Intelligent guidance for the CDCN’s future

Founded in 2016, the CDCN’s advisory council provides experience and expertise in a wide range of fields and backgrounds. Their depth and breadth of collective knowledge provides the CDCN with invaluable guidance and consultation.

Tony Forte

Tony Forte is a commercial real estate attorney focused on development and transactions, with expertise in site acquisition, land use approvals, construction, historic preservation, and leasing. He has advised clients in the multi-family residential, retail, and hospitality industries, as well as on major mixed-use and large construction projects in Philadelphia. Recognized by Chambers USA as one of “America’s Leading Lawyers in Real Estate” every year since 2009, Tony also serves in firm leadership roles, including on the Diversity & Inclusion Committee and as Co-Chair of the LGBTQ Resource Group. He is active in the community as a Board Member of FringeArts, President of the Philadelphia Chapter of Lambda Alpha International, Co-Chair of the FEASTIVAL fundraiser, and a member of the Impact Development Roundtable leadership committee. He also serves on the Advisory Board for the Castleman Disease Collaborative Network (CDCN).

Bernie Prazenica

Bernie Prazenica is President and General Manager of WPVI-TV/6abc in Philadelphia, part of the Disney/ABC Television Group in the nation’s fourth-largest television market. Under his leadership, WPVI-TV has maintained its decades-long ratings dominance and opened a state-of-the-art, all-digital facility in 2009. He also oversees 6abc.com, its mobile applications, and two digital channels, with the station’s website ranked as the most visited television site in the Delaware Valley. Bernie’s 40-year career in television includes leadership roles at ABC’s owned station in Raleigh, North Carolina, and ABC National TV Sales. He serves on numerous boards, including the Police Athletic League, Pennsylvania Association of Broadcasters, Temple University’s SMC Board of Advisors, and the Castleman Disease Collaborative Network (CDCN) Advisory Board. A graduate of Temple University, Bernie has been honored with the Lew Klein Alumni in the Media Award, inducted into Temple’s Gallery of Success, and named among Philadelphia Magazine’s “75 Most Influential People.”

Marjorie Raines

Marjorie Raines, retired and former Executive Vice-President and Chief Investment Officer at The Chubb Corporation, has since been an investment consultant primarily to hospital systems, Director of the Vardana Fund Ltd. and Healthpoint Capital LLC. She has also been a director of Navigators Group and on the advisory boards of the Jr. League of Miami and the Special Committee of the Miami March of Dimes. Currently Marjorie is a member of Florida’s Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute Foundation’s Board of Directors chairing the Finance Committee.

Jason Ruth, PhD

Jason Ruth, PhD, is the CDCN’s Chief Scientific Officer. He is also an Associate at 5AM Ventures, where he helps create and invest in early stage companies developing medicines for patients with unmet needs. He is an observer on the Board of Directors for several companies developing medicines for rare diseases, including Homology Medicines, Expansion Therapeutics, and Entrada Therapeutics. Previously he was a postdoctoral fellow in Levi Garraway’s laboratory at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, where his work was published in Science. Before that, he was an HHMI-NIBIB Interfaces Scholar at the University of Pennsylvania, where he received his PhD in Bioengineering In Lewis Chodosh’s lab. He is passionate about maximizing the impact that the CDCN has on patients by identifying research areas that further understanding about Castleman Disease in a clinically meaningful way.

Patty Prazenica

“Patty first learned about Castleman disease because she is my mother-in-law. When I was initially diagnosed with Castleman disease, she saw first-hand the challenges that I went through as a patient. It was an incredibly difficult time for our whole family. When I was finally feeling better and wanted to start the CDCN, she told me that she would love to help in any way she could. She felt that she could help make an impact by coordinating volunteers and through supporting patients. Before Patty, we were all hyper-focused on the science. While we tried to help patients when we could, there was no infrastructure in place to do this. Patty made a position for herself as Community Coordinator to help support patients and their loved ones. She was the leader in transforming the CDCN from a research organization that tries to help patients to being an organization that helps patients through research. We could not have accomplished even close to what we have accomplished without the work that she has done. She continues to help lead up Quest for a Cure and is involved in a million ways. She is an amazing grandmother and I am incredibly blessed to have her in my life.”
– Dr. David Fajgenbaum, Co-Founder & Executive Director of the CDCN

Ryan Hummel

Ryan Hummel (Chair) is an Executive at Vynamic, the largest all healthcare management consulting firm in Philadelphia. He’s worked in the Philadelphia healthcare industry for over 15 years and has held leadership and administrative roles with The American Red Cross, Walgreens, and Abington Health System. He is an avid wellness junkie who has participated in triathlons across the region. He currently serves as the Chair of the Advisory Council to cure Castleman Disease and also works as a mentor in the Philadelphia Futures “Sponsor-A-Scholar (SAS) Program”. As the Chair of this incredible group, he hopes to centralize and harness all of the incredible ideas and extraordinary talent that exists on the council into a clear and concise message that will help translate awareness into the needed donations that are vital to find a cure for this deadly disease.

Laura Bessen-Nichtberger,MD

Laura Bessen, MD, is a retired pharmaceutical executive and accomplished physician who most recently served as Head of U.S. Medical at Bristol Myers Squibb, overseeing the company’s full product portfolio. During her career, she led the development and launch of 10 novel pharmaceutical products and numerous expanded indications across oncology, virology, immunology, and cardiovascular disease. Notable achievements include her leadership in developing ATRIPLA, the first once-daily HIV treatment, as well as biologics for rheumatoid arthritis and transplant (ORENCIA and NULOJIX) and the first immuno-oncology products at BMS (YERVOY and OPDIVO). Dr. Bessen earned her MD from New York University School of Medicine, completed her internal medicine residency at Mount Sinai Medical Center, and her infectious diseases fellowship at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. She serves on several nonprofit and academic boards, including the Castleman Disease Collaborative Network (CDCN) Advisory Board.

Matthew Park

Matthew Park is a consumer products and hospitality executive with leadership experience in Fortune 100 and private equity–backed companies. He is Managing Partner of Park Advisory Services, providing consulting and fractional senior executive support, and serves on the Board of Directors for Eaton Hemp, a consumer wellness startup. Previously, he was President and CEO of Sustainable Restaurant Group (Bain Capital) and Chief Marketing Officer of Darden Restaurants, overseeing marketing, digital, culinary innovation, and international franchise operations in over 20 countries. His earlier roles include senior leadership at Birds Eye Foods, Del Monte Foods, General Mills, and JPMorgan. Matthew earned his MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and his BA from Columbia University. He lives in Windermere, Florida, with his wife, April, and their two children, one of whom is successfully battling Castleman disease.

Leigh Quigg

Leigh Quigg is Marketing Director for Europe at Medidata Solutions, a leading life sciences and clinical trials platform. She has over 30 years of marketing experience, beginning in global agencies within the Omnicom and WPP networks, where she led campaigns for organizations such as the Multiple Sclerosis Society, Ford Motor Company, and BMW. For the past 15 years, she has specialized in in-house leadership roles within the B2B IT and telecommunications sectors for companies including Orange, Citrix, Dell Technologies (EMC), and Dynatrace. Leigh learned about the Castleman Disease Collaborative Network (CDCN) after hearing David Fajgenbaum speak at a Medidata event in 2019, inspiring her continued involvement. She also serves on Medidata’s Patient Advocacy Steering Committee and is a certified Mental Health Awareness Advocate. Leigh lives in the UK with her husband, Douglas, their two daughters, Katharine and Elizabeth, and their Schnauzers, Clara and Wolfie.