Biopharma

Dan Dubin, M.D., is the Vice Chairman and Head of Biopharma Investment Banking at SVB Leerink and sits on the firm’s executive committee.

For over 20 years, Dr. Dubin has advised life sciences companies and investors and has executed numerous financing, partnership, and M&A transactions for clients. Prior to joining the firm in 1999, Dr. Dubin co-founded MEDACorp, a provider of insights on the commercial potential of biotherapeutics and medical devices to healthcare companies and investors. Preceding the founding of MEDACorp, he was an Instructor in Dermatology at Harvard Medical School and held a staff appointment at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital where he was the Ambulatory Medical Director of Clinical Dermatology and a member of the Clinical Executive Committee.

Dr. Dubin serves as a director of Olivo Labs and has served as a director of Leerink Partners and Living Proof. Additionally he has served as Chairman of MetaWorks, which was sold to UBC in 2005. He also served as a member of the Science and Strategy Advisory Committee to GSK/Stiefel and an advisor to SKS Ocular.

Dr. Dubin is a graduate of Dartmouth College and Harvard Medical School and completed both an internship in Medicine and a residency in Dermatology at the Massachusetts General Hospital. He has published over 30 manuscripts in peer reviewed publications and performed a NIH training fellowship at the Harvard Skin Disease Research Center.

Gabe Cavazos is a Managing Director in Investment Banking at SVB Leerink.

Mr. Cavazos joined SVB Leerink in 2008 from J.P. Morgan where he was a member of the Mergers & Acquisitions group in the New York office. He covers East Coast and European biopharma companies and has 10+ years of transaction experience, including more than 80 transactions across M&A advisory, equity and equity linked financings. Prior to J.P. Morgan, Mr. Cavazos spent eight years in the pharmaceutical industry at Merck and Pfizer.

Mr. Cavazos earned his M.B.A. from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and a B.S. from The University of Michigan.

Jon Civitarese is a Managing Director in Investment Banking at SVB Leerink.

Mr. Civitarese was one of the firm’s earliest employees when he joined SVB Leerink in 1995, providing advisory services to high-net-worth individuals in the Private Client Group prior to moving to Investment Banking. Since 1999, his activities have included advising public and private life science companies on strategic initiatives and equity capital financing as part of SVB Leerink’s investment banking team. In addition to his primary banking responsibilities, Mr. Civitarese has also served as a senior member of the Capital Markets team since 2001.

Mr Civitarese began his career by serving in the U.S. Army as an infantry soldier, and later graduated from the University of Maine.

Murphy Gallagher is a Managing Director in Investment Banking at SVB Leerink covering the Biopharma sector. Mr. Gallagher focuses on biopharma companies in western North America and Asia.

Prior to joining the firm in 2009,  Mr. Gallagher was a member of the Global Healthcare Investment Banking Group at Merrill Lynch in San Francisco. He has expertise in capital markets, mergers and acquisitions and strategic advisory assignments.

Mr. Gallagher earned a B.A. from Georgetown University

Irena Melnikova, Ph.D., is a Managing Director in Investment Banking at SVB Leerink covering the Biopharma sector. Dr. Melnikova advises clients on equity financing strategies, including private placement financings, initial public offerings, alternative go-public strategies and follow-ons.

Dr. Melnikova was previously a Director of Investment Banking at the firm in 2005. A few years later she took the role as Principal at TVM Capital, a global life sciences venture capital firm, investing in biopharmaceutical and medical technology companies. Before rejoining SVB Leerink in 2014, Dr. Melnikova was a Managing Director at Burrill & Company, and prior to that, Director of Strategy and External Innovation at Sanofi responsible for identifying partnering opportunities in the Northeast U.S.

Dr. Melnikova earned an M.S. with Honors in Chemical Engineering from Russian University of Chemical Technology and a Ph.D. in Molecular Medicine/Molecular Biology from the University of Texas.

Mike Drendel is a Managing Director in Investment Banking at SVB Leerink.

