Moving Pre-Clinical Assets Through the Clinical Trial Process

Dr. Rachel Bender Ignacio, MD, MPH, is Director of UW Positive Research, the Robert W. Anderson Endowed Chair of Medicine in HIV Research, and Associate Professor in the Division of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the University of Washington. She also holds an appointment at Fred Hutch Cancer Center. She earned her A.B. at Dartmouth and her MD and MPH at UW, followed by residency at Massachusetts General Hospital and a fellowship in infectious diseases at UW, where she has been faculty since 2015.

A physician-scientist, Dr. Bender Ignacio leads clinical trials for HIV and related conditions, including long-acting antiretroviral therapy. Her UW-based study was featured in The New York Times in 2024. She directed Fred Hutch’s COVID-19 Clinical Research Center (2020–2024) and played a key role in NIH’s ACTIV-2 COVID-19 trials. She also leads efforts to integrate HIV and cancer treatment in Southern and East Africa. A dedicated mentor, she supports early-career researchers and serves as Chair of Advocacy for HIVMA and the Infectious Diseases Society of America, advancing policy and funding for HIV and ID research.

Dema Poppa, MS, is a clinical research professional with over 17 years in the industry. His experience has spanned roles across research sites, sponsors, CROs, and clinical research vendors. He holds a Master’s degree in Biomedical Regulatory Affairs from the University of Washington and has led clinical trial operations in a variety of context, from early-stage development to large-scale studies. Currently, he serves as Associate Director of Clinical Operations at Tasso, Inc., where he oversees the operation of their clinical research program. His expertise includes study planning, implementation, and conduct, as well as good clinical practice and leveraging technology for efficiency.

Laura Baker, MS, RN, NE-BC, is the Senior Director of Clinical Research Integration at Seattle Children’s, where she has served for the past eight years. In this role, she is dedicated to developing a robust clinical research infrastructure, which includes supporting study start-up processes, overseeing clinical research cores, and leading quality and regulatory initiatives. With over 15 years of experience in clinical research, Laura leads a team of more than 90 members, all committed to ensuring that every child at Seattle Children’s has access to research opportunities.

Dr. Colleen Delaney is the Scientific Founder, CSO, and EVP of R&D at Deverra Therapeutics, developing off-the-shelf cell therapies for hematologic malignancies and other diseases. A stem cell transplant physician, she was a Professor at Fred Hutch, where she led the Cord Blood Transplant Program and ran an NIH-funded lab. Her research focuses on expanding umbilical cord blood stem cells for clinical use.

With over 20 years of experience, Dr. Delaney has raised more than $175M in funding and holds multiple patents. She earned her MSc from Oxford and MD from Harvard. Her honors include the Damon Runyon Clinical Investigator Award and induction into the Washington Life Science Hall of Fame.