{"id":132,"date":"2023-08-04T15:49:03","date_gmt":"2023-08-04T15:49:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/mesh\/?page_id=132"},"modified":"2026-04-24T17:37:32","modified_gmt":"2026-04-24T17:37:32","slug":"mesh-team","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/mesh\/mesh-team\/","title":{"rendered":"MESH Team"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n  \n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--hero-primary horizontal-navigation\"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--hero-primary\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n  \n  <div class=\"inner-wrapper has-horizontal-nav\">\n\n          <div class=\"title-wrapper\">\n\n                  <div class=\"eyebrow-container\">\n                              \n<div class=\"f--field f--eyebrow\">\n\n    \n  <a href=\"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/mesh\/\"  aria-label=\"Read more about MESH Strategic Partnerships\">MESH Strategic Partnerships<\/a>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n                      <\/div>\n        \n                      \n<div class=\"f--field f--page-title has-stripe\">\n\n    \n  <h1>MESH Team<\/h1>\n\n\n<\/div>\n        \n              <\/div>\n    \n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--link eyebrow-link\">\n\n    \n    \n  \n<a\n  class=\"link \"\n  href=\"\/mesh\/contact\/\"\n    aria-label=\"Read&#x20;more&#x20;about&#x20;Connect&#x20;and&#x20;Collaborate&#x21;\">\n        Connect and Collaborate!\n    <\/a>\n\n\n<\/div>\n    \n    \n      \n              <div class=\"horizontal-nav\">\n                      <div class=\"horizontal-menu-container\">\n              <button class=\"expand-menu\">\n                                  In This Section\n                                <svg class=\"menu\" version=\"1.1\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" xmlns:xlink=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xlink\" x=\"0px\"\n                  y=\"0px\" viewBox=\"0 0 35 35\" enable-background=\"new 0 0 35 35\" xml:space=\"preserve\">\n                  <path 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menu-item-230\">\n      <a href=\"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/mesh\/our-services\/business-development-and-industry-relations-process\/\" >Business Development and Industry Relations Process<\/a>\n  \n  \n<\/li>\n                  <\/ul>\n      <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  \n<\/li>\n\n    \n      <li class=\"has-submenu menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-115 menu-item-has-children\">\n      <div class=\"link-arrow-wrapper\">\n      <a href=\"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/mesh\/strategic-partnerships\/\" >Strategic Partnerships<\/a>\n\n      <button class=\"expand-children has-submenu arrow-toggle\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-haspopup=\"true\" aria-label=\"Display Submenu for Strategic Partnerships\">\n        <svg height=\"35\" viewBox=\"0 0 35 35\" width=\"35\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\">\n          <path d=\"m17.5 20.2142857 6.2142857-6.2142857 1.2857143 1.2857143-7.5 7.5-7.5-7.5 1.2857143-1.2857143z\" fill=\"#000\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"\/>\n        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menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-322\">\n      <a href=\"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/mesh\/strategic-partnerships\/ai-in-medicine-collaboratory\/\" >Artificial Intelligence in Medicine<\/a>\n  \n  \n<\/li>\n                      <li class=\" menu-item menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-323\">\n      <a href=\"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/mesh\/strategic-partnerships\/#Entrepreneurial_Ventures\" >Entrepreneurial Ventures<\/a>\n  \n  \n<\/li>\n                  <\/ul>\n      <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  \n<\/li>\n\n    \n      <li class=\" menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-136\">\n      <a href=\"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/mesh\/mesh-team\/\" >MESH Team<\/a>\n  \n  \n<\/li>\n\n    \n      <li class=\" menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-284\">\n      <a href=\"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/mesh\/mesh-home\/contact\/\" >Contact<\/a>\n  \n  \n<\/li>\n\n    \n      <\/ul><!-- m--menu -->\n<\/nav>\n\n            <\/div>\n                  <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n              \n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--accordions \"\n\n  \n   aria-label=\"Content Accordions\"\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--accordions\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n      <div class=\"header-container\">\n\n      \n                  \n<div class=\"f--field f--description description-large\">\n\n    \n  <p>The MESH team brings experience in both academic and industry, including business development, industry relations and entrepreneurial mentoring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n      \n    <\/div>\n  \n      <ul>\n              <li>\n          <button type=\"button\" class=\"accordion-trigger \" id=\"heading-1-1-p4DG-bP7cv\" aria-controls=\"section-1-1-p4DG-bP7cv\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-disabled=\"false\">\n                          <span class=\"item-title\">Vasiliki Anest, PhD, Chief Innovation