Ashley Brenton

Vice President, Real-World Evidence & Genomics, Optum Life Sciences

Dr. Ashley Brenton, Ph.D., is the Vice President of Real-World Evidence and Genomics for Optum Life Sciences. Ashley is responsible for leading the data strategy, development, business development, and operations for real-world data with a focus on genomics. In this role, she bridges the gap between clinical genomics and product development to leverage the wealth of Optum data into commercial datasets and strategic alliances.

Prior to joining Optum, Dr. Brenton was the chief science officer at Mycroft Bioanalytics where she led corporate valuation and sales strategy of the intellectual property portfolio, including the world’s largest clinicogenomic biobank in chronic pain. Previously, Dr. Brenton developed and commercialized a number of precision medicine tests and algorithms while building clinicogenomic datasets. In addition to her product development in the space, she has established herself as a thought leader, publishing a number of manuscripts that provide support for the integration of clinicogenomics in healthcare.

Before entering the industry, Dr. Brenton was a molecular biologist in academia, earning a Bachelor’s in Public Health Studies from Johns Hopkins, a Ph.D. from the University of California Davis, and a viral pathogenesis fellowship from the Scripps Research Institute.

Nuray Yurt

Global Head of Artificial Intelligence, Novartis Oncology

Nuray Yurt, Ph.D., is the global head of artificial intelligence at Novartis Oncology since 2018. As a pharma executive, she leads data science teams and creates AI solutions for commercial and medical teams in the US and globally. As a business strategist, she has led several teams in the areas of business analysis, information management, market research, and data science within Novartis and other small biotechs.

Nuray has also been a board member of the Pharmaceutical Management Science Association since 2013, where she is currently vice president organizing the symposium and conferences for all new business analysts and data scientists.

She is also the president of the board for Peace Islands Institute where she partners with interfaith organizations to improve local peace within the NJ community.

Nuray has a Ph.D. in economics. She studied the effects of social ability on lifetime earnings at the University of Arizona and taught several courses on this subject.

Naveen Kumar

Founder & Head, GuardantINFORM

Naveen serves as the founder and head of GuardantINFORM, the real-world data (RWD) business of Guardant Health, a leading precision oncology company focused on helping conquer cancer globally through the use of its proprietary tests, vast data sets, and advanced analytics.

Prior to joining Guardant, Naveen held various positions of increasing responsibility, most recently vice president and chief strategy officer, at M2Gen, an oncology-focused bioinformatics solutions company, where he led the launch of the ORIEN network and the company’s spin-out from the Moffitt Cancer Center. Prior to M2Gen, Naveen held various roles in the finance and consulting industries advising life sciences clients on key strategic and financial matters. He holds a B.A. with Honors from New York University and an M.Sc. from the London School of Economics.