Creativity and Connection: A Conversation with The Children’s Tumor Foundation (CTF)

By Rory McCann, Marketing Manager & Conference Producer, LSN

Life Science Nation (LSN) is a proud partner of The Children’s Tumor Foundation (CTF) and their mission to drive research, expand knowledge, and advance care for those suffering from Neurofibromatosis (NF). We sat down with CTF President, Dr. Annette Bakker and Vice President of Development, Barbara Gallagher to discuss CTF’s work in the NF community, including the upcoming Hack for NF hackathon, taking place October 2-November 13, 2020, as well as Dr. Bakker’s participation on the AI and Precision Medicine Investments panel at the digital partnering conference, 4D Meets AI, taking place next week – September 17-18, 2020.

Listen to our conversation as we discuss the role of foundations like CTF in scientific research and healthcare innovation.

Annette Bakker, PhD, President, The Children’s Tumor Foundation (CTF)

Annette Bakker, the Children’s Tumor Foundation’s President, holds a PhD in cell biology from the University of Antwerp. Her past experience includes serving as Oncology Group Leader at Janssen Pharmaceutica, and postdoctoral fellowships at Yale University and La Salpetriere, Paris. Before joining the Children’s Tumor Foundation, Dr. Bakker served as head of the Oncology R&D department for a biotech company in Siena, Tuscany. While there, she designed and created a neuro-oncology department from the ground up, and managed large oncology research initiatives both nationally (Italian networks) and internationally (European and Asian networks). Dr. Bakker’s research has been internationally recognized by more than 30 peer-reviewed papers, patents, and awards, and she has extensive experience liaising and negotiating with biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies. In her role at the Children’s Tumor Foundation, Annette and her team will continue to build a strong NF community, design and execute innovative business models to accelerate the path from basic discovery to clinical benefit for NF patients, develop partnerships with pharmaceutical and biotech industries, and attract new scientists and funders to the NF field. Annette is originally from Belgium, and speaks four languages (English, French, Dutch, and Italian). She lives happily in Westchester, NY with her family.

Barbara Gallagher, Vice President, Development, The Children’s Tumor Foundation (CTF)

Senior executive with expertise in non-profit management, strategic planning, fundraising, sponsorship, events, volunteer engagement, major gifts and communications. Results-oriented leader with established track record of building collaborative relationships with Board members, volunteer leaders, donors and corporate partners resulting in campaign revenue milestones. Experienced manager with the ability to coach and develop staff in different roles across an organization.