Officer; Head of MESH Strategic Partnerships<\/span>\n            \n                      <\/button>\n\n          <div id=\"section-1-1-p4DG-bP7cv\" role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"heading-1-1-p4DG-bP7cv\" class=\"accordion-panel\">\n\n                            \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--rich-text \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--rich-text\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n  <div class=\"inner-wrapper\">\n        \n<div class=\"f--field f--wysiwyg\">\n\n    \n  <figure id=\"attachment_135\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-135\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-135 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/mesh\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2023\/08\/Vasiliki-Anest-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"Vasiliki Anest\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/mesh\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2023\/08\/Vasiliki-Anest-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/mesh\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2023\/08\/Vasiliki-Anest-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/mesh\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2023\/08\/Vasiliki-Anest-320x320.jpg 320w, https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/mesh\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2023\/08\/Vasiliki-Anest.jpg 367w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-135\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Vasiliki Anest, PhD, Chief Innovation Officer; Head of MESH Strategic Partnerships<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"elementToProof\">As the inaugural Chief Innovation Officer at the Keck School of Medicine (KSOM) of the University of Southern California, Dr. Vasiliki Anest is at the helm of shaping KSOM\u2019s innovation trajectory. This position is endowed by the Vassiliadis Family Foundation. Her dynamic leadership is central to advancing the school\u2019s research capabilities across more than 30 institutes and centers, where she plays a pivotal role in spearheading innovation, facilitating collaboration, and uncovering opportunities to pioneer next-generation healthcare products and services. Guiding KSOM through a transformative phase, Dr. Anest has adeptly directed diverse teams within the institution\u2019s multifaceted framework. Her strategic foresight has been crucial in launching three groundbreaking initiatives: MESH Strategic Partnerships, the Brown Center for Cancer Drug Development, and the AI-MEDx Collaboratory, all dedicated to converting research into actionable, patient-oriented outcomes.<\/p>\n<p class=\"elementToProof\">Prior to her affiliation with USC in 2013, Dr. Anest made substantial contributions at Life Technologies Corporation, undertaking significant roles that spanned epigenetics R&amp;D, oncology global market development, and the cultivation of international R&amp;D partnerships. This diverse experience has honed her ability to transcend functional and divisional boundaries, leveraging project- and alliance-based business models to fuel organizational growth and profitability. Her extensive 20-year background encompasses research and development, academic-industry relationships, strategic partnerships, business development, and the orchestration of innovation strategy and management.<\/p>\n<p class=\"elementToProof\">Following her Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry and Cell Biology from the University of California, San Diego, Dr. Anest was honored with a Cancer Research Training Award (CRTA) Fellowship at the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, MD. She then pursued a Ph.D. in Genetics and Molecular Biology at the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of North Carolina, under the tutelage of Dr. Albert Baldwin. Her scholarly excellence was recognized with the Harold M. Weintraub Graduate Student Award in 2004. Subsequently, as a postdoctoral fellow with Dr. C. David Allis at The Rockefeller University, she earned a prestigious fellowship from the Cancer Research Institute, focusing on the interplay between epigenetics and immunology.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20240624033456\/mailto:vasiliki.anest@med.usc.edu\">vasiliki.anest@med.usc.edu<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n  <\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n            \n                      <\/div>\n        <\/li>\n\n              <li>\n          <button type=\"button\" class=\"accordion-trigger \" id=\"heading-1-2-p4DG-bP7cv\" aria-controls=\"section-1-2-p4DG-bP7cv\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-disabled=\"false\">\n                          <span class=\"item-title\">Steve Kay, PhD, DSc, FRS, Founding Director<\/span>\n            \n                      <\/button>\n\n          <div id=\"section-1-2-p4DG-bP7cv\" role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"heading-1-2-p4DG-bP7cv\" class=\"accordion-panel\">\n\n                            \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--rich-text \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--rich-text\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n  <div class=\"inner-wrapper\">\n        \n<div class=\"f--field f--wysiwyg\">\n\n    \n  <figure id=\"attachment_133\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-133\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-133 