Nov. 13, 2025
9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Nicholas Siciliano, PhD is the CEO and Co-Founder of Vittoria Biotherapeutics, Inc., a clinical-stage cell therapy company developing next-generation treatments for difficult-to-treat diseases. He brings over twenty years of C-suite leadership experience in biotechnology.
Previously, he was CEO and Co-Founder of Invisible Sentinel, a global molecular diagnostics company, where he oversaw the development, manufacturing, and commercial expansion of its proprietary diagnostics, culminating in the company’s acquisition by bioMérieux, Inc. in 2019. Following the acquisition, he served as Vice President at bioMérieux, leading U.S. Sales and Marketing while continuing as CEO of Invisible Sentinel.
Dr. Siciliano has also played a pivotal role in launching and funding multiple biotechnology ventures in the Greater Philadelphia region. He currently serves as an Entrepreneur in Residence at Agent Capital and as an investment advisor to Tellus BioVentures and Valley Forge Investment Corporation.
He earned a B.S. in Chemistry from Villanova University and began his scientific career in the Department of Microbiology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. He went on to receive a Ph.D. in Immunology and Microbial Pathogenesis from Thomas Jefferson University, where his research focused on antigen presentation.
Dr. Siciliano currently serves on the Boards of Vittoria Biotherapeutics and NexEOS Bio, and as a Scientific Advisor to Tolerance Bio. He is the Past President of the College of Sciences Alumni Board at Thomas Jefferson University. He holds multiple utility and design patents and has published peer-reviewed work in bacteriology, virology, immunology, molecular biology, and cancer immunotherapy.
Nik is a registered patent attorney who provides strategic legal and business counsel to a diverse client base, including, e.g., generic pharmaceutical, consumer product and emerging growth companies; investment firms; and universities, on a wide variety of intellectual property related matters. His practice involves rendering invalidity and non-infringement opinions; developing and implementing pre-litigation/litigation strategies for Hatch-Waxman related matters; conducting due diligence to support in- and out-licensing efforts; preparing and prosecuting patent applications covering myriad technologies; and drafting and negotiating various technology related agreements.
Nik is also a co-founder of Thubrikar Aortic Valve, Inc. (TAVI) – a Philadelphia-based medical device start-up, for which he currently serves as IP Advisor and Corporate Secretary. Prior to his current roles, he held the position of Senior Patent Counsel for the in-house patent department of a Fortune 500 consumer products company where he had global responsibility for developing and managing the patent portfolio and business interests for an $8 BB business unit. Having practiced as both in-house and outside counsel, Nik brings a unique perspective to the practice of law.
Admitted to practice in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Nik earned his JD from the University of Miami School of Law; and his Pharm.D., magna cum laude, from Temple University School of Pharmacy. Prior to attending law school, he worked as a pharmacist at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, PA, and also gained pharmaceutical experience in both government and industry settings.
Stephen Nappi has been advancing university discoveries for the past 24 years. Mr. Nappi joined Temple University in 2008 as Director of Technology Transfer, advancing to Associate Vice President of Technology Commercialization and Business Development in 2013. In 2022, Mr. Nappi was appointed Interim Vice President for Research, serving as head of the university’s R1 research enterprise for a year before resuming his Associate Vice President role in 2023.
At Temple, Mr. Nappi leads the university’s efforts to develop innovation resulting from its top-tier research enterprise, including the creation of over 35 startup companies in the past 10 years, a startup portfolio responsible for launching over 15 products and raising more than $240M in funding in the past 5 years. He established Temple’s first seed investment program, Temple Ventures—Powered by Ben Franklin, and in 2024, Mr. Nappi launched Temple’s Innovation Nest, the university’s first facility designed to support discoveries, accelerate commercialization, spark collaboration and incubate new businesses. In addition to his role at Temple, Mr. Nappi was appointed President of BioStrategy Partners from 2014 to 2018, leading the organization’s multi-institutional industry partnered model for advancing innovation.
Prior to joining Temple, Mr. Nappi spent 7 years at Florida Atlantic University in its Office of Technology Transfer. At FAU, Mr. Nappi launched the university’s first technology development fund in partnership with the adjacent research and development park and collaborated with FAU’s affiliated incubator to attract a state-backed commercialization institute.
Mr. Nappi holds a BBA in business management and marketing from Florida Atlantic University. He is a member of AUTM and the Licensing Executive Society, and serves on the BIO International Tech Transfer Committee. Mr. Nappi continues to serve on the Board of Directors.
Erika Swift, MBA, MHA, is a Professor of Practice jointly appointed at Penn State College of Medicine and Penn State Harrisburg and serves as Executive Director of the Center for Medical Innovation (CMI). She leads efforts to build a connected, translational innovation ecosystem, providing education, mentorship, and early-stage support to move new medical technologies toward patient impact and regional economic growth. She joined Penn State in 2015 to strengthen the path from discovery to commercialization and played a key role in launching CMI in 2017.
