As the health research funding landscape continues to evolve, cross-sector partnerships are becoming increasingly important for advancing shared priorities and shaping the future of biomedical research. This interactive session will explore how foundations and nonprofit funders are collaborating with fellow funders, industry, advocacy organizations, and government partners to expand impact and address shared challenges. Through a brief case study, facilitated roundtable discussions for both in-person and virtual participants, and a group share-back, participants will exchange practical lessons, explore successful partnership models, and share key insights for collaborative leadership in a changing research ecosystem.
Roundtable discussion topics:
- Collaborative Grant Funding
- Public Private partnerships
- Partnership with advocacy groups
- Shared agenda funding, beyond co-funding
- Establishing Corporate/Industry relationships
Speaker:
Cara Altimus, PhD – CEO, Bipolar Discoveries (BD²)
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.
Moderator:
Cheryl Anne Boyce, PhD – Director, Science Philanthropy Accelerator for Research and Collaboration, Milken Institute Strategic Philanthropy
Cheryl Anne Boyce is the director of the mental health focus area on the Science Philanthropy Accelerator for Research and Collaboration team within the Strategic Philanthropy pillar at the Milken Institute. She previously served as Associate Commissioner for Minority Health at the FDA, overseeing programs that advanced clinical research, therapeutic development, and scientific engagement to inform regulatory decisions. She also served as the inaugural Assistant Director for Re-engineering the Research Enterprise at NIH’s Common Fund, leading high-risk initiatives and landmark clinical research. Her NIH roles included leadership at the National Institute of Mental Health, the National Institute on Drug Abuse, and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, with a focus on developmental neuroscience, trauma, preventive interventions, and implementation science. She received her PhD in clinical psychology from UNC-Chapel Hill and is a coauthor of a widely used research grant-writing handbook that has been downloaded more than 100,000 times.
Roundtable Facilitators:
- Diane Bovenkamp, PhD – Vice President, Scientific Affairs, BrightFocus Foundation
- Kavita Bhalla, PhD – Director, Scientific Review, Conquer Cancer, The ASCO foundation
- Jennifer Brummet, PhD – Director of Scientific Affairs and Partnerships, CurePSP
- Eva Caballero – Research and Grant Administrator, American Heart Association
- Jenny Dunne – Senior Director of Marketing and Communications, Arthritis National Research Foundation
- Hoang Nguyen, PhD – Assistant Vice President of Research, Lupus Research Alliance
- Julia Miglets-Nelson, PhD – Director, Research Programs and Partnerships, American Brain Foundation
- Brian Rothstein, MD, MS – Vice President, Strategy, Mt. Sinai Health Foundation
- Caroline Smith, PhD – Director of Foundation and Scientific Partnerships, V Foundation for Cancer Research