Hugues Mbezal Bogam holds a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from France’s Grandes Écoles and an MBA in space business management. Since February 2023, he has been serving as a senior international commercial space expert at Rice University’s Space Institute, seconded by the French Government. In this role, he plays a key role in advancing France’s economic diplomacy in the United States, particularly in Texas. His mission focuses on fostering partnerships between and among academic, commercial space industry and government entities in France and Texas. In 2007, Mr. Bogam worked at NASA Ames on the “CheapSat” project before joining the European Space Agency in Italy, where he contributed to the VEGA launcher program. From there, he moved to Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana, where he held several positions, including flight director, overseeing satellite and launch operations for the Ariane 5, Soyuz and Vega rockets. In 2020, he was seconded to the French Space Agency (Paris) as a European and international affairs advisor. As a French delegate, he also supported the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs in multilateral forums, including the European Space Agency and the United Nations. Mr. Bogam combines his technical expertise with enthusiasm for fostering international collaboration, advancing innovation and promoting commercialization of space activities.
Dr. Lindsey Cauthen (“Dr. C”) is the principal of the Career Development Center at Baylor College of Medicine, where she has served since 2021. She earned her Ph.D. in genes and development from MD Anderson Cancer Center’s UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences in 2014, with a dissertation focused on genetic models of metabolic dysfunction and inflammation leading to liver cancer. Dr. C has over 15 years of experience in academic advising, teaching and career development. Prior to Baylor, she worked as a scientific consultant and educator in cancer biology and therapeutics, and she served as assistant director of Graduate Education at her alma mater, where she helped design curriculum and mentor graduate students. Known for her compassionate and collaborative approach, Dr. C leads initiatives that support trainee success across institutions. Her work centers on helping future scientists and clinicians discover fulfilling career paths that align with their passions and strengths. Outside of work, she enjoys traveling, spending time with loved ones and learning alongside her most inquisitive student—her 8-year-old son, Drew.
Michael Dilling, Ph.D., MBA, is executive director of Commercialization and Technology Management at BCM Ventures, the integrated commercialization team at Baylor College of Medicine..
Baylor leads all Texas-based institutions in National Institutes of Health research funding and hosts top-ranked departments. Under Dr. Dilling’s leadership, BCM Ventures builds strategic commercial partnerships that help translate biomedical discoveries into products and services that benefit patients and support BCM’s academic mission. Over the past five fiscal years, the team has completed over 250 licensing transactions and negotiated industry-sponsored research and services contracts valued at over $95 million.
Dr. Dilling directs a team of seven technology management professionals and a compliance expert. With over 25 years in academic technology commercialization, he has negotiated or overseen hundreds of agreements between Baylor and commercial partners. He also teaches the graduate course Commercialization of Biomedical Technologies, covering intellectual property, startup formation, fundraising and product development.
An active member of the Association of University Technology Managers, Dr. Dilling contributes to its Mentorship Committee and helped develop new mentorship tools. He earned a Ph.D. in genetics from Texas A&M in 1993, an MBA from the University of Memphis in 1999, and completed postdoctoral work at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. He joined Baylor in 2000.
Guo Hu, Ph.D. ’24, is a clinical genomic scientist at Baylor Genetics, where she leverages human omics data to evaluate genetic variants for their clinical significance. With experience spanning oncology, aging research and biotech consulting, she integrates deep scientific expertise with strategic insight to drive translational and clinical impact.
Dr. Hu earned her Ph.D. from the Department of Molecular and Human Genetics at Baylor College of Medicine, where she studied the genetic and metabolic regulation of host microbiota interactions in aging. In addition to her academic research, she contributed to therapeutic commercialization efforts at Fannin (formerly Fannin Innovation Studio) and advised biotech startups on market entry, operational planning and commercialization strategies. She also has served as an Enrich Fellow at Enventure and as a life science consultant with the Consulting Club at the Texas Medical Center. Through volunteer work, internships and active engagement in professional communities, Dr. Hu has built a strong network that supports her career development and growth.
Joefrey Kibuule, M.D. ’14, is a software engineer at Instagram, where he continues to build scalable, user-centric products. He graduated from Baylor College of Medicine in 2014. After graduating, he spent a decade as a software engineer at Apple Health, where he helped develop key features including the Clinical Health Records feature, the ECG app for the Apple Watch Series 4, Blood Oxygen Monitoring for the Apple Watch Series 6, as well as Medication and Pregnancy Tracking features. These projects combined technical innovation with a focus on improving user health outcomes. Outside work, Dr. Kibuule pursues personal projects in machine learning and artificial intelligence, exploring applications that bridge cutting-edge technology with practical solutions.
