About Us

Emily Barnhill, M.H.A.
Vice President, Strategic Industry Ventures
713-563-0887

Emily Barnhill oversees licensing, commercialization and collaborative partnerships designed to accelerate the preclinical and clinical development of diagnostics and therapeutics across various modalities.

Emily joined UT MD Anderson in 2010 and assumed program and project management roles within the Office of Clinical Operations and the Cancer Network. There, she drove initiatives that strengthened integration, standardization, and growth of clinical and research operations, aligning them with the institution’s strategic vision. This experience inspired her passion for building transformative partnerships at the intersection of science, technology, and patient care and led her to joining the Office of Strategic Industry Ventures in 2015.

Emily holds a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences from Clemson University and a master of health administration from the Medical University of South Carolina.

Luetta Allen, Ph.D.
Director, Alliance Operations
Strategic Industry Ventures
713-563-3545

Luetta Allen received her B.S. in genetics from Texas A&M University and later a Ph.D. from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Houston Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences in developmental biology. She joined the staff of Strategic Industry Ventures (SIV) in February 2013, transferring from the Office of Technology Discovery in Translational Research. Luetta establishes new alliances and manages the alliance operations.

Prior to joining SIV, Luetta worked in positions of increasing responsibility to assess, protect, market and commercialize intellectual property, including the management of a gap funding mechanism.

Jean Gilbert, M.P.H.
Director of Business Development, Strategic Industry Ventures
713-834-6285

Jean Gilbert's main focus is identifying opportunities to connect industry collaborators with internal technology and expertise, most often at the preclinical stage. She also works with the Therapeutics Discovery Division to engage faculty members with therapeutics development resources.

Previously, Jean was part of UT MD Anderson’s Center for Entrepreneurship Advancement, where she focused on educating and engaging faculty, staff, and trainees around life science innovation and entrepreneurship. Before joining UT MD Anderson, Jean was with Houston Methodist Hospital system. Jean earned her Master of Public Health with a focus in management, policy and community health from the University of Texas School of Public Health in Houston. 

Aaron Spike, Ph.D.
Business Development Manager, Strategic Industry Ventures
713-745-9391

Aaron Spike received his B.S. in genetics, cell biology, and development from the University of Minnesota. He then earned a Ph.D. in molecular and cellular biology from Baylor College of Medicine. His extensive experience in the field of scientific research and administration led him to join the Strategic Industry Ventures team in 2023. Prior to this appointment, Aaron served as a clinical studies coordinator, a grant program manager and a manager of clinical protocol administration in the Department of Investigational Cancer Therapeutics.

Cassandra Moyer
Program Manager, Strategic Industry Ventures
713-834-6244

Sheila Benchamin, M.B.A.
Program Manager, Strategic Industry Ventures
713-563-2529

Sheila Benchamin earned a B.S. in healthcare administration from the University of Houston – Clear Lake and a master's in business administration from the University of Texas – Tyler. She joined Strategic Industry Ventures in December 2020. In her current role, Sheila engages in supporting our institution and investigators with pharmaceutical alliances and collaborations.

Sheila joined UT MD Anderson in 2018 in the Office of Sponsored Programs and Research Administration. During her time there, Sheila managed both federal and non-federal grant applications in collaboration with faculty to secure funding and served as a liaison between funding agencies and internal departments to ensure compliance with institutional policies.

Tracy Warren
Executive Office Administrator, Strategic Industry Ventures
713-792-7714

Tracy Warren joined the staff of Strategic Industry Ventures in April 2013. She is responsible for coordinating meetings and site visits with industry partners as well as managing the administrative functions for the office.

Tracy received a bachelor's degree in public relations from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She worked as a publicist and became an accomplished media relations practitioner, having placed clients on such venues as CNN and CNBC. After several years in the public relations industry, Tracy joined Houston Methodist Hospital, where she worked as a trainer and facilitator of their “Living Methodist Values” program. Here she assisted the vice president on many initiatives for integrating the company’s values throughout the hospital system.

Tracy joined the Executive Recruitment department at UT MD Anderson in 2006 helping to recruit candidates and coordinate their visits to UT MD Anderson. Tracy later joined the Department of Anesthesiology supporting the division head, chair and several faculty members in an administrative function. Some of her accomplishments while at UT MD Anderson include successful coordination of the 2012 Global Conference on Perioperative Medicine and serving as fitness ambassador for Anesthesiology, helping to increase employee morale and wellbeing.

Andrew Dennis, Ph.D.
AVP, Office of Technology Commercialization
713-745-9639
OTC@mdanderson.org

Andrew Dennis graduated magna cum laude with a B.S. in biochemistry from the State University of New York at Plattsburgh. He then entered into the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, where he earned his doctoral degree studying gene transcription and the involvement of the proteasome degradation machinery. During his doctoral education he was awarded a pre-doctoral fellowship from the Department of Defense and the Dean’s Award. Andrew has co-authored several peer-reviewed journal articles through his work as a graduate student.

Andrew’s financial and business interests in health care led him toward a career in the technology transfer field within the Office of Technology Commercialization (OTC) at UT MD Anderson, where he has served in several roles. He oversees the OTC’s licensing and commercialization efforts of new inventions by OTC staff members. In addition, he continues to negotiate license agreements, form start-up companies, develop commercialization strategies among inventors and institutional research programs, and facilitate the development of business relationships with health care industry partners, with the goal of driving cancer care forward.

Papia Ghosh, Ph.D.
Associate Director, Licensing
713-745-9626

Papia Ghosh joined Office of Technology Commercialization (OTC) in 2016 and is involved in identifying and translating internal developments to commercial opportunities.

