Roger Tung, PhD
CEO and President (Retired)
Concert Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Lexington, MA
Roger Tung, PhD, is former scientific founder, President, CEO and Director of Concert Pharmaceuticals, Inc., which applied its deuterium chemistry platform to discover pharmacologically active compounds directed towards immunological, neurological, and genetic diseases. Concert was acquired by Sun Pharmaceuticals in 2023. Compounds discovered at Concert are currently in Phase 3 clinical trials or under NDA review for the treatment of alopecia areata (autoimmune hair loss), agitation in Alzheimer’s Disease patients, and cystic fibrosis.
Prior to Concert, Roger worked in venture-backed start-up and major pharmaceutical companies including Merck and Vertex Pharmaceuticals, in the latter case as a founding scientist and most recently as Vice President of Drug Discovery. Roger co-invented or oversaw the discovery of active pharmaceutical ingredients in seven drugs approved in the US and abroad for the treatment of cystic fibrosis, hepatitis C, and HIV infection.
Roger is a named inventor on over 100 issued US patents and has authored or co-authored over 100 scientific papers, book chapters, and abstracts.
He received a BA in Chemistry from Reed College in Portland, OR, and a PhD in Pharmaceutical Chemistry from UW–Madison, working in the laboratory of Daniel Rich. Roger is a strategic advisor to Longwood Founder’s Fund, a venture capital firm. He is a recipient of multiple awards in medicinal chemistry and innovation, including the School of Pharmacy Citation of Merit.
One of the foremost women’s health experts in the United States, Marla Ahlgrimm’s dedication to hormone related imbalances has revolutionized how American women and their doctors view PMS, perimenopause and menopause. A popular speaker, Ahlgrimm has been featured on radio, in magazines and newspapers. She has been interviewed on a variety of topics for nationally broadcast television programs. Ahlgrimm co-authored the books, The HRT Solution – Optimizing Your Hormone Potential and Self Help for Premenstrual Syndrome that were both published in 1999. Additionally, Marla Ahlgrimm is a dedicated businesswoman and entrepreneur who was one of the first in the nation to develop customized, low dose natural hormone prescription options for women managing the symptoms of hormone imbalance.
Richard (Rick) Bertz is currently Senior Vice President, Clinical Pharmacology and Pharmacometrics at Biohaven Pharmaceuticals. Dr. Bertz has worked in pharmaceutical industry for over 25 years, previously with Bristol-Myers Squibb and Abbott.
Brent J. Eberle is President of CivicaScript, a nonprofit company dedicated to bringing lower-cost generic medicines to U.S. consumers. As president, he oversees all aspects of the company as it works to bring affordable versions of common but highpriced generic medicines to market.
Dave Ehlert is the Area Vice President of Health Systems within the North Central region of McKesson Pharmaceutical Solutions and Services, where he has full P&L and capital accountability for two distribution centers (DC) and customer relationships in the 13-state market area that these two DCs service. Dave is also accountable for key customer retention and new business development that drives profitable pharmaceutical distribution revenue growth in both health system and retail pharmacy segments. He has been with McKesson for more than 17 years and has fulfilled positions of increasing leadership responsibility throughout his career.
Debra Fluno is National Director, Pharmacy Operations and Support Services for Cardinal Health, serving over 90% of hospitals and health systems across the nation with full-line and specialty pharmaceutical distribution and solutions. She leads teams of clinical, quality, accreditation and medication safety experts who develop resources and best practices for efficient and effective hospital pharmacy operations. Debra also is responsible for two product lines: a proprietary drug cost analytical software and a clinical program consulting solution.
Nancy Gilbride is CEO of Envolve, a wholly owned subsidiary of Centene Corporation (NYSE: CNC) based in St Louis, MO. Envolve, through its family of companies, provides flexible and affordable healthcare solutions including access to the most comprehensive suite of supplemental health benefits, wellness and back-office support solutions for partners nationwide. Nancy joined Envolve in September 2016 and leads the strategic direction, business development efforts, customer management, product growth and operations for the $11 billion unit comprised of 4,500 employees across the country.
Michael Makoid is president of the United States Martial Arts Association which represents all martial arts and is the co-founder and board of directors member of Pharmaceutical Technologies, Inc., a pharmacy benefits management company, based in Omaha, Nebraska. He is also Professor Emeritus at Creighton University School of Pharmacy where he served as Professor, Department Chair, Faculty President, Chairman of Faculty Grievance and Chairman of the University Committee on Rank and Tenure during his thirty years at Creighton University.
