Taskforce of the NCI Gastrointestinal Steering Committee, which oversees the review and approval of new clinical trials. Before working with CSHL, Andrew was the Director of scientific and medical programs at the Lustgarten Foundation for Pancreatic Research.
While at the Lustgarten, he was responsible for creating and developing the Research Investigator and Clinical Translational Research programs funded by Lustgarten. He was also part of the conception team that developed the Pancreatic Cancer Collective in partnership with Stand Up to Cancer.
Before he joined CSHL, Andrew had over 30 years of experience in the life science industry, working globally in the Research, Drug Development, and Clinical Services markets. Andrew received his BSc degree (with Honors) in Chemistry and Biochemistry from the University of Nottingham, UK.
Dr. Melis Inan
SECRETARY
Dr. Melis Inan’s passion for science and education has shaped a dynamic career at the intersection of research, communication, and patient advocacy. She earned her PhD in developmental neuroscience from Baylor College of Medicine and Yale University School of Medicine before advancing her training as a postdoctoral researcher at Weill Cornell Medical College.
Throughout her academic journey, Dr. Inan led national and international collaborations to unravel the complexities of brain development, synaptic plasticity, and the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying mental illness.
Transitioning from scientific research to medical communications, she now applies her expertise as a medical copywriter and strategist, translating complex medical advancements into accessible, meaningful information.
With a strong foundation in scientific research and healthcare communications, Dr. Inan dedicates herself to empowering patients and their loved ones through clear, insightful education. Her work bridges the gap between groundbreaking discoveries and the people who need them most.
Dr. Tuomas Tammela
SCientific board
Dr. Tammela received his M.D. and Ph.D. from the University of Helsinki, Finland, where he worked in the laboratory of Dr. Kari Alitalo, studying molecular mechanisms that control blood and lymphatic vessel growth. He then moved to MIT for postdoctoral training with Dr. Tyler Jacks, where he studied cellular heterogeneity in cancer and identified cancer-derived niches as drivers of stem-like cells in lung cancer.
In 2017, Dr. Tammela joined the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center faculty and is currently an Associate Member in the Cancer Biology & Genetics Program at the Sloan Kettering Institute.
The Tammela Lab studies phenotypic heterogeneity of cancer cells within tumors using genetically engineered mouse models, single cell approaches, tracing and ablation of distinct tumor cell lineages, CRISPR-mediated gene regulation, and advanced imaging techniques.
These efforts aim to discover pathways that drive distinct cellular phenotypes and develop new therapeutic concepts to reduce cellular heterogeneity in pancreatic and lung cancers. Emerging efforts in the Tammela laboratory focus on how aging and other changes in organismal physiology impact cancer evolution and tissue regenerative capacity.
Dr. Tammela holds scholarships from the American Cancer Society, the Josie Robertson Foundation, the Rita Allen Foundation, and the V Foundation. He is a recipient of a Mark Foundation Emerging Leader Award, an NIH-NCI R37 MERIT Award, an AACR Next Generation Transformative Research Award, and the Werner Risau Prize.
Dr. Thales Papagiannakopoulos
SCIENTIFIC BOARD
Thales Papagiannakopoulos obtained his Ph.D. in Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology in Dr. Ken Kosik’s lab at UC Santa Barbara (2005-2010). His research focused on uncovering the role of microRNAs in regulating embryonic stem cell pluripotency and cancer. In 2010, he started his postdoctoral studies in Dr. Tyler Jacks’ laboratory at MIT where he studied the molecular mechanisms that contribute to cancer at an organismal level, using autochthonous mouse models of cancer. He pioneered the use of novel CRISPR/Cas9-based genome engineering in pre-clinical lung cancer mouse models.
Thales joined NYU School of Medicine in 2015 as faculty in the Department of Pathology and has since been promoted to associate Professor and is also the Director of the Molecular Oncology and Tumor Immunology Program. Using both mouse and human pre-clinical models, his lab has developed a platform to rapidly characterize the function of clinically relevant lung cancer mutations, elucidate their mechanism of action and identify novel targeted therapies against complex genetic subtypes of lung cancer. Thales’ group has made significant progress in characterizing and identifying novel therapies against the most aggressive genetic subsets of lung cancer with KEAP1 and LKB1 mutations. These findings are of great importance given that patients with these mutations have the worst prognosis of all lung cancer patients and do not respond to standard of care. Finally, his group is investigating how the major genetic subsets of lung cancer differentially impact systemic physiology.
