Phoenix Healthcare & Life Sciences Summit

As President and CEO of AZBio, Joan Koerber-Walker works on behalf of the Arizona Bioscience and Medical Technology Industry to support the growth of the industry, its members, and our community on the local and national level. Ms. Koerber-Walker is also a life science investor and has served on the boards of numerous for-profit and non-profit organizations. The Arizona Bioindustry Association, Inc. (AZBio) serves as the unified voice of the bioscience industry in Arizona. AZBio strives to make Arizona a place where bioscience organizations can grow and succeed. It accomplishes this by creating a forum for the bioscience community to come together, educating policy makers and the public, influencing public policy, and advancing the economic interests of individual organizations as well as the sector as a whole. In the life science industry, Ms. Koerber-Walker is a past-Chair of the State Medical Technology Alliance (SMTA), a consortium of state and regional trade associations representing their local medical technology companies. SMTA’s mission is to collectively support the medical technology industry on the local, state and national levels by fostering a collaborative environment through sharing of best practices, promoting the industry, and advocating for public policies that support innovation. She also represents Arizona as a member of the Council of State Bioscience Associations (CSBA) and the Coalition of State Bioscience Institutes (CSBI). Active in the entrepreneurial and investment communities, she also serves as Chairman of the Board of the Opportunity Through Entrepreneurship Foundation which provides entrepreneurial education, mentoring and support to at-risk members of the community and AZAdvances, OTEF’s initiative to support the community effort to make Arizona home to a Top-Ten health innovation sector, on the Board of Advisors to CellTrust, Inc. which provides secure communication technology to the healthcare industry, and as Chairman of CorePurpose, Inc. which she founded in 2002. Her past experience includes two years as the CEO of ASBA (the Arizona Small Business Association), service as a member of the Board of Trustees of the National Small Business Association in Washington D.C.; President of the National Speakers Association/Arizona; Chair of the Board of Advisors to Parenting Arizona, the state’s largest child abuse prevention organization; as a member of the Executive Committee of the Industry Advisory Board for the Thomas and Joan Read Center at Texas A&M University; on the Board of Directors of the Arizona Technology Council; as Treasurer and Board Member for Ribomed Biotechnologies, Inc.; and as an executive at Avnet, Inc, where, for over a 20 year, span she held a wide variety of roles in sales, marketing, technology, supply chain management, and global administration.

Mohammad Z. Albanna, PhD, is currently a VP of Clinical and Scientific Affairs at Pinnacle Transplant Technologies, a regenerative medicine and tissue bank company, Adj AssistantP Professor of General Surgery at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, and Founding President of Humabiologics. He was an R&D Senior Lead Scientist at COOK Regentec and a team leader and research scientist at Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine (WFIRM) on projects utilizing skin and stem cells for developing dermal/epidermal skin substitutes. He is a consultant in the space of Medical Devices,Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, Biomaterials, Scaffold design, fabrication and validation, and utility of stem cells for tissue engineering applications and regulation of stem cell therapies.

Kyle serves as Vice President and Market Executive for Phoenix and Seattle and is responsible for new developments, marketing, leasing, community engagement, construction, and operations in those markets. The first project in Phoenix is 850 PBC, a 227,000 SF building in partnership with Arizona State University and the City of Phoenix at the Phoenix Bioscience Core. This building provides a bioscience focused innovation and research space for ASU, CEI, and private companies, resulting in the beginning of a vibrant Knowledge Community in downtown Phoenix. Prior to joining the Wexford team, Kyle was a Development Manager for PEG Companies, a full- service real estate firm based in Utah. He has completed extensive underwriting and due diligence throughout the United States and brings development experience in a variety of asset types and markets. His experience includes the development of a 1,604 bed student housing community at Utah Valley University, over 450 apartment units, and hotels in multiple states. He received his Bachelor of Science in Facility and Property Management from Brigham Young University and a Master of Business Administration in Real Estate from the University of Utah. Kyle currently serves on the Downtown Phoenix Inc Board, Phoenix Community Alliance Board, ULI2D Committee, and the BYU Facility and Property Management Industry Advisory Council.