Mr. Drendel brings over 20 years of investment banking experience. Prior to joining the firm in 2015, Mr. Drendel worked at Lazard as a Managing Director advising specialty pharmaceuticals companies in M&A transactions.  Prior to Lazard, Mr. Drendel worked in the healthcare investment banking group at Wells Fargo Securities on a variety of advisory and corporate finance transactions. Mr. Drendel’s deal experience includes sellside M&A and buyside M&A for both private and public companies, debt and private equity recapitalizations, and equity and equity-linked capital markets transactions.

Mr. Drendel earned his M.B.A. from the University of Chicago and his bachelor of business administration degree from the University of Notre Dame.

Byron Webster is a Managing Director in Investment Banking at SVB Leerink and is focused on the Specialty Pharmaceuticals sector. Mr. Webster has over 13 years of experience advising pharmaceutical companies on M&A, private and public financing assignments.

Prior to joining the firm in 2015, Mr. Webster worked Lazard where he was a Vice President in the Healthcare Group. Prior to Lazard, Mr. Webster began his career at Wells Fargo Securities.

Mr. Webster earned a B.A.  summa cum laude from Wake Forest University.

Dr. Porges is Senior Managing Director, Director of Therapeutics Research and a Senior Research Analyst at SVB Leerink covering Diversified Biopharmaceutical stocks. He brings to the firm over 25 years of expertise in advisory, executive and investment roles in the biopharmaceutical industry.

Prior to joining the firm in 2015, Dr. Porges established biotechnology research coverage at Sanford C. Bernstein where he became one of the most respected independent analysts of the industry. Before that, Dr. Porges served as Director of Life Sciences and Chief Operating Officer at BTG PLC and previously served in a variety of positions at Merck & Co, including Head of Worldwide Marketing in the Vaccine Division at Merck & Co.

Dr. Porges has been consistently ranked as one of Wall Street’s most influential biotechnology analysts. He is a frequent media contributor regarding investment opportunities, and risks, in the biopharmaceutical sector and his research covers the gamut from breakthrough scientific advances and early development programs to industry structure, strategy and valuation.

Dr. Porges earned his medical degree from the University of Sydney and trained in pediatric and internal medicine in Australia. He is also a graduate of Harvard Business School, where he was a Baker Scholar.

Andrew Berens, M.D., is a Senior Research Analyst at SVB Leerink covering Targeted Oncology.

Prior to joining the firm in 2018, Dr. Berens was an Executive Director and Senior Biotechnology Research Analyst at Morgan Stanley focusing on mid and small cap biotechnology companies. Dr. Berens practiced as an emergency medicine physician for a decade before starting his career in equity research. He also worked in the pharma industry at Ikaria Pharmaceuticals, where he was a Senior Director in business development, leading search and development efforts.

In 2017 he was named a Runner Up in Institutional Investor’s 2017 All–America Research Team for Biotechnology/Mid- & Small-Cap.

Dr. Berens earned M.B.A. degrees from Columbia Business School and London Business School, his M.D. from Emory University, and an undergraduate degree in English Literature from Tulane University.

Jonathan Chang, Ph.D., CFA, is a Senior Research Analyst at SVB Leerink covering Emerging Oncology. Dr. Chang has been an important contributor to the firm’s biotechnology research product and insights.

Dr. Chang joined the firm in 2013 as an Associate supporting the firm’s senior oncology biotechnology research team and in 2016 he assumed research coverage of several important emerging biotechnology companies.

In 2018, Dr. Chang was named a Rising Star in Institutional Investor’s 2018 All-America Research Team for Biotechnology/Mid- & Small-Cap.

Dr. Chang earned a Ph.D. in Pharmacology from Cornell University, a M.A. in Biotechnology from Columbia University, and a Honors B.Sc. in Genes, Genetics, and Biotechnology from the University of Toronto. Dr. Chang is a CFA charterholder.

Mani Foroohar, M.D., is a Senior Research Analyst within our Therapeutics team focusing on Genetic Medicines.

