Team
BD²’s program leaders ensure that scientists, people with lived experience, clinicians, and philanthropists work in concert.
Cara Altimus, PhD
Cara Altimus leads BD², a philanthropic research initiative accelerating discovery and improving care for people living with bipolar disorder. She guided BD²’s strategy, operational build, and early growth, helping catalyze more than $250M in funding for the field. Her approach to science funding is grounded in rigor, patient insights, and a commitment to open science. She received her Ph.D. in cellular and molecular biology at Johns Hopkins and has focused her career on neuroscience. She currently serves on the board of the Ontario Brain Institute and previously led the Science Philanthropy Accelerator for Research and Collaboration (SPARC) program at the Milken Institute. Earlier in her career, she led the Neural Interfaces Laboratory at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Emily Baxi, PhD
Emily Baxi, PhD, brings deep expertise in designing and executing large-scale, multi-institutional scientific collaborations to the BD² Integrated Network. Her work focuses on building research ecosystems that align academic, clinical, data, and advocacy partners to accelerate translational discovery and impact in complex brain disorders. She previously served as a Director at the Milken Institute on the Science Philanthropy Accelerator for Research and Collaboration (SPARC) team. Prior to that, she was an assistant professor at Johns Hopkins University, where she served as Executive Director of the Packard Center for ALS Research and Program Director for Answer ALS, a multi-institutional ALS research initiative.
Daniel Pham, PhD
Daniel Pham, PhD, brings a strategic, partnership-driven approach to BD²’s Discovery Research programs, supporting efforts to advance bipolar disorder research. Daniel has played a key role in building the foundation for BD² and has co-authored multiple publications related to bipolar disorder research and science philanthropy. He is also the author of the “Giving Smarter Guide, Giving Smarter: Philanthropic Opportunities to Advance Bipolar Disorder Research”. He previously served as a Director at the Milken Institute on the Science Philanthropy Accelerator for Research and Collaboration (SPARC) team.
Veronica Beck, PhD
Veronica Beck, PhD, supports coordination and collaboration across the BD² Integrated Network. A neuroscientist by training, she brings experience fostering interdisciplinary partnerships across business, basic science, and medical research, as well as managing complex, multi-partner initiatives and grant programs. She previously served as an Associate Director at the Milken Institute on the Science Philanthropy Accelerator for Research and Collaboration (SPARC) team.
Kelsey Barcomb, PhD
Kelsey Barcomb, PhD, supports BD² Discovery Research through grants management, researcher engagement, and community building. Drawing on her background in biomedical research and project management, she helps steward grants management and community building within BD². She previously served as an Associate Director at the Milken Institute on the Science Philanthropy Accelerator for Research and Collaboration (SPARC) team. Prior to joining SPARC, she was a Project Manager for a team of investigators supported by Aligning Science Across Parkinson’s (ASAP). She received her doctorate in pharmacology from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus (CU-AMC) and completed postdoctoral training in neuroscience at Brown University and CU-AMC.