Harnessing the Power of Real-World Data for New Therapies

Michael Fronstin, Innovator in Life Sciences and Founder, Vireo Strategies LLC

Michael Fronstin is the founder of Vireo Strategies and currently serves as the Fractional General Manager at HealthVerity, where he is leading the launch of HealthVerity eXOs, a new Agentic AI platform embedded with claims and real-world data.

Previously, Michael was the Global Head of Clinical Research & Consulting and General Manager, Real-World Evidence (RWE) at Oracle Life Sciences and Cerner Enviza, where he championed the integration of patient centricity across Oracle’s life sciences portfolio.

Michael has been instrumental in linking patient-reported outcomes (PROs) and Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) data to claims and EHR datasets, driving deeper insights into patient experiences and real-world outcomes. Earlier in his career, he spent almost 20 years at Kantar Health in multiple roles, including Global Head of Innovation (RWE).

In addition to his industry work, Michael partners with patient advocacy organizations to build and leverage patient registries in rare diseases, advancing the use of RWE to accelerate access to new therapies. He holds an MBA in Healthcare Administration from the University of Miami Herbert Business School.

Manfred Stapff, MD, PhD, Founder and Principal, Candid - Advisory Inc

Dr. Manfred Stapff, MD, PHD, is a distinguished Physician, Researcher and Thought Leader in clinical research and data science. With over two decades of experience in the medical and pharmaceutical industries, Dr. Stapff has been at the forefront of integrating real-world evidence (RWE) into healthcare and beyond. He has held senior leadership roles, driving innovation and shaping strategies that bridge scientific rigor with practical application.

Known for his passion for evidence-based decision-making, Dr. Stapff has dedicated his career to empowering others to think critically and navigate the challenges of misinformation in today’s complex, data-driven world.

Katherine Vandebelt, CEO, Van de Bytes & Mentor Advisor, PharmStars

With over thirty years of experience in clinical research, Katherine has had the privilege of working across geographies and therapeutic areas, creating and transforming processes along the way. She remains passionate about driving digital adoption, a momentum that accelerated during the pandemic, and continues to learn and apply new approaches.

Her goal is to help introduce better experiences that make the clinical research ecosystem work for everyone: patients, healthcare professionals, sponsors and regulators.

Aracelis Torres, PhD, MPH, Senior Vice President of Data & Science, Verana Health

Aracelis Torres, PhD, MPH, is the Senior Vice President of Data & Science, where she oversees the Quantitative Sciences team, which develops rigorous methodologies to generate sound scientific evidence from real-world data, as well as the commercial services and operations team that manages client deliverables.

Dr. Torres is an Epidemiologist with over ten years of academic and industry experience. Before joining Verana Health, she served as the Director of Quantitative Sciences at Flatiron Health, where her work focused on translating real-world oncology data to generate evidence. While at Flatiron Health, she led efforts related to the development of real-world endpoints, novel study designs and prospective evidence generation while also serving as the Quantitative Sciences lead for the organization’s broader research collaboration with the FDA. She is also currently an Adjunct Professor at Columbia University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, where she teaches a course on large-scale data processing and analysis.

Dr. Torres earned her PhD in Cancer Epidemiology from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, an MPH in Chronic Disease Epidemiology from Yale University’s School of Public Health and a BS in Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology from Yale University.