Our leadership

Scientific Collaboration Director

Bryan Baines, RPH, brings to Four Points not just 25+ years of broad knowledge and business experience in the biopharmaceutical industry but also an in-depth understanding of preclinical and clinical drug development, IP protection, and licensing. Baines joins Four Points from Duke’s Office of Licensing & Ventures (OLV) where he has spent 14 years managing a wide variety of inventions primarily in the oncology therapeutic space, closing deals, and building relations with Duke innovators and external collaborators.

Before joining OLV, Bryan worked in the biopharmaceutical industry including a senior executive management position with Ockham Development Group (ODG) consisting of responsibilities in product development, marketing and sales. He served in business development roles with PPD Development, including oversight of PPD’s U.S. sales force resulting in $800 million in annual sales. Bryan augmented his experience in pharmaceutical sales and marketing with Eli Lilly & Company, and project management expertise at AAI Pharma with a concentration in product formulation, manufacturing, and testing. He received his BS in Pharmacy from the School of Pharmacy at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

Joint Steering Committee

  • Colin Duckett

    Vice Dean for Basic Science and Professor, Dept of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University

    As vice dean for basic science, Dr. Duckett serves as a liaison between the Dean’s office and the basic science community. His duties include oversight of the biomedical graduate programs, postdoctoral office, animal care program, core facilities, and research lab space utilization in the School of Medicine. Dr. Duckett spent 15 years at the University of Michigan where he was a professor of Pathology and Internal Medicine. He also served as director of the Cancer Biology Program in the Comprehensive Cancer Center and as scientific director of the North Campus Research Complex at the University of Michigan.

    Dr. Duckett has published prolifically in respected scientific journals, been continuously funded by federal and non-federal agencies, and has served on numerous review panels and editorial boards. Dr. Duckett received his PhD in biochemistry from the University of London and completed his postdoctoral work at the University of Chicago, where he co-discovered the IAP family of signaling intermediates. He was a Howard Hughes Medical Institute fellow, and a special fellow of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. He subsequently served as a section chief in the Metabolism Branch of the National Cancer Institute, NIH.

  • Donald McDonnell

    Chair, Dept of Pharmacology & Cancer Biology Chair, Duke University

    Donald P. McDonnell, Ph.D., is the Glaxo-Wellcome Professor of Molecular Cancer Biology and Chairman of the Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology at Duke University School of Medicine. In addition, he serves as Co-Director of the Women’s Cancer Program within the Duke Cancer Institute. Dr. McDonnell obtained a Degree in Biochemistry from the National University of Ireland (Galway) in 1983 and a PhD from the Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, in 1988, under the mentorship of Dr. Bert O’Malley. After three years in industry at SmithKline and Ligand Pharmaceuticals, he moved to Duke where his work has focused on the genetic and pharmacological dissection of the nuclear receptor signal transduction pathways. The insights from this work have led to the discovery and development of novel estrogen and androgen receptor modulators, some of which have advanced to the clinic and are being evaluated as treatments for breast and prostate cancers and a variety of endocrinopathies.

    Dr. McDonnell has received numerous investigator awards; the most notable being the Roy E. Greep, Weitzman, and Ernst Oppenheimer Awards from the Endocrine Society, ASPET’s John J. Abel Award, the Pharmacia-ASPET Award for Experimental Therapeutics, the NAMS SERM Research Award and the Robert Ruffolo lifetime achievement award in pharmacology. He is an Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians, Ireland, a member of the National Academy of Medicine, and a Komen Scholar. Dr. McDonnell has published over 275 articles on the molecular pharmacology of nuclear hormone receptors. Currently, he is deputy editor of Oncogene, and sits on the editorial board of several journals. He also serves as a board member of the North Carolina Triangle to the Coast chapter of the Susan G. Komen Foundation.

  • Jeff Welch

    Director of New Ventures, Duke University

    Jeff Welch joined OTC as Director of New Ventures in early 2021 after five years as Bioventus’ executive responsible for all corporate development activities. Jeff’s previous experiences include time with Bioventus, Smith and Nephew, Nanosyn, and Square 1 Bank, where he has participated in the development, financing, licensing, acquisition, and commercialization of innovative new technologies in multiple life science and healthcare fields. He is passionate about new technology development and maximizing the odds new products will achieve their potential to improve human life through business success. Jeff received his PhD in Neurobiology from Duke University School of Medicine and his BS degree in Economics and Biology from Duke University.

  • William Slattery

    Partner, Deerfield Management

    William Slattery is a Partner on the Therapeutics team and joined the Firm in 2000. Prior to Deerfield, Mr. Slattery was a senior healthcare analyst for 10 years at Amerindo Investment Advisors, where he oversaw biotechnology investments. He has held various positions in research including those at National Medical Enterprises, Johnson & Johnson, and HMSS. Mr. Slattery is the Chairman of Gilda’s Club New York City, a non-profit organization supporting cancer patients and their families. He holds an undergraduate degree in Biology and Chemistry from State University of New York at Albany and completed coursework in Immunology at the Graduate School-New Brunswick, Rutgers University.