Giovanni Lauricella is the CEO of Lifeblood, an executive search firm for venture-backed MedTech companies, and the co-founder of Contrario Medical, an IVF device company. Additionally, he is a board member for public and private medtech companies, an angel investor and a limited partner in venture capital funds. He also hosts “The MedTech Experience” podcast. Mr. Lauricella has a bachelor’s degree in finance and a master’s in regulatory affairs for medical devices. He has travelled to 50 countries and lives in Houston, Texas.
Ashley Hayden Monahan, Ph.D. ’24, is an artist, neuroscientist and science communication expert with a passion for making complex ideas clear, accessible and impactful for all. Dr. Monahan brings both scientific rigor and lived experience to her work, bridging research, education, and equity. She earned her B.S. in biology from Texas A&M University and her Ph.D. in neuroscience from Baylor College of Medicine, where she studied RNA-binding proteins in memory formation. She now serves as a medical writer at the Neuroscience Education Institute, an HMP Global Company, where she creates continuing education materials for clinicians and develops innovative visual tools to support better patient care. Outside of her professional work, Dr. Monahan leads workshops on science visualization, storytelling, public trust and communication strategy for academic audiences through her own company, SciComm Consulting LLC. Her approach combines technical skill with empathy, helping researchers translate their science in ways that reflect both who they are and the communities they serve. In her spare time, Dr. Monahan loves tending to her indoor plants and vegetable garden, walking with her pitbull Otto and reading fantasy novels.
As a manager in Talent Acquisition, Ms. Motsinger leads, mentors and develops recruiters and Talent team members to source, recruit and hire achievers who raise our talent bar in the nation’s best research platform at UTHealth Houston. These roles often include emerging medical researchers, postdoctoral research fellows, leading medical scientists and biomedical informaticists whose research disciplines are unsurpassed.
Ricardo Nuila, M.D. ’06, is a writer and an associate professor in the Alkek Department of Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine. For the past fourteen years, he has worked as a hospitalist and attending physician at Houston’s largest safety net facility, Ben Taub Hospital. His first book, “The People’s Hospital: Hope and Peril in American Medicine”, was selected as one of the Best Books of 2023 by Amazon, Kirkus Reviews and The Washington Post. It also was featured on NPR’s Fresh Air with Terry Gross. Dr. Nuila is the director of the Humanities Expression and Arts Lab (HEAL) at Baylor, which integrates arts and humanities into medical education and has received an Association of American Medical Colleges grant supporting its work. His writing has been featured in The New Yorker, Texas Monthly, VQR, The New England Journal of Medicine, New England Review and Best American Short Stories.
With 20 years of healthcare experience, Mr. Nick Racine has specialized in advising physicians & advanced practice providers (APPs) through every type of career engagement, from traditional employment and locums assignments to consulting opportunities and leadership positions. His expertise spans the complete landscape of care settings, in which he has helped doctors navigate recruitment, compensation negotiations, practice acquisitions and strategic career transitions. Having led physician recruitment and practice operations departments at for-profit, non-profit, faith-based and academic health systems, Mr. Racine brings deep insight into what makes for a lasting alignment between care teams and operations teams. For the last decade, that skill centered on matching physicians with the right opportunities for St. Luke’s Health Texas and CommonSpirit National. Now, at Tessellate, Mr. Racine turns his focus to empowering physicians to take control of their career journeys by leveraging advanced artificial intelligence, large language models and agentic platforms on their behalf to provide expert advisory services across all engagement models. The approach prioritizes physician autonomy, anonymity and professional satisfaction. His philosophy remains centered on treating physicians with respect, dignity and humanity while providing strategic guidance that aligns career decisions with personal values and professional goals.
Kindra Roberts is a talent acquisition associate at Baylor College of Medicine, where she has spent the last three years recruiting talent for the Administrative and Education missions. With a Master’s in Human Resources Management and over 10 years of experience in HR and Recruitment, she’s passionate about connecting great people with meaningful roles.