Dr. Foroohar joins SVB Leerink from Aptigon Capital, a Citadel Company, where he most recently was a Therapeutics Analyst focused on U.S. and EU biotechnology, major pharmaceuticals and specialty pharmaceuticals sectors. Prior to Aptigon, Dr. Foroohar was an Analyst at Green Owl Capital Management and an Assistant Vice President of Equity Research at Barclays. In 2013, Dr. Foroohar co-founded Cellanyx Diagnostics, a company developing a proprietary live tumor cell, phenotypic platform for precision risk stratification in cancer to inform clinical treatment decision making.

Dr. Foroohar holds an M.D. from Stanford, where he was a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Research Fellow in the Department of Genetics, M.B.A. from Columbia, and a B.S. from UCLA.

Marc Goodman is a Senior Research Analyst at SVB Leerink covering Neuroscience and Ophthalmology.

Prior to joining the firm in 2018, Mr. Goodman was most recently a Managing Director and U.S. Healthcare Analyst at UBS Investment Bank where he focused on large-cap and specialty pharmaceuticals sectors. Prior to UBS, Mr. Goodman covered specialty pharmaceuticals and generics sectors for over 15 years as a Managing Director at Crédit Suisse AG and as an Executive Director at Morgan Stanley.

Mr. Goodman has been ranked by Institutional Investor as a top analyst in Specialty Pharmaceuticals for well over a decade and has also expanded his coverage and interests into global and emerging biopharmaceutical companies in recent years.

Mr. Goodman earned his M.B.A. from The Ohio State University and his B.A. in Economics from Tufts University.

Daina Graybosch, Ph.D., is a Senior Research Analyst at SVB Leerink covering Immuno-Oncology.

Prior to joining the firm in 2018, Dr. Graybosch worked at McKinsey & Company as a Senior Expert and Head of Mckinsey’s Center for Asset Optimization, as well as the U.S. Head of the McKinsey Cancer Center. In these roles, Dr. Graybosch developed several McKinsey solutions that bring data and advanced analytics to pharmaceutical development decisions. In her 11 years at McKinsey, Dr. Graybosch developed a rich understanding of oncology through her work with companies across the value chain, including Pharmaceutical, Diagnostic, Academic Medical Center, and Genomic/Data.

Dr. Graybosch earned a Ph.D. in Chemistry and Chemical Biology from Harvard University and dual B.S. degrees in Biology and Chemistry from the University of Utah.

Joseph Schwartz is a Senior Research Analyst at SVB Leerink covering Rare Diseases.

Prior to joining the firm in 2003, Mr. Schwartz provided economic and strategic consulting services to biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies with Charles River Associates. Earlier in his career, Mr. Schwartz held equity research positions at SG Cowen, State Street Research, and J.P. Morgan, where he analyzed the fundamental performance drivers of investments in the health care, retail, consumer, media, and entertainment sectors.

Mr. Schwartz was named #1 Stock Picker for Pharmaceuticals in the 2011 FT/StarMine Analyst Awards. In 2010, he earned the Wall Street Journal’s #1 ranking for biotech stock picking as part of its “Best on the Street” analysts survey, which topped his #2 ranking in the Journal’s 2008 “Best on the Street” rankings.

Mr. Schwartz earned an M.B.A. from Babson College and a B.A. in Economics from Colby College.

Thomas J. Smith is a Senior Research Analyst at SVB Leerink covering Immunology and Metabolism. Prior to covering the Immunology and Metabolism sector, Mr. Smith was a key member of SVB Leerink’s Targeted Oncology team helping to deliver in-depth fundamental research to clients.

Prior to joining the firm in 2018, Mr. Smith was most recently a Vice President and Research Analyst at Morgan Stanley, covering leading and emerging biopharmaceutical companies across numerous therapeutic areas, including oncology, NASH, and lead coverage of women’s health companies. Prior to that, Mr. Smith worked at FBR Capital Markets on the biotechnology team, responsible for coverage of large, mid-, and small cap companies. Mr. Smith began his career at Bloomberg where he held roles of increasing responsibility, including coverage of the biotech and specialty pharmaceutical sectors for Bloomberg Intelligence.

Mr. Smith earned his B.S. in Finance and Psychology from The College of New Jersey.