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/mesh\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2023\/08\/steve-kay-367x367-1-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"Steve Kay\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/mesh\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2023\/08\/steve-kay-367x367-1-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/mesh\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2023\/08\/steve-kay-367x367-1-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/mesh\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2023\/08\/steve-kay-367x367-1-320x320.jpg 320w, https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/mesh\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2023\/08\/steve-kay-367x367-1.jpg 367w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-133\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Steve Kay, PhD, DSc, FRS, Founding Director<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"elementToProof\">Professor Steve Kay FRS is the Founding Director of the MESH Strategic Partnerships, as well as the Director of the USC Michelson Center for Convergent Bioscience. Dr. Kay is a Provost Professor of Neurology, Biomedical Engineering and Biological Sciences at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. From 2012 to 2015, he held the position as the 21st dean of the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences.<\/p>\n<p>Dr. Kay is one of the world\u2019s top experts on the genetics and genomics of circadian rhythms, and was recently elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of London in 2019. Having published more than 200 papers, he was named by Thomson Reuters as one of \u201cThe World\u2019s Most Influential Scientific Minds\u201d from 2014 to 2019 and has been cited in Science magazine\u2019s \u201cBreakthroughs of the Year\u201d three times since 1997. In 2008, Dr. Kay was elected as a member of the National Academy of Sciences. In 2009, he was elected as a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and in 2011, he was awarded the American Society of Plant Biologists\u2019 2011 Martin Gibbs Medal for his pioneering work in plant sciences.<\/p>\n<p>Dr. Kay received his PhD and DSc from the University of Bristol, United Kingdom. Prior to joining USC in 2012, Dr. Kay served as dean of biological sciences at the University of California, San Diego. He also has held faculty positions at The Rockefeller University, University of Virginia and The Scripps Research Institute, as well as served as the VP of discovery research at the Genomics Institute of the Novartis Research Foundation, where he focused on using high throughput technologies to push novel development candidates into the Novartis clinical pipeline. Dr. Kay served as president of The Scripps Research Institute from 2015 to 2016. In addition, he has founded several biotechnology companies.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20240624033456\/mailto:stevekay@usc.edu\">stevekay@usc.edu<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n  <\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n            \n                      <\/div>\n        <\/li>\n\n              <li>\n          <button type=\"button\" class=\"accordion-trigger \" id=\"heading-1-3-p4DG-bP7cv\" aria-controls=\"section-1-3-p4DG-bP7cv\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-disabled=\"false\">\n                          <span class=\"item-title\">Paula Cannon, PhD, Associate Director for Transdisciplinary Advocacy and Cross-School Championship<\/span>\n            \n                      <\/button>\n\n          <div id=\"section-1-3-p4DG-bP7cv\" role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"heading-1-3-p4DG-bP7cv\" class=\"accordion-panel\">\n\n                            \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--rich-text \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--rich-text\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n  <div class=\"inner-wrapper\">\n        \n<div class=\"f--field f--wysiwyg\">\n\n    \n  <figure id=\"attachment_164\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-164\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-164 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/mesh\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2023\/08\/PaulaCannon-2-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"Paula Cannon, PhD, Associate Director for Transdisciplinary Advocacy and Cross-School Championship\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/mesh\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2023\/08\/PaulaCannon-2-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/mesh\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2023\/08\/PaulaCannon-2-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/mesh\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2023\/08\/PaulaCannon-2-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/mesh\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2023\/08\/PaulaCannon-2-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/mesh\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2023\/08\/PaulaCannon-2-320x320.jpg 320w, https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/mesh\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2023\/08\/PaulaCannon-2-1280x1280.