Dr. Jason Sakamoto is an innovation leader dedicated to transforming early-stage medical technologies into impactful healthcare solutions. He serves as head of the TMC Biodesign Program at TMC Innovation and as associate director of the Center for Device Innovation (CDI). In these roles, he helps founders navigate the biodesign process, from identifying unmet clinical needs to developing technologies and building venture-ready companies. Dr. Sakamoto brings more than 20 years of experience spanning medical device startups,
product development, translational research and entrepreneurial training. He has held leadership roles in both industry and academia, advancing programs at the intersection of technology development and clinical translation. His background includes co-founding and supporting early-stage ventures, giving him firsthand insight into the opportunities and challenges of building and scaling companies. His expertise also includes strategic partnerships, venture creation, intellectual property and navigating regulatory and reimbursement pathways. At TMC Innovation, Dr. Sakamoto works closely with inventors, clinicians and entrepreneurs to accelerate the path from concept to commercialization. He is passionate about fostering ecosystems that empower innovators, encourage collaboration and deliver technologies that improve patient outcomes.
Dr. Keri Schadler is an associate professor in the Department of Pediatrics at MD Anderson Cancer Center. Dr. Schadler completed her B.S. in molecular and cell biology at Texas A&M University, followed by a Ph.D. in cancer biology from the MD Anderson UT Health Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. Following a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania, she joined MD Anderson as faculty in 2016. In addition to leading her laboratory, which focuses on the impact of exercise on the tumor microenvironment and therapeutic efficacy, Dr. Schadler is the co-director of the Office for Research Education & Training at MD Anderson and the director of Laboratory Research Operations for Pediatrics.
Dr. Patrick Turley serves as associate general counsel at Baylor College of Medicine. He holds a Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and a J.D. from the University of Arkansas. Before joining Baylor College of Medicine in 1999, Dr. Turley was director of Clinical Chemistry in the Department of Pediatric Pathology at Arkansas Children’s Hospital, and he practiced law in the Houston office of Baker Botts LLP. At Baylor College of Medicine, Dr. Turley manages legal matters related to intellectual property and other institutional concerns. He has twice served as interim director of Environmental Safety. For over 25 years, he has taught a course on Intellectual Property at Baylor and has also been a professor of biotechnology law at the University of Houston Law Center.
Roger Trinh is a seasoned recruitment leader with over a decade of experience connecting top-tier talent with leading organizations across the life sciences, biotech, pharmaceutical, and healthcare sectors. His network spans roles in cell and gene therapy, biologics, drugs, medical devices, clinical research, and hospital systems. Known for his personable and compassionate approach, Mr. Trinh consistently earns praise for making thoughtful, high-quality matches. He specializes in executive search and recruiting for pharmaceutical, biotechnology, consumer healthcare, and medical device companies, as well as contract research organizations and other life sciences support organizations. His expertise covers a wide range of departments, including clinical development, medical affairs, health economics, marketing, drug safety, regulatory affairs, and more. Mr. Trinh holds the Certified Staffing Professional credential, demonstrating his mastery of industry standards and regulations. He is skilled in branding, negotiation, and career development, and he leads with integrity, forming strong business partnerships and brokering rewarding contracts. His deep connections and ethical leadership make him a trusted advisor in the recruitment space.
Kimberly Weiderhold, Ph.D. ’12, MBA, has spent her career reviewing, drafting and negotiating a variety of research contracts while keeping in mind academic expectations and federal guidelines and laws. Having a background in cell and molecular biology affords Dr. Weiderhold the ability to both understand and translate biomedical and life sciences into lay terms when liaising between stakeholders. In 2021, Dr. Weiderhold also earned her MBA to bolster her knowledge in business and leadership. During her spare time, she is an avid trivia player, baker and reader, and she enjoys travel and SCUBA diving.
Shinya Yamamoto, D.V.M, Ph.D. ‘12, is an associate professor in the Department of Molecular and Human Genetics and the Department of Neuroscience at Baylor College of Medicine. He also is an investigator in the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute (NRI) at Texas Children’s Hospital. He also serves as the associate director of the Genetics and Genomics Graduate Program at Baylor to train the next generation of scientists, and as a co-director of the Model Organisms Screening Center for the Undiagnosed Disease Network, a co-investigator of the Center for Precision Medicine Models at Baylor, and the chair of the Functional Study Working Group of the Undiagnosed Diseases Network International to facilitate the diagnosis and mechanistic studies of rare and undiagnosed diseases in the United States and worldwide. Dr. Yamamoto obtained his B.S. and D.V.M. degrees in Japan prior to joining the Graduate Program in Developmental Biology at Baylor in 2005. He obtained his Ph.D. in 2012 under the mentorship of Hugo Bellen, D.V.M., Ph.D., and immediately started his own research group at Texas Children’s Hospital as an NRI Fellow in 2013. He became a tenure-track assistant professor in 2017 and was promoted to associate professor with tenure in 2024.
