Chairman
Dr. Heatherington most recently served at Takeda Pharmaceuticals as Head of Data Sciences Institute (DSI) and R&D Chief Data and Technology Officer. In this role, Dr. Heatherington led the company’s data, digital, and technology strategy across R&D. She oversaw a multidisciplinary team of quantitative scientists, safety experts, and technology innovators who integrated data, digital tools, and AI to accelerate the development of safe, innovative therapies. Under her leadership, DSI brought together diverse expertise – from biostatistics, programming, clinical and quantitative pharmacology, and real-world data sciences to data engineering, AI, and digital strategy – to advance data-driven decision making and enable a modern, connected R&D ecosystem. Dr. Heatherington is deeply committed to fostering a digital culture that embraces innovation, improves understanding of benefit-risk, and empowers teams to do more for patients. She has over 20 years’ experience leading organizations and programs in large pharma, mid-size biotechs and start-up organizations, including Summit Therapeutics, Pfizer Ltd., and Amgen Inc. She has focused primarily on the application of quantitative principles to clinical drug development and decision-making. Dr. Heatherington received her bachelor’s degree in pharmacy from Queen’s University Belfast, Northern Ireland, and her Ph.D. in pharmacokinetics from the University of Manchester, England. She was a Senior Research Fellow at the Center for Bioengineering at University of Washington, Seattle.