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/mesh\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2023\/08\/PaulaCannon-2.jpg 1468w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-164\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Paula Cannon, PhD, Associate Director for Transdisciplinary Advocacy and Cross-School Championship<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"elementToProof\">Dr. Paula Cannon is a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Molecular Microbiology &amp; Immunology at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. She leads a research team that studies viruses, stem cells, and gene therapy, with an emphasis on HIV\/AIDS.<\/p>\n<p>Cannon earned a PhD from the University of Liverpool in the UK and did post-doctoral training at Harvard and Oxford. In addition to her position at USC, she has held faculty positions at Uniformed Services University and Children\u2019s Hospital Los Angeles. These positions provided her with opportunities to study highly pathogenic viruses of military significance and the therapeutic potential of bone marrow hematopoietic stem cells (HSC). Together, they shaped her current research program on the use of virus-based gene therapy vectors to engineer human HSC. Cannon\u2019s research is funded by several foundations, the National Institutes of Health, and the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine.<\/p>\n<p>She is a very active member of the USC community and served as Keck Faculty Council President (2014-2015), Academic Senate President (2016-2017), and Immediate Past President for the Academic Senate (2017-2018). Outside of her lab, she is known as a passionate advocate for the HIV community, whose ability to explain science in a straightforward and entertaining fashion makes her a sought-after and highly effective speaker.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20240624033456\/mailto:pcannon@usc.edu\">pcannon@usc.edu<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n  <\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n            \n                      <\/div>\n        <\/li>\n\n              <li>\n          <button type=\"button\" class=\"accordion-trigger \" id=\"heading-1-4-p4DG-bP7cv\" aria-controls=\"section-1-4-p4DG-bP7cv\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-disabled=\"false\">\n                          <span class=\"item-title\">David R. Friedland, MD, PhD, Director of Clinical Applications<\/span>\n            \n                      <\/button>\n\n          <div id=\"section-1-4-p4DG-bP7cv\" role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"heading-1-4-p4DG-bP7cv\" class=\"accordion-panel\">\n\n                            \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--rich-text \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--rich-text\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n  <div class=\"inner-wrapper\">\n        \n<div class=\"f--field f--wysiwyg\">\n\n    \n  <figure id=\"attachment_352\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-352\" style=\"width: 231px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-352 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/mesh\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/12\/2317_292921998_4-231x300.jpeg\" alt=\"David R. Friedland\" width=\"231\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/mesh\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/12\/2317_292921998_4-231x300.jpeg 231w, https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/mesh\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/12\/2317_292921998_4.jpeg 470w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 231px) 100vw, 231px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-352\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">David R. Friedland, MD, PhD, Director of Clinical Applications<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"elementToProof\">David R. Friedland, M.D., Ph.D., is Professor\u00a0of Clinical Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery; Director of Clinical Artificial Intelligence Applications; and Director of the Clinical Research Services Core in Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California (USC) in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n<p>Scientifically, Dr. Friedland has conducted research into the use of big data and machine learning for improving care in otolaryngologic (ear, nose and throat) disorders. This work has devised novel algorithms for helping to diagnose vestibular disorders and identified disparities in healthcare by geographic and social demographics. Dr. Friedland has also significantly contributed to the understanding of the relationship between cardiovascular disease and hearing loss. He has identified patterns of hearing loss that are associated with higher risks of heart attack and stroke.<\/p>\n<p>Administratively, Dr. Friedland has led efforts to improve the efficiency and scope of clinical trials at academic medical centers. Prior to his joining USC he directed the Clinical &amp; Translational Research Center at the Medical College of Wisconsin and led efforts to expand the clinical trials workforce, identify compensation models for participating faculty, and design comprehensive clinical trials programs for academic units. At USC he seeks to streamline clinical trials processes, increase the portfolio of trials, promote greater alignment between the School of Medicine and Hospital partners, and promote junior faculty career development. In addition, as Director of Clinical Applications for MESH Strategic Partnerships, he will promote partnerships across USC and with industry to adopt and develop novel technology solutions for healthcare and research operations and delivery.