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Athena Countouriotis

  • Co-founder, President, Chief Executive Officer and Chairperson, Avenzo Therapeutics
  • Director, Iovance Biotherapeutics, Inc.
  • Director, Passage Bio, Inc.
  • Director, Recludix Pharma, Inc.
  • Director, Leal Therapeutics, Inc.
  • Director, Capstan Therapeutics, Inc.

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Athena Countouriotis, M.D. joined our Board in December 2023. Dr. Countouriotis is co-founder, President, Chief Executive Officer and Chairperson of Avenzo Therapeutics, Inc., a private biotechnology company. Prior to that, she served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Turning Point Therapeutics, Inc., an oncology company, from May 2018 to August 2022, leading the company through its initial public offering and eventual acquisition by Bristol Myers Squibb.

Dr. Countouriotis previously held the role of Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of Adverum Biotechnologies, Inc., a clinical stage gene therapy organization, from June 2017 to May 2018, and before that served as Senior Vice President, Chief Medical Officer of Halozyme Therapeutics, Inc. from January 2015 to May 2017, and also served as Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of Halozyme Therapeutics, Inc., a public biotechnology company, from January 2015 to May 2017. Dr. Countouriotis also served as Chief Medical Officer of Ambit Biosciences Corporation, a biopharmaceutical company, from February 2012 until its acquisition by Daiichi Sankyo Company in November 2014. Earlier in her career, Dr. Countouriotis led various clinical development organizations within Pfizer Inc. and Bristol-Myers Squibb Company.

Dr. Countouriotis currently serves on the board of directors of Iovance Biotherapeutics, Inc., a public oncology therapeutics company, Passage Biosciences, Inc., a public gene therapy company, Recludix Pharma, Inc., a private oncology therapeutics company, Leal Therapeutics, Inc., a private central nervous system diseases company, and Capstan Therapeutics, Inc, a private cell therapy company. Dr. Countouriotis previously served on the board of directors of Cardiff Oncology, Inc. (previously known as Trovagene, Inc.), a public oncology therapeutics company, from September 2017 to January 2020.

She holds a B.S. in Physiology from the University of California, Los Angeles, and an M.D. from Tufts University School of Medicine.