Erika has more than 25 years of experience in economic development, technology commercialization, and new business development across sectors including medical devices, consumer products, and dental technologies. She previously served as President of BioStrategy Partners, Inc., a nonprofit advancing academic research to the marketplace, and continues to serve on its Board. She holds a Bachelor of Science with a concentration in International Business from Bloomsburg University, an MBA from York College of Pennsylvania, and an MHA from Penn State University.
Chari A. Cohen, DrPH, MPH, is president of the Hepatitis B Foundation. Dr. Cohen is also co-founder and chair of Hep B United Philadelphia, a coalition and campaign to increase testing, vaccination and linkage to care in high-risk communities. Nationally, she is chair of CHIPO: Coalition Against Hepatitis for People of African Origin. She is also co-chair of Hep B United, a national coalition in 21 states to address and eliminate hepatitis B. Dr. Cohen is the Inaugural Community Chair of Jefferson Health’s Kimmel Cancer Center Community Advisory Board; a member, Governing Board, International Coalition to Eliminate HBV (ICE-HBV); and Co-Chair, Hep Free PA. She is a member, Patient Advisory Group, AASLD; an Advisory Committee member, HepVu, a member of HBV Forum and serves on the Editorial Review Board of the journal, Viruses.
Academically, Dr. Cohen is Associate Professor at the Baruch S. Blumberg Institute and serves as adjunct faculty for Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine. Dr. Cohen received her MPH from Temple University and her DrPH in Community Health and Prevention from Drexel University School of Public Health.
Rosemary (Rosie) Frasso, PhD, is a health equity researcher and public health educator. Dr. Frasso earned a PhD from the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Social Policy & Practice, as well as two master’s degrees from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Her current research focuses on the integration of qualitative and quantitative methods in projects designed to improve population health, healthcare quality, and access to health services for vulnerable populations. Her expertise in qualitative methods focuses on traditional and alternative data sources and data collection approaches that are crucial to studies designed to inform, assess, and promote health equity interventions. Additionally, she has worked on several cross-disciplinary projects with educators, artists and economists who are committed to using qualitative methods to support and enhance community collaborations and to amplify the voices of vulnerable populations.
Ayesha Sitlani, PhD is currently Associate Vice President of the Product Development Center (PDC) at the non-profit organization IAVI. The PDC is an end-to-end bench to clinic accelerator for the development of candidates targeting infectious and neglected diseases. Ayesha is leading efforts to bring in new partners and streamline operations for the PDC to support an expanded network of funders and partnerships. Prior to this role, at IAVI Ayesha has launched a set of initiatives, through public-private partnerships, to make monoclonal antibody (mAb) treatments and vaccines affordable and globally accessible. She is the principal investigator and lead author on several internationally cited IAVI publications which present recommendations to address the widening gap in global access to existing and future monoclonal antibodies for the treatment and prevention of diseases. In addition, she has led efforts to integrate new technologies including alternate delivery devices and thermostable formulations to enable more convenient and broader access to vaccines and biologics worldwide.
Prior to joining IAVI, Ayesha spent almost 20 years at Merck & Co. Inc, where she gained broad leadership experience in antibody, small molecule, and vaccine research & product development. She was responsible for initiating and leading the first mAb discovery and development efforts for Merck in the areas of cholesterol lowering and inflammation. She led an integrated Biologics and Vaccines organization to support development of the Biologics and Vaccines pipeline through internal innovation, and key strategic external partnerships.
Ayesha received her BA from Smith College, MA from Columbia University and her PhD in Biochemistry from the California Institute of Technology. She did a postdoctoral fellowship in Biophysical chemistry at Yale University prior to joining Merck in 1998. Ayesha is passionate about supporting education; she guest lectures at Columbia University and is the Board President at the Wardlaw Hartridge School, an independent pre-K-12 school in New Jersey.
Carole J. Burns, PhD, is the inaugural Director of Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the Baruch S. Blumberg Institute, a role created to position the Institute as a global leader in antiviral drug discovery and liver health. Dr. Burns works closely with scientific leadership to align R&D with industry expectations and to advance the Institute’s discoveries through strategic partnerships, licensing, and company formation. Drawing on her extensive experience in academic technology development, licensing, and company formation, she is building a vibrant, industry-facing innovation ecosystem at the Blumberg Institute.
Heather A Steinman, PhD, MBA, is Senior Vice President, Business Development and Executive Director of Technology Transfer at The Wistar Institute, the nation’s first independent research institution devoted solely to biomedical science and a world leader in cancer, immunology, virology and infectious disease research. Dr. Steinman joined Wistar in 2014. Since then, the Business Development team has been working to advance Wistar science and technology development through creative partnerships to turn innovative discoveries into transformative treatments. Dr. Steinman’s proactive approach involves removing risk from early stage science by forging new strategic partnerships with industry experts, non-profits and local academic research institutions, and accelerating commercialization opportunities for Wistar’s growing pipeline of biomedical discoveries including small and large molecule therapeutics, diagnostics, vaccines and target discovery/validation
platforms in the oncology, immunology and infectious disease space.