<\/p>\n<p>Dr. Friedland received his medical degree from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City where he also completed residency training in Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. He completed his fellowship training in Neurotology and Skull Base Surgery at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD. He started his career at the Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee where he was Division Chief of Otology and Neuro-otologic Skull Base Surgery, Chief of the Division of Research, and Vice-Chair of Otolaryngology and Communication Science.<\/p>\n<p>A native of Brooklyn, NY, Dr. Friedland enjoys cycling, hiking, reading, crossword puzzles and building miniature furniture.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"mailto:david.friedland@med.usc.edu\">david.friedland@med.usc.edu<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n  <\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n            \n                      <\/div>\n        <\/li>\n\n              <li>\n          <button type=\"button\" class=\"accordion-trigger \" id=\"heading-1-5-p4DG-bP7cv\" aria-controls=\"section-1-5-p4DG-bP7cv\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-disabled=\"false\">\n                          <span class=\"item-title\">Melissa J. Rodgers, PhD, Director<\/span>\n            \n                      <\/button>\n\n          <div id=\"section-1-5-p4DG-bP7cv\" role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"heading-1-5-p4DG-bP7cv\" class=\"accordion-panel\">\n\n                            \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--rich-text \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--rich-text\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n  <div class=\"inner-wrapper\">\n        \n<div class=\"f--field f--wysiwyg\">\n\n    \n  <p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-451 size-medium alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/mesh\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/04\/MJR-headshot-2-300x300.jpeg\" alt=\"Melissa J. Rodgers\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"elementToProof\">Dr. Rodgers is the director for the MESH Strategic Partnerships at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. She is experienced in life science, medical device and healthcare IT commercialization; including technology evaluation, licensing and business development. Prior to joining USC, she was Manager of Intellectual Property and Market Strategy at the Innovation Lab, a healthcare technology incubator in Newport Beach, CA. Before that, she spent four years in the Office of Technology Development at the Salk Institute, first as an intern and then as a Licensing Associate. She received her PhD in Cell Regulation at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and completed her postdoctoral training at the Salk Institute.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20240624033456\/mailto:rodgersm@usc.edu\">rodgersm@usc.edu<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n  <\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n            \n                      <\/div>\n        <\/li>\n\n              <li>\n          <button type=\"button\" class=\"accordion-trigger \" id=\"heading-1-6-p4DG-bP7cv\" aria-controls=\"section-1-6-p4DG-bP7cv\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-disabled=\"false\">\n                          <span class=\"item-title\">Camilo Ansarah-Sobrinho, PhD, Director<\/span>\n            \n                      <\/button>\n\n          <div id=\"section-1-6-p4DG-bP7cv\" role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"heading-1-6-p4DG-bP7cv\" class=\"accordion-panel\">\n\n                            \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--rich-text \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--rich-text\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n  <div class=\"inner-wrapper\">\n        \n<div class=\"f--field f--wysiwyg\">\n\n    \n  <figure id=\"attachment_168\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-168\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-168 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/mesh\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2023\/08\/Camilo-Ansarah-Sobrinho-PhD-Associate-Director-for-Business-Development-and-Industry-Relations-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"Camilo Ansarah-Sobrinho, PhD, Director\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/mesh\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2023\/08\/Camilo-Ansarah-Sobrinho-PhD-Associate-Director-for-Business-Development-and-Industry-Relations-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/mesh\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2023\/08\/Camilo-Ansarah-Sobrinho-PhD-Associate-Director-for-Business-Development-and-Industry-Relations-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/mesh\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2023\/08\/Camilo-Ansarah-Sobrinho-PhD-Associate-Director-for-Business-Development-and-Industry-Relations-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/mesh\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2023\/08\/Camilo-Ansarah-Sobrinho-PhD-Associate-Director-for-Business-Development-and-Industry-Relations-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/mesh\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2023\/08\/Camilo-Ansarah-Sobrinho-PhD-Associate-Director-for-Business-Development-and-Industry-Relations-320x320.jpg 320w, https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/mesh\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2023\/08\/Camilo-Ansarah-Sobrinho-PhD-Associate-Director-for-Business-Development-and-Industry-Relations-1280x1280.