ECHO Pitch Judging Panel

As Head of Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JLABS Canada, Dozie is responsible for external engagement, innovation sourcing, company onboarding, portfolio management, operational excellence, educational programming and P&L. He catalyzes and supports the translation of science and technology into valuable solutions for patients and consumers across the pharmaceutical, medical device, consumer and healthtech sectors. Dozie joined the JLABS team from the Nonclinical Safety – Pathology function of the Discovery, Product Development and Supply Organization at the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson where he led the US Discovery and Project Pathology team. Dozie and his team helped drive the acquisition and internal discovery of over 20 biopharmaceutical entities across 10 modalities from early discovery to clinical development, and some up to approval. Dozie also initiated and led the cross-functional oligonucleotide working group that has helped shape strategies for RNAi therapies in discovery and was a critical driver for understanding the pathobiology of cancer immunotherapies in discovery and development. Dozie earned a dual-major Ph.D. in Comparative Medicine and Integrative Toxicological Sciences at Michigan State University and completed a residency in Veterinary Pathology at Michigan State. He also received a D.V.M from University of Nigeria and is a Diplomate with American Board of Toxicology, as well as a Diplomate of American College of Veterinary Pathologists.

With over 20 years of life science, IT and business development executive-level experience, Jacki is a key member of the senior investment team sourcing, conducting diligence on, structuring deals terms for and working closely at the board level with portfolio companies. Jacki has a strong reputation for providing the focus, clarity and cohesion required to drive projects from efficient inception to effective completion. Jacki focuses on early to mid-stage private companies involved in all aspects drug discovery and development utilizing a variety of platforms from complex biologics to small molecules in a variety of indications including oncology, neurology, rare disorders and inflammatory diseases. In addition to her investment activities, Jacki is also Lumira’s COO with responsibilities that include directing all aspects of Lumira Ventures’ information technology initiatives having developed a world class venture capital analytics platform. Prior to joining Lumira Ventures, Jacki worked at Base4 and Open Text Inc. where she developed, sold and provided support for enterprise content management solutions targeted to the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry in North America and Europe. Jacki has published several scientific articles and two book chapters, and is the recipient of three major academic research awards.

Naheed is the President of Recursion Canada, the Canadian wholly-owned subsidiary of Recursion Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: RXRX). Prior to joining Recursion, Naheed was the Co-founder, President and CEO of Cyclica, a Toronto-based biotech company (acquired by Recursion in May 2023). At Cyclica, Naheed had the distinct privilege of working with an incredibly talented and dedicated team that was considered one of the pioneers of what is now the increasingly hot space of AI for Drug Discovery and Development. Naheed is also a co-founder and Board Member of EntheogeniX Biosciences, a psychedelic inspired biotech company for mental health, co-founder of the Alliance for Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare (AAIH) for which he served as Chair until May 2023, Board Member of the Ontario Bioscience Innovation Organization (OBIO), and Member of the Life Sciences Advisory Group for Global Affairs Canada. Naheed is passionate about how people interact with technology to inform effective decision making, while dedicated to advancing the responsible application of AI to healthcare and the impact on patients. Naheed holds an MBA from Rotman School of Business and an undergraduate degree from the University of Ottawa.

Dr. Seema Mital is a Heart Failure and Transplant Cardiologist and Head of Cardiovascular Research at the Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto. She is Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Toronto and a Senior Scientist at the SickKids Research Institute. She is also the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada / Robert M Freedom Chair of Cardiovascular Science, and Scientific Lead of the Ted Rogers Centre for Heart Research. Mital has a strong translational research program focused on genomics, pharmacogenomics and stem cell applications to model childhood heart disease and discover new therapies. She has extensive experience in the genetics/genomics of congenital heart disease and heart failure, personalized medicine and clinical trials. She established the SickKids Heart Centre Biobank, a multi-centre biorepository of children and adults with childhood onset heart disease for genomics research, one of the largest international repositories of its kind. Mital is the Principal Investigator of the CIHR-funded INSERT-HCM multi-centre project aimed at implementing digital health technology, the NIH-funded Pediatric Heart Network for clinical trials, and leads the international ERAPerMed funded PROCEED network for Personalized Genomics in congenital heart disease.

Heather Cartwright is President of Power Ten Investments Ltd, a private holding company. She is an investor, philanthropist and advocate. Her philanthropy supports leadership development in athletic coaching, Indigenous youth sports and fellowships in cardiology, as well as advancing research of inherited cardiac arrhythmias. Her advocacy is in protecting girls and women’s sport and patient rights. A former rower, Heather was diagnosed at age 20 with ARVC and later, with heart failure. Heather has an ICD and CardioMems, and is deeply interested in the future of AI and wearable and implanted technology to manage cardiac conditions while protecting the rights, safety and privacy of patients.