Gina M. Piazza
Board of directors
Gina M. Piazza is a partner at Tarter Krinsky & Drogan and legal advisor to the Valsecchi Foundation. Gina is a skilled advisor and a valuable resource to clients with broad experience representing global companies, start-ups, and private individuals across various industries.
As a trusted business advisor, Gina provides professional advice on many aspects of her clients’ businesses, helping Italian companies and their subsidiaries navigate the intricacies of conducting business in the United States. Due to her in-depth familiarity with her clients’ respective businesses and working styles, Gina is extremely sensitive to her clients’ needs and desires and can seamlessly tailor her legal advice and guidance accordingly.
Gina has represented clients in various industries, including luxury goods, public relations, food and beverage, e-commerce, logistics services and technology, real estate and construction, and industrial machinery.
She collaborated with Giuliano Iannaccone and Luigi Perin on the employment chapter of their book Stati Uniti d'America: Diritto e Fiscalità d'Impresa (United States of America: Business Law and Taxation), IPSOA/WoltersKluwer, 2019. She has also co-authored articles for leading retail industry publications.
Gina graduated from cum laude from St. Francis College with a degree in business management and received her law degree from New York Law School (summa cum laude). She holds bar admissions in New York and received the Super Lawyers “Rising Star” award from 2014-2016.
Carolina Spera, CPA
BOARD oF Directors
Carolina is a Principal and the Italian Practice Leader at Grassi and brings almost ten years of international tax and accounting experience to the firm. Carolina primarily works with clients within architecture, fashion, technology, manufacturing & distribution industries, and utilizes her expertise both in general accounting matters in the United States and tax law in Italy.
Carolina most recently wrote an article titled “A New Ruling by the Court of Justice of the European Union on the use of Cross-Border Corporate Losses” which was published in the Italian Tax Journal called “Dirittoe Pratica Tributaria Internazionale”. Carolina actively participates in conferences and webinars on accounting and taxation and has been a panelist at various seminars in Italy.
Prior to joining Grassi, Carolina worked in New York at a local US/Italian CPA firm, where she was responsible for servicing many of the firm’s Italian clients. Carolina is fluent in Italian, French, and English, and holds the Dottore Commercialista ed Esperto Contabile certification (Italy). Carolina is also a member of Ordine dei Dottori Commercialisti ed Esperti Contabili di Bologna (CPA Order of Bologna).
Carolina earned her Master’s in Economics and Law from Alma Mater Studiorum - Universita’ di Bologna. Carolina was recognized among the 2023 Notable Leaders in Accounting, Tax & Audit by Crain’s New York Business.
Dr. Federica Valsecchi
PRESIDENT
Federica Valsecchi is a distinguished life sciences manager and nonprofit leader with over a decade of experience driving innovation in oncology, neuroscience, and healthcare research.
She is the founder of Fondazione Nadia Valsecchi, an Italy-based nonprofit dedicated to pancreatic cancer awareness, research, and patient care. Under her leadership, the foundation has successfully secured funding to support groundbreaking research projects, develop awareness campaigns, and implement effective advocacy strategies.
Federica co-founded the Italian Pancreatic Cancer Community, a platform that connects laboratories across Italy to enhance collaboration in pancreatic cancer research. For 10 years, she led the foundation’s marketing efforts, significantly expanding its reach and impact. Additionally, she has served on the Steering Committee of the World Pancreatic Cancer Coalition for the past seven years.
Previously, Federica held research roles at Weill Cornell Medicine, contributing to several peer-reviewed publications and advancing knowledge in mitochondrial diseases and ALS. She holds a PhD in Cell Biology and an MBA in Healthcare Administration.
Dr. Rosa Sottile
Scientific BOARD
Rosa Sottile is a cancer immunologist with over 14 years of experience studying how the immune system interacts with cancer. She earned her PhD in Oncology and Immunology from the University of Catanzaro in Italy, spending two years of her doctoral training at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, and has led innovative research in both Europe and the United States. Rosa then trained at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, where she focused on T-cell and natural killer (NK) cell biology, and later continued her work at Humanitas Research Hospital in Milan.
Her research has been published in leading scientific journals, including Nature Immunology and Science Immunology, with discoveries that reveal how immune pathways influence tumor progression and how they can be leveraged for immunotherapy. Outside the lab, Rosa has contributed to translational oncology projects, working to connect fundamental discoveries with new treatments for patients.
She is dedicated to advancing cancer research through innovation, collaboration, and patient-centered science. As a member of the board, Rosa offers her scientific expertise and her strong commitment to creating opportunities that turn discoveries into real-worldbenefits for cancer patients and their families.