The MPN Research Foundation Team
Meet our talented team of dedicated professionals who work tirelessly to further our mission of funding and advancing original research in pursuit of new treatments — and eventually cures — for myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs).
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 general inquiries or to inquire about available job opportunities, email communications@mpnrf.org.
Meet our team
Sara Douglas,
MSN, RN, OCN
- Director of Patient Engagement
Shira Epstein
-
Strategic Branding and Patient
Registry Advisor
Jill Hoffmann
- Senior Marketing and Communications Manager
Jennifer Karman, MBA
- Senior Operations Manager
Emily Laskowski, CCRP
- Patient Engagement Coordinator
Kat Menke
- Senior Executive Manager
Amielle Moreno, PhD
- Scientific Content Manager
Christina Persaud,
RN, BSN, CCRP
- Associate Director of Research Programs
Raajit Rampal, MD, PhD
- Medical Advisor
Raajit Rampal, MD, PhD
Dr. Raajit Rampal is a Hematologist at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, specializing in myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) and leukemia, and the Medical Advisor at MPN Research Foundation. 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 Clinical Fellowship in Hematology/Oncology/Post-doctoral laboratory fellowship at Memorial Sloan Kettering.
As a physician and translational 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.
Kiley Roach
- Grassroots Enablement Manager
Stephanie Scobey, MPH, BS, RN
- Associate Director of MPN PROGRESSion Registry
Lennah Trevino
- Marketing & Development Analyst
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.
Colleen Sonnefeldt
- Financial Controller
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 is the Chief Executive Officer of MPN Research Foundation. She has led the organization since September 2020, when it was entering into its 20th anniversary. MPN Research Foundation is now celebrating 25 years of impact — and Kapila has leveraged her diverse experience across startups, public and nonprofit sectors, academia, and industry to drive the Foundation’s mission forward. With a background in engineering and a strategic approach to leadership, she has guided MPN Research Foundation through continued innovation and pivotal growth.
Before joining the MPN Research Foundation, Kapila led a pipeline and launch strategy practice at a top pharmaceutical management consulting firm, where she worked with emerging biopharmaceutical and technology companies transitioning from clinical to commercial stages. She also played a key role in executing launch strategies for oncology and rare disease therapeutics. Previously, Kapila spearheaded incubation and seed funding programs in both academia and the public sector, accelerating the development of novel therapeutics and medical technologies. Her leadership as the life sciences portfolio lead for venture funding facilitated the launch of more than 20 biotechnology and medtech companies emerging from academia.
