This year, two leaders in pharmaceuticals and bioscience, respectively, have joined the Chemistry of Life Processes Institute’s Executive Advisory Board. The newest members of the board are Sheila Westmoreland, DPM, MPH, PMP, senior director, Gene Therapy, Sarepta Therapeutics, and Mark Lupa, PhD, founder and managing director of High Country Venture.

Sheila Westmoreland, DPM, MPH, PMP, Senior Director, Gene Therapy, Sarepta Therapeutics

Westmoreland has held global roles across multiple therapeutic areas of increasing responsibility in drug development at AbbVie, Pfizer, Sanofi Pasteur and Teva Pharmaceuticals.  She is currently Senior Director, Gene Therapy at Sarepta Therapeutics. Her past professional experiences span clinical development and R&D cross-functional program leadership.  She is a physician of Podiatric Medicine, holds a Master’s in Public Health, and an undergraduate degree from Northwestern University. Westmoreland also holds a Project Management Professional Certification and leadership training through the Kellogg School of Management Executive Program.

Lupa is currently founder and Managing Director of High Country Venture, a venture capital firm in Boulder, Colorado, and has served as founding member of the Board of Directors of Taligen Therapeutics, Mosaic Bioscience, Sinopsys Surgical, Surefire Medical, VetDC and Endoshape. Lupa conducted neuroscience research for fifteen years at institutions worldwide, including at the University of Colorado and UC San Francisco, before bringing together the founding team of Tabernash Brewing, an early craft brewery in Colorado.  Tabernash merged with Left Hand Brewing in 1998, and he remains on the board at Left Hand.  Lupa holds a B.S. from Northwestern University, an MPhil in Biomedical Engineering and a PhD in Pharmacology from Lund University, Sweden.

The Chemistry of Life Processes Institute Executive Advisory Board consists of seventeen biotech, investment and pharmaceutical industry leaders who bring multifaceted perspectives and experience to their board role. EAB members serve as ambassadors, advisers and benefactors in support of CLP’s ambitious research agenda and play a leading role in the advancement of CLP’s major scientific objectives and initiatives.

Mark Lupa, PhD, founder and managing director of High Country Venture

“I am delighted to welcome Sheila and Mark to the CLP Board,” says Thomas V. O’Halloran, faculty director of CLP. “We look forward to tapping their expertise as we continue our mission to create the next wave of scientific innovations that will have a lasting impact on human health and disease.

Chemistry of Life Processes Institute is Northwestern’s singular hub for biomedical discovery where scientists from many disciplines converge to accelerate new breakthroughs in human health and treatments for disease. Established in 2004, CLP houses four centers of research excellence and eight shared research platforms for drug discovery and development. Cutting edge facilities and PhD-level staff support investigators across the University and beyond. CLP faculty represent more than 20 university departments and three schools: Feinberg School of Medicine, McCormick School of Engineering and Weinberg School of Arts and Sciences. CLP’s rigorous training programs prepare the next generation of scientists to think, communicate and work across disciplines to find new cures, treatments and diagnostics for disease and tackle the most complex biomedical challenges of our time.

by Lisa La Vallee