The MPN Research Foundation Team
MPN Research Foundation is proud to have a small but mighty professional staff with multi-disciplinary expertise spanning research, healthcare, strategic management, entrepreneurship, fundraising & development, marketing, technology and operations.
For nearly 25 years, MPN Research Foundation has had a significant impact on establishing MPNs as a disease area, seeding community, and advancing the science and prognosis for MPN patients by funding rigorous and important original MPN research around the world. Many advancements have been made, but there is much yet to do. Our team’s strong scientific and thought leadership continues to expand its effectiveness on behalf of the MPN community, to truly impact future MPN outcomes.
For general inquiries or to inquire about available job opportunities, email: communications@mpnrf.org.
Meet our team

Sara Douglas,
MSN, RN, OCN
- Associate Director of Patient Engagement

Jill Hoffmann
- Marketing and Communications Manager

Jennifer Karman, MBA
- Operations Manager

Kat Menke
- Executive Assistant

Amielle Moreno, PhD
- Scientific Content Manager

Jennifer Nam
- Registry Program Manager

Christina Persaud,
RN, BSN, CCRP
- Senior Manager of Research Programs

Raajit Rampal, MD, PhD
- Medical Advisor
Rajit Rampal, MD, PhD
Dr. Rampal is a Hematological Oncologist at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Canter in New York, specializing in myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) and leukemia. Dr. Rampal began his medical career at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, where he earned his MD and PhD in molecular and cellular biology. He went on to complete residency training at the University of Chicago Hospitals, and a fellowship at Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, before specializing in hematological oncology at Memorial Sloan Kettering.
As a physician and active researcher, Dr. Rampal’s expertise lies in the treatment of MPNs and leukemia. He is dedicated to creating novel targeted agents and conducts research into genetic events driving disease development and progression to achieve this. Dr Rampal also conducts preclinical therapeutic modeling and runs early phase investigational clinical trials.

Clark Rachuig
-
Senior Manager of Fundraising
and Growth Strategy

Kiley Roach
- Grassroots Enablement Specialist

David Shoultz, PhD, MBA
- Chief Scientific Officer
David Shoultz, PhD, MBA
David joined MPN Research Foundation as its first Chief Scientific Officer (CSO) in January 2025 at the 25th Anniversary of the organization. David was previously the co-founder and Chief Operating Officer (COO) of a biotechnology company launched from the University of Washington lab of Nobel-prize winning chemist, Dr. David Baker. In this role, David was responsible for not only operations, but also for leading the company’s product development advisory board and providing key inputs to strategy.
Prior to that, David held leadership positions in different drug development companies and foundations, including PPD (now ThermoFisher), PRA International (now ICON), the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, PATH, and the Geneva Foundation. At the Geneva Foundation, David was the founding Chair of the Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) and also served on the Board of Directors for a decade.
In addition to his full-time role at MPN Research Foundation, David is also an Affiliate Professor of Epidemiology at the University of Washington. He teaches courses on epidemiology in the Health Administration and Health Informatics and Health Information Management programs, and is a research mentor to undergraduate and graduate students. He is also a Non-Executive Director at Proteotype Diagnostics, a UK-based company focused on the early detection and diagnosis of cancer.

Lennah Trevino
- Marketing & Development Analyst

Amanda Williams
- Director of Operations and Growth Strategy

Rick Winneker, PhD
- Scientific Advisor
Rick Winneker, PhD
Rick Winneker specializes in drug discovery and development, life science research and organizational strategic planning and project management. During his 35-year scientific career, Rick has worked in all phases of R&D including building several pharmaceutical research organizations. Most notable is his work shaping and leading several pharmaceutical research departments in endocrinology and women’s health that resulted in multiple compounds being delivered to the development pipeline along with four registered products.
Rick has held several pivotal roles in his career, his last being SVP for Research at the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS). While at LLS he built and led a research group focused on improving the standard of care and accelerating cures for patients with blood cancers. He transformed the way research was conducted by adding more therapy related strategic partnerships and further engaged the academic and biopharma community. He expanded and strengthened the research staff and portfolio; led the strategic planning of future innovations in research funding programs and increased awareness of LLS programs and accomplishments.
Prior to LLS, Rick worked for 14 years at Wyeth Research, spearheading a drug discovery group focused on contraception, menopausal symptoms and reproductive disorders in women. Rick first joined Wyeth as Director of the Women’s Health Research Group and later promoted to Assistant Vice President, Women’s Health & Musculoskeletal Biology. Before joining Wyeth Research, Rick worked for Sterling Winthrop Pharmaceuticals Research Group for over 12 years where he started his career as a Senior Research Biologist in the Department of Endocrinology.
Currently Rick is using his R&D and disease foundation experience as an independent consultant. His industry clients included BioMotiv, Therapeutics MD, Therapy Architects, Quintiles and The One Health Company and non-profit clients included the Gateway Foundation for Cancer Research, Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation, Cutaneous Lymphoma Foundation and NephCure Kidney International. Since 2018, the majority of his time has been in support of the Myeloproliferative Neoplasms Research Foundation, where he provides scientific oversight for existing research funding programs while spearheading future research strategies.
Rick earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Penn State University, a Master of Science degree in Physiology from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and a PhD in Anatomy from the University of Minnesota. Rick has over 80 publications in peer reviewed scientific journals, along with multiple patents, and is a contributing author of several book chapters.

Kapila Viges
- Chief Executive Officer
Kapila Viges
Kapila transitioned to the leadership role of the MPN Research Foundation in September 2020, at the 20th Anniversary mark of the founding of the organization. Most recently, Kapila has been leading a pipeline and launch strategy practice at a leading pharmaceutical management consulting firm. Working with emerging biotechs transitioning from clinical to commercial stage, Kapila has been executing launch strategy and planning for oncology and rare disease therapeutics.
Prior to that, Kapila led biotech incubation and seed funding programs in academia and the public sector, defining and implementing innovative approaches to accelerating therapeutic candidates and medical technologies from the lab into the clinic. She led the launch of over 20 bio and med tech companies spinning out of academia and served as the life science portfolio lead for venture funding.
Kapila brings experience from startups, public, non-profit, academic, and industry sectors, as well as engineering training, to execute effective approaches to advance therapies for patients with high unmet needs.