Prior to working at OTC, Papia was a consultant at L.E.K. Consulting in Boston and London for more than  three years and focused exclusively in the life sciences. While there, she provided strategic insights on, but not limited to, market assessment, market access and pricing, competitive positioning, valuation and portfolio and life cycle management. She was an advisor to various biotechs and large pharmas in a wide range of therapeutic and diagnostic areas. Papia conducted her postdoctoral work in oncology at Dana-Farber and received her Ph.D. in genetics from Yale University and B.S. in biology from Duke University. 

Yvonne Loftin
Sr. Patent Paralegal, Office of Technology Commercialization
713-745-9647

Yvonne Loftin joined the Office of Technology Commercialization in September 2011. She organizes, updates and maintains patent files and patent docketing information for UT MD Anderson’s intellectual property portfolios. She participates in the planning and scheduling of patent filings and ensures projects are completed and deadlines are met. She handles new Invention Disclosure Report files and coordinates a bi-monthly Invention Assessment Meeting to review new IDRs. She is the primary liaison between UT MD Anderson and outside patent counsel to ensure proper protection of UT MD Anderson’s U.S. and foreign intellectual property rights. She is also responsible for reporting inventions to funding agencies such as the NIH, CPRIT and many others.

Brian Nadin, Ph.D.
Associate Director, Licensing
713-834-9836

Brian Nadin received a Ph.D. in neuroscience from Baylor College of Medicine, where he also completed a postdoctoral fellowship. He then went on to work on intellectual property matters, drafting patent applications, practicing patent prosecution and performing due diligence analyses for freedom to operate opinions and landscape projects as a technical advisor with Norton Rose Fulbright. He is currently the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy Technology Transfer Manager at the UT MD Anderson Office of Technology and Commercialization.

Dustin Romine, M.A.
Director, Licensing
713-745-9637

Dustin Romine joined the Office of Technology Commercialization in August 2007. Dustin is responsible for invention assessment, patent prosecution oversight, technology marketing and negotiating license and alliance agreements with biotechnology, pharmaceutical, diagnostic and research reagent companies.

Dustin earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology from DePauw University and a Master of Arts in neuroscience and animal behavior from Emory University. During his undergraduate studies, he served as an Eli Lilly and Company research intern studying the isolation and purification of calreticulin as part of the raloxifene hydrochloride (Evista) program. He also spent time in Kenya working on environmental and medical projects alongside The Green Belt Movement and the late Nobel Peace Prize recipient Professor Wangari Maathai. After college, Dustin worked as a senior consultant for Braun Consulting in Washington D.C., where he specialized in customer relationship management software customization and implementation. He later served as a neuroengineering applications developer at Georgia Institute of Technology prior to graduate school enrollment. While at Emory University, Dustin investigated a lesser known role of the nucleus accumbens core, a portion of the ventral striatum, in impulsivity. Concurrent with his graduate studies, Dustin volunteered as an intern in the Emory University Office of Technology Transfer.

Dustin has been involved with the Licensing Executives Society Houston Chapter as a committee co-chair. He currently serves as a director on the DePauw University Alumni Board. 

Qingshan (Carly) Yang, Ph.D.
Associate Director, Licensing
Office of Technology Commercialization
713-745-9604

Carly Yang joined the staff of the Office of Technology Commercialization in March 2016. She focuses on both protecting and commercializing UT MD Anderson intellectual properties. She develops strategies to preserve IP rights, and she markets the technologies, builds collaborative relationships, and negotiates agreements with business partners.

Carly received her Ph.D. in experimental therapeutics from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Houston Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, and she completed her postdoctoral training at UT MD Anderson. Prior to joining the OTC, Carly worked alongside with startup companies at the Houston Technology Center to develop marketing, sales and overall business development strategies. She was also involved with the Licensing Executive Society Houston Chapter and served as chair of Education Committee.

Abigail Go, Ph.D.
Licensing Manager
Technology Commercialization
713-745-9695

Abigail Go joined UT MD Anderson in 2018. She provides early assessment and commercialization guidance for new and existing technologies. She also facilitates commercialization by marketing technologies and negotiating license agreements.

Abi brings with her an array of experiences in academic research, intellectual property protection, and contracts. Prior to UT MD Anderson, she managed the patent portfolio at The University of Texas at Dallas. Before that she worked at various law firms on patent prosecution and civil litigation matters.

Abi received her Ph.D. in chemistry from Princeton University and her J.D. from University of Houston Law Center.

Jamie A. Juric, Ph.D.
Licensing Manager
Technology Commercialization
Mid Campus Building 1 (1MC9.2139)
713-794-3108

Jamie Juric joined the Office of Technology Commercialization team in September 2019. Her role is to facilitate the licensing and commercialization of UT MD Anderson’s technologies, primarily focusing on the management of the research tools portfolio.

She received her Ph.D. in cancer cell biology, her B.S. in chemical engineering, and a certificate in biomedical engineering from West Virginia University (WVU). Prior to joining UT MD Anderson’s Office of Technology Commercialization, Jamie interned and worked as a Technology Scout in the WVU Innovation Center, where her interest in technology transfer began. During her time at the WVU Innovation Center, she served as the direct link between the researchers and innovation center with the objectives of assessing, protecting, marketing and commercializing intellectual property.

Sandra Vermillion
Accountant I
Technology Commercialization
713-794-3107

Sandra Vermillion joined UT MD Anderson in 2021. In her current role, she works with follow-up contract compliance matters from invoicing and general ledger account reconciliations to contractual reporting from licensees.

Sandra has a B.B.A. with a concentration in accounting from the University of New Mexico. She worked for a general contractor company as an accountant for four years. She then moved to Houston, where she worked for a CPA firm as an internal staff accountant before joining UT MD Anderson.

John Katz
Tech Commercialization Analyst, Office of Technology Commercialization
713-794-5276