Team
The Milken Institute’s senior scientists serve as BD² program leaders ensuring the scientists, people with lived experience, clinicians, and philanthropists are working in concert.
Cara Altimus, PhD
Cara Altimus, PhD, is the Managing Director of BD² and a Managing Director at the Milken Institute, where she leads the Science Philanthropy Accelerator for Research and Collaboration (SPARC). Altimus developed and leads the Milken Institute’s work on bipolar disorder. Aligning the interests of multiple philanthropists, the research and clinical field, and people with lived experience, she facilitated the development of BD² from concept to reality.
Emily Baxi, PhD
Emily Baxi, PhD, is the Director of the BD² Integrated Network program and a Director at the Milken Institute, where she works on the Science Philanthropy Accelerator for Research and Collaboration (SPARC) team. Prior to joining the Institute, Baxi was an assistant professor at Johns Hopkins University where she served as the Executive Director of the Packard Center for ALS Research and Program Director for Answer ALS, a multi-institutional ALS research program.
Daniel Pham, PhD
Daniel Pham, PhD, is the Director of the BD² Discovery Research programs and a Director at the Milken Institute, where he works on the Science Philanthropy Accelerator for Research and Collaboration (SPARC) team. He has played a lead role in building the foundation for BD², cultivating productive collaborations, and co-authoring multiple publications on bipolar disorder. Pham also researched and wrote the Giving Smarter Guide, “Giving Smarter: Philanthropic Opportunities to Advance Bipolar Disorder Research.”
Veronica Beck, PhD
Veronica Beck, PhD, is the Program Manager for the BD² Integrated Network and an Associate Director at the Milken Institute, where she works on the Science Philanthropy Accelerator for Research and Collaboration (SPARC) team. A neuroscientist by training, Beck has experience fostering interdisciplinary partnerships between business, basic science, and medical science sectors as well as in managing projects and administering grant programs.
Kelsey Barcomb, PhD
Kelsey Barcomb, PhD, is the Program Manager for BD² Discovery Research efforts and a Senior Associate at the Milken Institute, where she works on the Science Philanthropy Accelerator for Research and Collaboration (SPARC) team. Barcomb received her doctorate in pharmacology from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and completed postdoctoral training in neuroscience. She uses her background in biomedical research and project management to oversee grants management and community building within BD².