Celdara Medical, LLC today announced the selection of five outstanding researchers as the recipients of the 2021 Celdara Medical High-Potential Entrepreneurs’ Fellowships (CHEF). The program provides a part-time, year-long experiential learning opportunity at Celdara to senior graduate students and post-doctoral researchers. Fellows receive an opportunity to hone their executive skills with operating experience in an entrepreneurial biotech company. This year’s winners are Blessing Akobundu (Brown University), Tahmineh Rahmani Eliato (University of New Hampshire), Brianne Sullivan (Tulane University), Kamran Tariq (Dartmouth College), and Alicia Wu (Tufts University).
“We are very happy to have Blessing, Tahmineh, Brianne, Kamran, and Alicia join the Celdara Medical team as Fellows,” said Julie Coleman, Ph.D., Program Lead at Celdara Medical. “This is a great opportunity for Celdara Medical to deliver on our commitment to give back to the community by providing students with exposure to biotech. This is the first year we are expanding this wonderful program beyond the Upper Valley. We are excited to be collaborating with the DRIVEN Accelerator Hub to recruit candidates across the Northeast. The candidate pool was exceptional, and we continue to be impressed with the excellence of the students, and their interest in a well-rounded graduate experience.”
“On behalf of Celdara Medical and the DRIVEN Accelerator Hub, I’m delighted to welcome the 2021 CHEF fellows,” said Jake Reder, Celdara Medical CEO and Principal Investigator of the DRIVEN Accelerator Hub. “Based on the past success of the program, I know each Fellow will soon be a valued member of the Celdara Medical team. This fellowship program offers a unique experiential learning opportunity to prepare scientists for careers beyond the academy. Our program includes a core curriculum covering key aspects of drug development, experiential learning, structured collaboration with biotech professionals, and engagement with many other early-stage biotech companies. We are eager to start this journey with a new group of Fellows!”
Since Celdara Medical’s founding, over 50 interns and fellows have gained experience in early-stage drug development through CHEF and predecessor programs. Alums have attained leadership positions across the biotech industry, as scientists, entrepreneurs, academicians, investors, consultants, and more. Candidates must be nominated by their thesis advisor and have an outstanding record of accomplishment.
About Celdara Medical, LLC
Celdara Medical was founded by Drs. Jake Reder and Michael Fanger in 2008, and is headquartered at the Dartmouth Regional Technology Center (DRTC) in Lebanon, NH. Celdara Medical builds academic and early-stage innovations into high-potential medical companies, identifying discoveries of exceptional value at the earliest stages and moving them toward the market. Celdara Medical partners with inventors and their institutions, providing the developmental, financial, and business acumen required to bridge discovery and profitability. With robust funding options, a diverse and high-impact programmatic pipeline, and partnerships with world-class academic institutions and industry leaders, Celdara Medical navigates all aspects of a complex industry, accelerating science to improve human health. Further information about Celdara Medical is available at celdaramedical.com.
About the DRIVEN Accelerator Hub
The DRIVEN Accelerator Hub is an NIH-funded consortium led by Celdara Medical and Simbex and includes partnerships with the leading research institutions in the Northeast IDeA region (Brown, Dartmouth, Maine Medical Center, MDI Biological Laboratory, University of Delaware, University of New Hampshire, University of Rhode Island, and the University of Vermont). The mission of the DRIVEN Accelerator Hub is to create quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) and save lives by 1) Increasing the number of quality medical startups 2) Decreasing their time to market and 3) Increasing their probability of success. DRIVEN provides tailored consulting to select entrepreneurs through the DRIVEN Partnership Program. The Program culminates in a presentation to the DRIVEN External Advisory Committee, comprised of leading investors and in-licensing business development professionals, and the potential for seed funding. For more information regarding the partnership program, email info@drivenacceleratorhub.com. DRIVEN has developed several online educational resources that can be found at: drivenacceleratorhub.com