Life Sciences and Healthcare Advisory Board

Our Life Science and Healthcare Advisory Board are a dedicated team of experts and professionals committed to advancing the fields of life sciences and healthcare. Their mission is to provide strategic guidance, innovative solutions, and actionable insights to address the complex challenges faced by Life Science and Healthcare organizations today. Leveraging their deep industry knowledge and extensive experience, their aim is to drive growth, enhance performance, and create sustainable value for our clients. Join us as we strive to shape the future of life sciences and healthcare, making a meaningful impact on patients’ lives worldwide.

Brian Trautz

Brian is a pharmaceutical information technology executive with broad expertise and leadership in systems strategy, development, and implementation. The breadth of his IT expertise combined with his strong pharmaceutical business acumen spans many functions including sales operations, marketing, contract management, call centers, manufacturing quality, regulatory affairs, and clinical safety. He also has expertise in IT risk management and cybersecurity.

Brian's career spans more than 3 decades and he recently retired from Merck & Co., Inc. where he was the Business Information Risk Officer partnering with the commercial, research, and manufacturing divisions. Prior to Merck, Brian was an IT consultant for PwC and CSC Consulting. Brian is a graduate of Penn State University with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and minor in Mathematics.

Dheeraj Batra

Dheeraj is a senior strategy executive and serial entrepreneur with extensive global experience and expertise in launching new ventures and innovative products and services in fast-paced, emerging markets. He has launched multiple independent and captive ventures, serving as senior advisor to several companies, helping them tackle their toughest problems. Dheeraj is the Founder / CEO of Propel Labs, which helps organizations drive growth and impact through innovation.

He was a Partner at EY, the Head of Business Design at IDEO, and a Venture Director at Innosight Ventures, founded by the late Professor Clayton Christensen of the Harvard Business School. He founded and sold a consulting firm to EY in 2017 as well as an award-winning digital financial services firm called Arogya Finance. He serves on the Innovation Advisory Board at J&J and mentors several companies. Dheeraj holds an MBA from The Wharton School of Business and a Bachelor of Science in Finance and Computer Science from the University of Maryland.

Rob Steere

Rob is a highly decorated pharmaceutical and technology executive with broad expertise in developing commercial strategy, driving corporate transformation, and building high performing teams. As President of Sherpa Management Consulting, Rob primarily focuses on advising technology and data companies that are building innovative offerings for the pharmaceutical industry.

In his previous roles, Rob was a VP of Commercial Strategy at Veeva Systems. At Veeva he was responsible for commercial product strategy for Veeva CRM. Prior to joining Veeva, Rob spent 30 years at Merck & Co. Inc. where he held leadership positions in commercial operations, information management, commercial strategy, strategy realization, and sales management. He graduated with honors from the University of Kansas with a Bachelor of Science degree in corporate communication. Furthermore, has completed extensive executive education at the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School.

Robert Britting

Rob is an accomplished commercial leader in the US pharmaceutical industry with a unique combination of marketing, sales, training, operations, patient services, and digital health experience. As the founder of RJB Consulting Partners LLC, he works closely with life science organizations to establish a clear commercial path, champion innovation, and simplify planning processes to maximize profitability and customer experience.

Rob led the US Respiratory division, the US Innovation Organization and Patient Services Franchise for Teva Pharmaceuticals. Prior to his time with Teva, he led the marketing efforts for ENTRESTO at Novartis and held multiple leadership roles at AstraZeneca. Rob is an avid public speaker within the industry and holds a PhD (Organizational Change Management) from Walden University, a master’s degree in marketing from La Salle University, and a bachelor’s degree in business from Gwynedd Mercy University.

Robert Yoder

Robert has been in the pharmaceutical industry for over 35 years in a variety of commercial and operational leadership roles. He is the Senior Vice President, Chief Business Officer, and Head of Commercial Operations for Trevena, Inc. Prior to joining Trevena, Robert was the Senior Vice President, Head of Global Commercial Operations and Alliance Management at Orexigen Therapeutics. At both organizations he led the commercial build-out in support of their respective product launches.

He began his career at Merck where he spent 28 years in a range of US-based and global roles across sales, marketing, and commercial operations. While at Merck he led several large-scale initiatives including the US field integration with Schering-Plough and the global commercial integration with Cubist following Merck’s acquisition of both organizations. Robert received his Bachelor of Science from Dickinson College and a Master of Business Administration from the Goizueta Business School at Emory University.

Roger Tappen

Roger brings broad experience in the Pharmaceutical and MedTech industries, including building and leading national sales, marketing and business support teams. Currently he is the founder of T13 Consulting where he advises emerging life science companies on commercial capabilities and strategy. Roger led Commercial Operations and the Established Brands Business Unit at Organon with responsibility for all US business support functions and P&L responsibility for a large portfolio of products.

Leading up to the successful Organon spinoff from Merck in 2021, Roger led all aspects of building and launching the US Commercial organization as the Separation Leader. Before to joining Organon, Roger spent over 20 years at Merck & Co. Inc. where he led the Established Products Business Unit, was National Sales Leader for the Respiratory, Neuroscience and Ophthalmics Sales Teams, and Executive Director for the Atherosclerosis Marketing team. Earlier in his career, Roger was an Area VP at Sherwood Davis & Geek, the medical device subsidiary of Wyeth.

Tim Schmidt

Tim is a global healthcare executive with over 30 years of experience in commercial strategy and go-to-market models. He is currently the Chief Commercialization Officer for CitareTx Investment Partners, a venture capital, development, investment, and start-up management company which focuses on novel medical devices, technologies, and other related business opportunities. Prior to this role, Tim spent over 30 years in Life Science organizations transforming commercial models by innovating go-to-market strategies.

Tim was Vice President of Respiratory and Established Brands at Boehringer Ingelheim. Tim held the roles of Regional Sales VP, VP US Commercial Operations, and Global Head of Marketing for Dabigatran at Boehringer Ingelheim. Prior to his time with Boehringer Ingelheim, Tim worked for Merck and Co, Inc., where he held several commercial roles quickly advancing through leadership roles in sales, operations, marketing, and compliance. Tim holds an MBA from the Kellogg School at Northwestern University and a BS degree in Marketing from Carroll University.

Tricia Brown

Tricia is an award-winning Life Sciences leader with breadth and depth of commercial expertise and a proven record of success launching new products and leading strategic initiatives at the executive level. As President of Brownstone Consulting, Tricia specializes in launch excellence, brand and portfolio growth strategies, and digital/omni-channel customer engagement. Tricia successfully launched the first oral microbiome therapy for recurrent C-Difficile, as Brand Leader at Nestlé Health Science.

Tricia enjoyed a 30-year career at Merck, notably leading the US Marketing Communications organization and designing and implementing transformation initiatives to advance digital capabilities, increase customer engagement, and increase speed and operational efficiency. Tricia held strategic roles in IT and Corporate Strategy, working with the C-Suite to accelerate a corporate-wide digital strategy, and to build an enterprise-wide, board-requested risk management program. Patricia has bachelor’s degrees and an MBA from Villanova University. She is on the executive board of Big Brothers Big Sisters in Philadelphia and a long-term mentor through Valley Youth House.