Bringing nearly 20 years of experience to the role, Gonzo Gonzalez is Jokake’s Project Executive for the healthcare and life sciences market sector. Gonzo is responsible for the leadership of his team, business development efforts, and the development of projects from conception to completion. He excels at building relationships with clients and ensuring their experience is not only positive and successful, but more importantly, enjoyable. In his 7 years at Jokake, Gonzo has provided immense value through mentorship, training, and teaching. His collaborative approach to partnership gives clients and design partners confidence in creative solutions that align with business objectives. As a native, Gonzo is passionate about the Phoenix built environment, as well as being involved in community-focused philanthropic groups.

Valorie Hargett, IIDA, is Vice President, Business Development for Jensen Hughes in the Rocky Mountain Region. Jensen Hughes, a leading consulting firm specializing in fire protection, accessibility consulting, risk and hazard analysis, forensic investigations, security risk consulting, emergency management, digital solutions, and other related safety services across multiple markets and industries including healthcare and life sciences. She is a strategic leader with a proven track record in the sales and delivery of professional planning, engineering, design, and construction services. Her background spans multiple markets and services including public and private real estate portfolio strategies and planning, workplace strategies, healthcare, laboratory, and mission critical, water/wastewater, transportation, chemical, oil, and gas across the U.S. and internationally. Ms. Hargett is responsible for building long-standing partnerships and market growth across the region which includes Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah. Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho. A Colorado native, she graduated from Colorado State University with a degree in Interior Architecture. Her career began in the Phoenix architectural community and includes 16 years with Jacobs Solutions in various consulting and sales roles, 5 years with AECOM, as Vice President of Workplace Strategies, as well as Co-Owner and Principal of DesignAlliance – a niche consulting firm.

Aric Bopp is the Executive Director for Discovery Oasis at Mayo Clinic, Arizona. Discovery Oasis (www.discoveryoasis.com) is an expansive 120-acre development in Phoenix, adjacent to world-renowned Mayo Clinic, envisioned as a biotechnology corridor of collaboration to advance groundbreaking solutions to humanity’s most complex medical challenges. Discovery Oasis creates an ecosystem of biomedical innovation among a community of established and early stage biotechnology companies, researchers, educators, entrepreneurs, and medical practitioners who are leading the transformation of healthcare. With an ideal climate, location and economic development infrastructure, Discovery Oasis is an exceptional co-location opportunity for companies with biomedicine, health sciences, medical technologies, big data, and computational focus. Aric Bopp previously led the economic development and innovation zone efforts of ASU Knowledge Enterprise, with a specific focus on development of the NOVUS Innovation Corridor and the seven (7) ASU Innovation Zones. In his role, he helped make Arizona more economically competitive and promote the assets available at ASU to the private sector. He worked closely with the Arizona Commerce Authority, Greater Phoenix Economic Council, brokerage and real estate community, and local economic developers. Internal to ASU, he also worked with ASU Corporate Engagement and Strategic Partnerships, Career Development and Professional Services, Office of Government and Community Engagement, and the University Real Estate Office. Before coming to ASU, Bopp served as the deputy director of strategic initiatives for the city of Mesa, where he focused on development of the Mesa Gateway area. He also served as the program manager for the city of Phoenix, where he directed and implemented projects that support the city’s commercial, office and industrial development. Prior to moving to Arizona in 2015, Bopp was the executive director for Virginia’s New River Valley Economic Development Alliance. Bopp has served on a variety of economic development boards and organizations throughout the years, including the Arizona Technology Council, Queen Creek Economic Development Commission, and the Chandler Economic Development Advisory Board. He also volunteers with the community in several capacities, including coaching Little League Softball. He was named as one of the Top 20 Leaders Under 40 in 2007 by the Blue Ridge Business Journal and the 2011 Business Executive of the Year by the Pulaski County (VA) Chamber of Commerce. Bopp earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from the Johns Hopkins University, attended graduate school in economics at the University of Virginia and received his certified economic developer certification (CEcD) in 2014 through the International Economic Development Council.