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/mesh\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2023\/08\/Camilo-Ansarah-Sobrinho-PhD-Associate-Director-for-Business-Development-and-Industry-Relations.jpg 1468w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-168\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Camilo Ansarah-Sobrinho, PhD, Director<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"elementToProof\">Camilo Ansarah-Sobrinho, Ph.D. is the director for the MESH Strategic Partnerships at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. Dr. Ansarah brings more than eight years of experience in business development and technology commercialization and over 10 years of biomedical research experience to his role. His business development experience spans industry sectors from biotech\/pharmaceuticals to digital health. Dr. Ansarah was previously a Licensing Associate at the USC Stevens Center for Innovation. Prior to joining USC, Dr. Ansarah worked as a Licensing Officer at the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) and as a Technology Transfer Associate at the NIH\u2019s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in Bethesda, Maryland. He has a Ph.D. in Molecular Genetics from The George Washington University and a Master of Science in Microbiology from the University of S\u00e3o Paulo in Brazil. He has a certification in Biotechnology Business Management from the Johns Hopkins University Carey Business School and is a Certified Licensing Professional. Dr. Ansarah has also authored 11 scientific publications.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20240624033456\/mailto:camilo.ansarah@med.usc.edu\">camilo.ansarah@med.usc.edu<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n  <\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n            \n                      <\/div>\n        <\/li>\n\n              <li>\n          <button type=\"button\" class=\"accordion-trigger \" id=\"heading-1-7-p4DG-bP7cv\" aria-controls=\"section-1-7-p4DG-bP7cv\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-disabled=\"false\">\n                          <span class=\"item-title\">Emily Chu, MA, Program Administrator<\/span>\n            \n                      <\/button>\n\n          <div id=\"section-1-7-p4DG-bP7cv\" role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"heading-1-7-p4DG-bP7cv\" class=\"accordion-panel\">\n\n                            \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--rich-text \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--rich-text\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n  <div class=\"inner-wrapper\">\n        \n<div class=\"f--field f--wysiwyg\">\n\n    \n  <p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-453 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/mesh\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/04\/Emily-new-image-2026-300x300.png\" alt=\"Emily Chu\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"elementToProof\">Emily Chu is program administrator for the MESH at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, where she coordinates all MESH events and assists with marketing. In addition to serving as event lead, Ms. Chu manages MESH\u2019s social media presence and provides operational support.<\/p>\n<p>Ms. Chu\u2019s interests focus on collaborative transdisciplinary projects. She joined the University of Southern California in 2015, where she served as project specialist for the Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute prior to joining MESH in 2018. She completed her undergraduate studies at the University of California, Davis. She received her Master\u2019s Degree in History with a focus on Archival Management from New York University.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20240624033456\/mailto:emily.chu@med.usc.edu\">emily.chu@med.usc.edu<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n  <\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n            \n                      <\/div>\n        <\/li>\n\n          <\/ul>\n  \n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":true,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-132","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.5 (Yoast SEO v27.5) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>MESH Team - MESH<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/mesh\/mesh-team\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"MESH Team\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/mesh\/mesh-team\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"MESH\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-04-24T17:37:32+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"9 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/keck.usc.edu\\\/mesh\\\/mesh-team\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/keck.usc.edu\\\/mesh\\\/mesh-team\\\/\",\"name\":\"MESH Team - 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