Search >>

The Research Ventures & Licensing department has a strong senior management team with a wealth of experience in research, technology commercialization, clinical research, and venture capital investing.

Christopher H. Colecchi, MPH: Chris is currently the Vice President for Research Ventures and Licensing for Partners Healthcare. He leads Partners efforts to establish strategic alliances with the life sciences industries and oversees commercialization and technology transfer activities.

Previously, Chris was the Director of Clinical Trials and Industrial Relations for the Massachusetts General Hospital. Earlier in his career, he served as the Director of Clinical Monitoring for a clinical research organization (CRO) where he oversaw the set-up and management of multi-center, industry-sponsored clinical trials at several hundred sites throughout the U.S. and Canada. Within that role, Chris worked directly with most of the major pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies as well as many in the device arena.

Chris is a current Board Member of both the Harvard Clinical Research Institute and the Starlight Children's Foundation. He serves on the advisory board for the Warwick Business School studying Biomedical Innovation across the U.K. and U.S. He previously served on the Board of Directors of the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council from 1997 to 2001.

Chris holds a B.A. from Holy Cross College and M.P.H. from the University of Massachusetts School of Public Health. Top

Trung Do, MBA: Trung is Executive Director of Business Development at Partners HealthCare, where he has overall responsibility for developing and managing strategic alliances with industry, and facilitating the marketing of intellectual property from Partners hospitals. 

Trung's background includes more than ten years experience in business development, management and analytical consulting, product development and strategic operational functions.  Prior to Partners, Trung served as the Director of Operations at PharMetrics, a venture-backed start-up providing healthcare market insights to the pharmaceutical, biotech, medical device, and health plan sectors of the market.  He began his career in healthcare and life sciences as a consultant with Arthur Andersen and Boston Biomedical Consultants.  He holds an MBA and MA from Boston University and BS from University of California at Irvine. Top

Robert J. Creeden, MBA: Bob Creeden is Managing Director of the Center for Innovative Ventures (CIV) at Partners Healthcare, where he oversees the creation and launching of new ventures generated from Partners innovative research discoveries.

Mr. Creeden has spent more than twenty-five years commercializing new technologies and promoting emerging businesses, including fifteen years early stage venture capital investing experience and culminating in his 2004 appointment by Partners to establish the CIV. Previously, he was a general partner at Egan-Managed Capital, a $150 million dollar Boston-based venture fund, after having served as Vice President of the Massachusetts Technology Development Corporation, a 25-year-old early stage venture firm that funds technology-based companies in Massachusetts. Earlier in his career, he gained strategic operating expertise as a COO/CFO with start-up ventures and as a management consultant with Control Data Business Advisors. He holds an AB in Economics from Holy Cross College and an MBA from Suffolk University.

While serving in a leadership role on the boards of portfolio companies and developing strong relationships with co-investors from New England and across the country, Bob has reviewed more than 2000 business plans and invested in more than 40 companies. His portfolio has included companies developing leading-edge technologies in semiconductors, software, telecommunications, medical devices, manufacturing and advanced materials. He has extensive experience putting together syndicates of investors, corporations and third parties to fund technology companies through investment, partnership, joint development and research agreements. Top

Frances Toneguzzo, PhD, Director, MGH Corporate Sponsored Research & Licensing: Frances is the Director of the MGH Corporate Sponsored Research & Licensing office which oversees the management and licensing of intellectual property and serves as the entry point for all industrial relationships relating to research, support of research or technology transfer at Massachusetts General Hospital. Prior to coming to MGH, Toneguzzo served as Director of the Office for Technology and Industry Collaboration at Tufts University/New England Medical Center and as Associate Director, responsible for intellectual property relating to the life sciences at Harvard University. Toneguzzo comes from the biotech industry, having played various technical and business development roles at big pharma (E. I Dupont & Co) as well as mid-sized (E.G.&G.Biomolecular) and startup companies (One Cell Systems). She holds a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from McMaster University in Canada. Top

Brian Hicks, MBA: Brian has served as Director at BWH for over eleven years. During his tenure, research-based agreement activity has more than tripled and licensing income has more than doubled. He has recently served as VP of Finance on the Board of Trustees for the Association for University Technology Managers (AUTM) and currently is Chair of the AUTM investment committee.

Prior to his position at BWH, Brian served as Manager, Business Development for ESE Biosciences, a Raleigh, NC, a start-up biological services firm where he was responsible for coordination of business development, sales and contract negotiations. Prior to that position, he worked as a Research Analyst for an economics policy consulting firm, ICF Incorporated, inWashington, DC for more than four years. Brian received his MBA and BS from Duke University, majoring in Zoology and Economics. Top

Catharyn Gildesgame, MBA: Catharyn is the Director of Partners' Corporate Sponsored Clinical Research. This department drafts, negotiates and executes agreements and budgets for industry-sponsored clinical research across Partners (including MGH, BWH, Newton Wellesley Hospital, PCHI and Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital). Before joining the RVL team, Catharyn focused on developing strategic research alliances between Partners Healthcare and industry. She also coordinated disease management research projects in the MGH Clinical Research Program. Catharyn has over 20 years of experience in inpatient and ambulatory care administration at Boston's Children's Hospital and Beth Israel-Deaconess Hospital, Cambridge Hospital and Hospital Calderon Guardia in Costa Rica. She holds an MBA from Boston University with a concentration in health care management.Top