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Gore Range Capital Presents the:
Rare Disease Forum
Meet the Co-Chairs
April Armstrong, MD, MPH is a Professor and Chief of the Division of Dermatology at University of California Los Angeles. Dr. Armstrong obtained her medical degree from Harvard Medical School and completed her dermatology residency at the Harvard Dermatology Residency Program. She also obtained a Master of Public
Health degree from Harvard School of Public Health. Dr. Armstrong previously served as the Associate Dean of Clinical Research at Keck School of Medicine at USC and the Vice Chair, Director of Clinical Trials and Outcomes Research, and Director of the Psoriasis Program.
Ruth Ann Vleugels, MD, MPH, MBA is the Vice-Chair for Academic Affairs of the Department of Dermatology at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH). She leads the Connective Tissue Disease Clinics at BWH Dermatology, which she Founded. She also co-leads the Rheumatology-Dermatology Clinic at Boston Children's Hospital. Dr. Vleugels obtained her Doctor of Medicine degree from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. She completed her MPH at the Harvard School of Public Health and received her MBA from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
About the Discussion
Join this top tier professional panel as they delve deep into the landscape of rare skin diseases. The forum will revolve around several pivotal themes such as Understanding Rare Skin Diseases, Patient Perspective, Market Response to Rare Diseases, Key Players in the Field, and
Support for Research and Innovations.
Guest Speakers
John Doux, MD, MBA earned his B.S. and M.D. from Stanford University. He completed his training at Brigham and Women’s Hospital & Stanford Medical Center and earned an M.B.A. at the Wharton School of Business and was a Palmer Scholar. Currently serving as a board director of Lutris Pharma and served previously as board chair of ValenzaBio (acquired by ACELYRIN), board director of Ceptaris Therapeutics (acquired by Actelion Pharmaceuticals) and Palvella Therapeutics. Dr. Doux is a fellow of the AAD and was a co-founder & board director of the Dermatology Summit and Dermatology Innovation Forum.
Francesca Tenconi is the Founder & Executive Director of Children's Skin Disease Foundation/Camp Wonder, a non-profit organization for children suffering from skin diseases. Francesca graduated from Duke University with a Bachelor's in Biopsychosocial impacts of chronic childhood illness. She focused on the psychological impacts and the biological and public policy aspects of chronic illness in children. Francesca earned her MBA at Berkeley Haas School of Business. She serves on the Patient Advocacy Committee (PtAC) for the Pediatric Dermatology Research Alliance (PeDRA) and is the chair for 2023-2024.
Wes Kaupinen is the Founder & Chief Executive Officer of Palvella Therapeutics, a late clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing novel therapies to treat patients suffering from severe, rare genetic skin diseases for which there are no FDA-approved therapies. Prior to Palvella, Wes served as the Senior VP of Corporate Development and Commercialization for Insmed, a global biopharmaceutical company focused on severe and rare diseases, where he led the global corporate development, U.S. commercial, and program management functions
Humberto Antunes is a Partner at Gore Range Capital. His investment track records span across the spectrum of skin health. Prior to Gore Range, Humberto served as the Chairman & CEO of Galderma/Nestlé Skin Health for over 20 years, where he helped globalize brands such as Cetaphil®, Differin®, Restylane®, Dysport®, Oracea®, Soolantra®, Proactiv®, and others. He has also led research teams that achieved hundreds of New Drug Applications, patent filings, and clinical trials. Humberto currently serves on the board of directors of the American Skin Association.
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