As the Innovator Support Team Lead, Chris coordinates the activities of a team of seasoned professionals with experience in product and business strategy, business development, fundraising, partnerships, reimbursement, and regulatory affairs. Chris has over a decade of experience providing support and consultation to academic innovators and small businesses engaged in therapeutic, device, and diagnostic development programs. Chris is passionate about enabling NIH’s innovator community to progress their discoveries as far as science and human biology permit. After working in basic science at the University of Southern California and the University of Maryland, and in drug discovery, development, and optimization experience at Baxter, the Department of the Army, and the National Cancer Institute, Chris moved out of the lab and into a regulatory career path via a Fellowship at the US Food and Drug Administration. She has continued in regulatory roles at a contracting company and within the NIH. She regularly conducts project-focused consultations, delivers educational seminars, and develops regulatory resources for internal and external audiences. Chris holds a bachelor’s degree in Chemistry, a Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences, and has maintained Regulatory Affairs Certification (US) status since 2011.