> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://www.principlespracticedrugdevelopment.org/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://www.principlespracticedrugdevelopment.org/instructors.md).
# Course Teaching Team
## 2026 Instructors and TAs
[**Stan Finkelstein, MD**](https://hcp.hms.harvard.edu/people/stan-finkelstein) (course co-director) is a Senior Research Scientist in MIT's Institute for Data, Systems and Society in the Schwarzman College of Computing and Associate Professor of Medicine at HMS and founding director of the MD/MBA joint degree program with Harvard Business School. His research focuses on the business-government interface, medical technology, cost-effectiveness and third-party reimbursement.
**Peter Sorger, PhD** (course co-director) is a Professor in the Dept. of Systems Biology at Harvard Medical School (HMS) and founding Head of the Harvard Program in Therapeutic Science. He was previously on the MIT faculty as professor of Biology and Biological Engineering. [Sorger's research](https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3364-1838) focuses on mammalian signal transduction, cancer and its treatment.
**Ellie Baker** (Teaching Assistant) Ellie is a MS student in the Technology and Policy Program at MIT. Her research interests lie broadly in market design, platform economics, and socio-technical systems.
**Neha Damaraju** (Teaching Assistant) is a fourth-year graduate student in the Harvard/MIT MD–PhD Program. Before moving to Boston for medical school, she grew up in Northern Virginia and studied biomedical engineering at Washington University in St. Louis. She is currently pursuing her PhD in Dr. Gaurav Gaiha’s laboratory at the Ragon Institute, where she uses computational tools to enhance the immunogenicity of T-cell–based vaccines and immunotherapies for cancer and viral diseases.
**Chloe Swanson** (Teaching Assistant) is a graduate student at HMS in the Biomedical Sciences PhD program.
**Yilin Xu** (Teaching Assistant) is a PhD student in the Biological and Biomedical Sciences program at HMS. Her research focuses on the discovery of novel therapeutic targets in RAS-mutant cancer. Yilin is advised by Dr. Karen Cichowski.
## Guest Instructors
[**Joshua Apgar, PhD**](https://www.appliedbiomath.com/team/joshua-apgar-phd)**,** a former MIT graduate student, was Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Officer (CSO) of Applied Biomath, a startup company in Concord MA that is now part of Certara.
[**Dan Freeman**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/danxfreeman/)**,** a PhD student in Biology & Biomedical Sciences at HMS focusing on on multimodal applications in digital pathology. Dan is a founder of terraFlow, a startup biotechnology company that provides AI-powered methods for analyzing flow cytometry data.
[**Birgit Schoeberl, PhD,**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/bschoeberl/) a former MIT postdoc, is Global Head of Modeling and Simulation and PK Sciences at Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research (NIBR) in Cambridge MA.
[**Elliott Antman, MD**](https://connects.catalyst.harvard.edu/Profiles/display/Person/19141) is a Professor of Medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, MA and a a [Senior Investigator ](http://www.timi.org/index.php?page=senior-investigators)in the Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction ([TIMI](http://www.timi.org/)) Study Group.
[**Charles Cooney, PhD**](https://cheme.mit.edu/profile/charles-l-cooney/) is a Professor Emeritus of Chemical Engineering at MIT and a founder of PPDD.
### Past Instructors
[**Mike Rosenblatt, MD**](https://www.flagshippioneering.com/people/michael-rosenblatt) is Cheif Medical Officer (CMO) of Flagship Pioneering in Cambridge MA; he was previously CMO of Merck, Dean of Tufts University School of Medicine, and a Professor at Harvard Medical School.
[**Brian Alexander, MD, MPH**](https://www.foundationmedicine.com/leadership/brian-alexander) is Chief Medical Officer of Foundation Medicine in Cambridge MA; he is an Associate Professor of Radiation Oncology at Harvard Medical School and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
[**John Young, PhD,** ](https://www.roche.com/strongertogether/john-young-cornavirus-research.htm)is the Global Head Infectious Diseases and Vice President at Roche.
[**Dan H. Barouch, MD, PhD**](https://cvvr.hms.harvard.edu/lab-member/dan-h-barouch-mdphd/) is the William Bosworth Castle Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and the Director of the Center for Virology and Vaccine Research at BIDMC
[**Sumit Khedekar**](https://brokercheck.finra.org/individual/summary/4671947) is a Managing Director at Credit Suisse Securities and expert in biotech financing.
[**Nicole LeBoeuf, MD, MPH**](https://researchfaculty.brighamandwomens.org/BRIProfile.aspx?id=6380) is Clinical Director of the Center for Cutaneous Oncology at the Brigham and Women's Hospital.
[**Ariel Stern, PhD** ](https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/profile.aspx?facId=735581)was formerly at Harvard Business School and is now the Alexander von Humboldt Professor at the Hasso Plattner Institute in the University of Potsdam Germany.
[**George Demetri, MD**](https://www.dfhcc.harvard.edu/insider/member-detail/member/george-d-demetri-md/) is a Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Director of the Center for Sarcoma and Bone Oncology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
[**GK Raju, PhD** ](https://www.linkedin.com/in/g-k-raju-0481869/)is Executive Director of Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Initiatives at the [MIT Center for Biomedical Innovation](http://cbi.mit.edu/).
## Course Founders
PPDD was established three decades ago by course founding directors: [Thomas J. Allen](https://mitsloan.mit.edu/faculty/directory/thomas-j-allen), [Charles L. Cooney](https://cheme.mit.edu/profile/charles-l-cooney/), G. K. Raju, [Anthony Sinskey](https://biology.mit.edu/profile/anthony-j-sinskey/) all of whom are still active as MIT Faculty. It has been taught continuously
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