Office of Technology Commercialization (OTC)

Andrew Dennis, Ph.D.
Managing Director, Office of Technology Commercialization
T: 713-745-9639
OTC@mdanderson.org

Andrew P. Dennis graduated magna cum laude with a B.S. in Biochemistry from the State University of New York at Plattsburgh.  Following undergraduate education, he entered into the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, TX, where he earned his doctoral degree studying gene transcription and the involvement of the proteasome degradation machinery.  During his doctoral education he was awarded a pre-doctoral fellowship from the Department of Defense and the Dean’s Award.  Andrew has co-authored several peer-reviewed journal articles through his work as a graduate student.

Dustin Romine, M.A.
Associate Director, Office of Technology Commercialization
T: 713-745-9637

Dustin Romine joined the Office of Technology Commercialization in August 2007.  In his role as licensing manager, Dustin is responsible for invention assessment, patent prosecution oversight, technology marketing, and negotiating license and alliance agreements with biotechnology, pharmaceutical, diagnostic, and research reagent companies.

Dustin earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from DePauw University and a Master of Arts in Neuroscience & Animal Behavior from Emory University.  During his undergraduate studies, he served as an Eli Lilly and Company research intern studying the isolation and purification of calreticulin as part of the raloxifene hydrochloride (EvistaTM) program.  He also spent time in Kenya working on environmental and medical projects alongside The Green Belt Movement and the late Nobel Peace Prize recipient Professor Wangari Maathai.  After college, Dustin worked as a Senior consultant for Braun Consulting (Washington DC) where he specialized in customer relationship management software customization and implementation.  He later served as a neuroengineering applications developer at Georgia Institute of Technology prior to graduate school enrollment.  While at Emory University, Dustin investigated a lesser known role of the nucleus accumbens core, a portion of the ventral striatum, in impulsivity.  Concurrent with his graduate studies, Dustin volunteered as an intern in the Emory University Office of Technology Transfer.

Dustin has been involved with the Licensing Executives Society Houston Chapter as a committee co-chair. He currently serves as a Director on the DePauw University Alumni Board.

Papia Ghosh, Ph.D.
Licensing Manager, Office of Technology Commercialization
T: (713) 745-9626

Papia joined Office of Technology Commercialization in 2016 and is involved in identifying and translating internal developments to commercial opportunities.

Prior to working at OTC, Papia was a Consultant at L.E.K. Consulting in Boston and London (UK) for over 3 years and focused exclusively in the life sciences. While there, she provided strategic insights on, but not limited to, market assessment, market access and pricing, competitive positioning, valuation, and portfolio / life cycle management. She was an advisor to various biotechs and large pharmas in a wide range of therapeutic and diagnostic areas.  Papia conducted her post-doctoral work in Oncology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, received her Ph.D. in Genetics from Yale University, and B.S. in Biology from Duke University. 

Qingshan (Carly) Yang, Ph.D.
Manager, Licensing, Office of Technology Commercialization
T: 713-745-9604

Qingshan (Carly) Yang joined the staff of the Office of Technology Commercialization in March 2016. Carly is passionate about helping scientists to protect and commercialize their inventions. As a Tech Commercialization Analyst, Carly facilitates disclosure of new inventions, where she works with investigators to maximize the values of their inventions. Carly is also involved in development of IP protection, licensing efforts and marketing strategies of inventions from MD Anderson investigators.

Jamie Juric, Ph.D.
Licensing Coordinator, Office of Technology Commercialization
T: 713-794-3108

Jamie joined the Office of Technology Commercialization team in September 2019. Her role is to facilitate the licensing and commercialization of MD Anderson’s technologies, primarily focusing on the management of the research tools portfolio.

She received her Ph.D. in Cancer Cell Biology, B.S. in Chemical Engineering, and Certificate in Biomedical Engineering from West Virginia University (WVU). Prior to joining MD Anderson’s Office of Technology Commercialization, Jamie interned and worked as a Technology Scout in the WVU Innovation Center, where her interest in technology transfer began. During her time at the WVU Innovation Center, she served as the direct link between the researchers and innovation center with the objectives of assessing, protecting, marketing, and commercializing intellectual property.
 

Abigail Go, Ph.D.
Tech Commercialization Analyst, Office of Technology Commercialization
T: 713-745-9695

Abi joined MD Anderson in 2018. As a technology commercialization analyst, she provides early assessment and commercialization guidance for new and existing technologies.  She also facilitates commercialization by marketing technologies and negotiating license agreements.

Abi brings with her an array of experiences in academic research, intellectual property protection, and contracts.  Prior to MD Anderson, she managed the patent portfolio at The University of Texas at Dallas.  Prior to UT Dallas, she worked at various law firms on patent prosecution and civil litigation matters. 

John Katz
Tech Commercialization Analyst, Office of Technology Commercialization
T: 713-794-5276

Brian Nadin, Ph.D.
Manager, Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy Technology Transfer
T: 713-834-9836
BMNadin@mdanderson.org

Brian received a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Baylor College of Medicine, where he also completed a post-doctoral fellowship. He then went on to work on intellectual property matters, drafting patent applications, practicing patent prosecution and performing due diligence analyses for freedom to operate opinions and landscape projects as a Technical Advisor with Norton Rose Fulbright. He is currently the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy Technology Transfer Manager at the MD Anderson Office of Technology and Commercialization.r

Yvonne Loftin
Patent Paralegal, Office of Technology Commercialization
T: 713-745-9647
byloftin@mdanderson.org

Yvonne Loftin joined the Office of Technology Commercialization in September 2011. She organizes, updates and maintains patent files and patent docketing information for MD Anderson’s intellectual property portfolios. She participates in the planning and scheduling of patent filings and ensures projects are completed and deadlines are met. She is in charge of new Invention Disclosure Report files and coordinates a bi-monthly Invention Assessment Meeting to review new IDRs. She is the primary liaison between MD Anderson and outside patent counsel to ensure proper protection of MD Anderson’s US and foreign intellectual property rights. She maintains patent records for billing and statistical purposes and analyzes outside patent counsel expenses and coordinates payment. She is responsible for reporting to iEdison, CPRIT and other organizations. She has a BS in Interdisciplinary Studies from the University of Houston.