Merging her knowledge of healthcare with a strong background in real estate, Jaime Northam can offer creative approaches to identifying reasonable and attainable results for key stakeholders within health systems and physician groups. Using her 20 years of industry experience and expertise in healthcare real estate across multiple facets, from development and acquisitions to asset management, leasing and construction management; Northam is responsible for overseeing development, market growth and strategy for Ryan Companies’ healthcare sector in the western United States, including Arizona, California, Oregon and Washington. Northam was formerly Senior Vice President at a leading national healthcare REIT, Healthcare Trust of America, Inc. (HTA) and led the overall direction, strategy, negotiations and performance for a portfolio spread across more than 25 markets, while identifying new development and acquisition opportunities in key markets. She understands the value of relationship building and identifying the most efficient and effective means to achieving the desired results for all parties involved in the development of healthcare facilities.

Nicole Woodrick serves as the Director of Corporate Engagement & Strategic Partnerships. In this capacity, she works to advance strategic research, education and industry collaborations with an emphasis on health care initiatives. Prior to joining ASU, Nicole held roles in hospital research and has been published on the topic of health disparities. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Arizona and her master’s degree from the University of Chicago.

As Corgan’s Healthcare Sector Leader, AJ supports and oversees the development of Corgan's national healthcare practice with a focus on thought leadership, growth, and client engagement. AJ’s experience includes all aspects of planning and design with an emphasis on hospitals, ambulatory care facilities, and specialty centers of excellence. He has served as Principal-in-Charge, project manager, and design architect, in various capacities from business development, to managing projects. In addition to his state licenses in Arizona and New Mexico, AJ is one of only 14 board-certified healthcare architects in Arizona and was named one of the top leaders for Arizona architecture in 2021 and 2023.

Akshay, a board-certified healthcare architect, brings remarkable understanding of clinical processes coupled with knowledge of LEAN and EBD practices to Page and its clients. Since joining the firm in 2012 as a Tradewell Fellow, Akshay has worked on several healthcare projects and studies around the world. His forte lies in strategic visioning, masterplanning, programming and planning of healthcare facilities. Through active facilitation of client and user work sessions, Akshay strives to gain insight into their wants, needs, and experiences, thus enabling him to design highly functional, warm, and engaging spaces.

Derek is an accomplished professional with a diverse background in healthcare construction. With experience ranging from managing a $285M tower, surgery unit, and central plant project to handling intricate radiotherapy vaults across the country, he has developed a deep understanding of the industry. Over the past decade, Derek has primarily focused on design-build projects, allowing him to excel in both the technical aspects of construction and the clinical requirements of healthcare facilities. Working extensively in active acute settings, he firmly believes in the value of meticulous design to streamline construction processes and minimize disruptions. Derek takes pride in his role as a facilitator, guiding design, clinical, and construction teams to deliver exceptional outcomes for hospitals. His dedication to incorporating every detail into the design ensures that the end product aligns seamlessly with the needs of healthcare providers, ultimately enabling them to enhance patient care. Derek is a dedicated partner to healthcare facilities, committing his expertise in medical construction to support their mission of providing top-quality care to patients.

Dr. Evan Darzi (U of Oregon, PhD 2016) performed a NIH funded postdoctoral fellowship at UCLA from 2017-2020. Working in collaboration with Dr. Garg at UCLA, Dr. Darzi co-authored four publications and was named an inventor on one patent and one provisional patent application. He received the prestigious UCLA Chemistry & Biochemistry Postdoctoral Research Award in 2019. Dr. Darzi is the visionary scientist who developed our THC-detection technology using electrochemistry.