Diane K. Jorkasky

Biography

Dr. Jorkasky is a highly regarded medical scientist and researcher in the pharmaceutical industry with a broad background across research and all phases of clinical development in every therapeutic area. She has played a seminal role in developing nitro-fatty acid signaling technology for treatment of inflammatory, fibrotic and metabolic diseases. She also sits on the Board of Directors of Tengion Inc., a regenerative medicine company, and Q Therapeutics, a CNS regenerative medicine company, as well as the Strategic Advisory Board of BioMotiv. Her broad experience includes positions as Head of Development and Chief Medical Officer at Endo Pharmaceuticals, with involvement in the development of drugs, devices and generics, and Aileron Therapeutics in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Prior to these appointments she had been at Pfizer in New London, CT where she had held several leadership positions in development, with the most recent being Vice President of Global Clinical Research Operations. She led the complete alignment of the three Pfizer Clinical Research Units, located in the US, Europe and Asia, which led to being awarded certification by American Accreditation for Human Rights Protection Policies for their clinical research process, the first in industry to achieve such a recognition. Dr. Jorkasky has been vice president of Clinical Pharmacology at SmithKline Beecham, chief of the renal division at Presbyterian Medical Center and faculty member at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, where she had received her medical degree and did her nephrology fellowship. Dr. Jorkasky is a member of the Connecticut Academy of Science and Technology. She has been recognized by the Connecticut Women’s Hall of Fame for her scientific leadership and mentoring of young women and the Connecticut Council on Technology for her leadership in driving the creative technological advances in Pfizer’s clinical research units. Dr. Jorkasky is board certified in internal medicine, nephrology and clinical pharmacology. She has been on the faculties of UCSF, Yale, Penn and Uniformed Service of Health Sciences Medical Schools. She has published over 100 peer review articles and teaches internationally on drug development. Recently Dr. Jorkasky was selected to be a Woodrow Wilson visiting fellow. The College of Wooster, where she obtained her undergraduate degree in chemistry, has honored her with the Distinguished Graduate award in 2013.

Research Interest

Pharmaceuticals and life science