Tom McCourt is the chief executive officer of Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, a commercial biotechnology company working to revolutionize the treatment of gastrointestinal (GI) diseases and redefine the standard of care for millions of patients. Mr. McCourt joined Ironwood in 2009 as senior vice president of marketing and sales and chief commercial officer, advancing to hold the roles of president and interim chief executive officer before becoming chief executive officer and member of the board of directors in 2021. He has played an instrumental role in the success of the company’s blockbuster product, LINZESS™, and in advancing the company’s scientific pipeline with potential treatments that address GI areas of high unmet need.
David is a professor in the Social and Administrative Sciences Division at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Pharmacy. Currently, he teaches courses in the Rural Health Program at the School of Pharmacy and coordinates an elective course in Specialty Pharmacy and a graduate level course in Advanced Research Methods. He teaches a unit on Economic Evaluation and Quality in the Medication Safety and Quality course in the required Doctor of Pharmacy Curriculum. His research interests include the pharmacy workforce and the design, implementation, and evaluation of programs to expand the public health role of community pharmacists.
You “only” control your choices.
Primuth, a 35-year retail pharmacy veteran, joined Walgreens in 1988 as a pharmacy intern. During his tenure, he has held various pharmacy operations leadership positions, ascending from Pharmacy Manager in Racine, WI to Pharmacy Supervisor in Milwaukee, WI and Regional Healthcare Director in Atlanta, GA. Primuth moved to the corporate office in 2016 as Director of Pharma Strategic Initiatives and was promoted to Senior Director in 2018. Today, Primuth leads a team responsible for the strategy and operational plan for newly created pharma strategic initiatives and optimizing procurement of brand & specialty pharmaceuticals, biosimilars and vaccines.
Mark Rogge, a graduate of the University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Pharmacy, currently leads global translational science activities at Takeda Pharmaceuticals. There, he serves on the research senior leadership team, on portfolio joint steering committees and the scientific advisory board for the Tri-Institutional Therapeutics Discovery Institute.
Steve Rough, MS, RPh, FASHP, is a visionary leader in health system pharmacy, dedicated to transforming healthcare through innovative pharmacy strategies. With deep expertise in optimizing financial, operational, and patient care performance, Rough has played a key role in advancing the success of healthcare organizations nationwide. His commitment to fostering innovation drives exceptional outcomes in health system pharmacy.
Dr. Azita Saleki-Gerhardt is AbbVie’s Chief Operations Officer, leading a global team of scientific, manufacturing, engineering, quality, and supply chain professionals responsible for late stage product development, supply and distribution of all AbbVie products, as well as several enterprise services, including facilities, purchasing and security.
Mr. Scott is a senior executive with an extensive and successful background in healthcare. He most recently was President of EnvisionPharmacies, an EnvisionRx Options company. He has served in executive roles for Medco Health Solutions including President of Accredo Infusion Services where he was responsible for the infusion therapy business including specialty medications and traditional home care therapies. He also served as Medco’s Chief Pharmacist and SVP of Professional Practice responsible for leading the practice of more than 3,500 pharmacists, nurses, dieticians and other health care professionals.
Susan L. Sutter, over a time span of 34 years, was the co-owner of Marshland Pharmacies, Inc., which included two community pharmacies and a clinic pharmacy in Horicon, Mayville, and Beaver Dam, WI.
Tom Thielke is currently Emeritus Clinical Professor and Associate Director, Office of Global Health for the University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Pharmacy. Prior to that, he was Vice President, Professional and Support Services at the UW Hospital and Clinics where he was responsible for several professional service departments, including Pharmacy, Radiology, Pathology, Clinical Laboratories, Infection Control, Food and Dietetic Services, Emergency Services, Neurosciences Service Line, and the Orthopedics/Rehabilitation Service Line. He also was a clinical professor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Pharmacy.
Mehran Yazdanian is Vice President of R&D Operations at Teva Pharmaceuticals and the R&D Site Head for Teva’s West Chester, PA facility. He leads R&D activities for development of innovative biologicals and biosimilars from clone selection to regulatory submission. He also leads the technical evaluation team for external development of sterile generics.