Ventures Office | UC Davis Health

Donald P. Taylor, Ph.D., MBA, CLP, is the inaugural Chief Ventures Officer of UC Davis Health Ventures, where he leads efforts to develop and commercialize intellectual property and advance research translation in partnership with innovation, entrepreneurship, and industry engagement teams at UC Davis and UC Davis Health.

Before joining UC Davis, Taylor served as Executive Director of Licensing at The Ohio State University and as the inaugural Assistant Vice Chancellor for Commercial Translation in the Health Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh, where he was also an Associate Professor of Biomedical Informatics in the School of Medicine, Co-Director of the Center for Commercial Applications of Healthcare Data, and Executive Director of sciVelo.

A five-time life sciences entrepreneur, Taylor began his entrepreneurial career as co-founder and CEO of Net Health, which grew into one of the world’s largest providers of electronic medical records (EMR) for alternative site care. He later held executive roles at Cellumen, Cernostics, Vivisimo, Strategic Healthcare Programs, and Thermo Fisher Scientific, where he played key roles in driving innovation and commercialization. These experiences extended his expertise across bioinformatics, molecular diagnostics, drug discovery tools, and global biotechnology product distribution. In addition to his entrepreneurial ventures, Taylor spent over five years in venture investments and economic development at the Pittsburgh Life Sciences Greenhouse, supporting and funding early-stage life sciences companies.

Taylor serves on the Board of Governors for Certified Licensing Professionals, Inc., and co-chairs the Intellectual Property Committee for the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM).

In 2023, Taylor was conferred as a distinguished alumnus of the University of Pittsburgh for his pioneering work in biomedical entrepreneurship and research translation. He earned his B.S. in Information Systems from Carnegie Mellon University, his M.S. and Ph.D. in Bioengineering from the University of Pittsburgh’s Swanson School of Engineering, and an MBA from Pitt’s Katz Graduate School of Business. He also conducted postdoctoral research in pathology at Pitt’s School of Medicine.

Andrew Brown, Ph.D., is the Director of Strategic Product Portfolios at UC Davis Health Ventures, where he drives the expansion of human health product and commercial development expertise at UC Davis and UC Davis Health. In this role, he focuses on building high-value intellectual property portfolios collaborating closely with UC Davis Technology Transfer Office, Venture Catalyst, Foundation & Corporate Engagement, and other stakeholders.

Prior to joining Health Ventures, Brown was the Founder & CEO of a dental regenerative medicine company, where he gained hands-on experience in medical product development and successfully raised funds from both traditional investors and non-dilutive grant funding mechanisms.

Brown was also the Associate Director for sciVelo at the University of Pittsburgh, where he played a key role in transforming how the institution led the commercial translation of human health innovation. In this capacity, he helped drive translational research initiatives across digital health, precision medicine, and regenerative medicine.

Brown holds a Ph.D. in Bioengineering and a BS in Bioengineering from the University of Pittsburgh. His doctoral research in the School of Dental Medicine focused on biomaterial development and tissue engineering. As research faculty at Pitt, he led teams advancing commercial translation in digital health, precision medicine, and regenerative medicine.

He also spent a decade at UPMC as a clinical biomedical engineer, supporting adult and pediatric patients on left ventricular assist devices and other mechanical circulatory support systems.

Bri Watts is the Administrative Officer at UC Davis Health Ventures, where she provides coordination, planning, and programmatic support to the Chief Ventures Officer. She plays a key role in managing relationships with internal and external stakeholders, ensuring seamless execution of mission-critical initiatives.

Bri oversees the planning, coordination, and facilitation of briefings, events, meetings, and activities for the Health Ventures Office, contributing to its strategic and operational success. Her expertise in organization and stakeholder engagement supports the office’s mission to drive human health innovation and commercialization at UC Davis and UC Davis Health.

Jane Richardson is the Program Manager at UC Davis Health Ventures, where she supports the Health Venture Studio and IFM Fund investment programs. In this role, she coordinates faculty innovation intake and commercialization project planning, manages inbound deal flow and due diligence support, and prepares governance and portfolio reporting for leadership and investment committees.

Prior to joining Health Ventures, Jane held roles within UC Davis Health, including serving as an IT Portfolio Manager, where she led digital health technology optimization initiatives. 

Earlier in her career, Jane served in senior operational roles at Blue Shield of California, leading enterprise transformation programs and digital product portfolios. She also held fractional executive roles scaling health-AI and digital health companies from concept through capital raise, and supported operational growth by enabling health startups to partner with clinical, commercial, and scientific experts. Her work consistently reflects a commitment to building the operational infrastructure that enables health innovations to move efficiently from research to market.

Neha Singh, MPH, is the Faculty Engagement Specialist at UC Davis Health Ventures, where she leads efforts to engage faculty and innovators in advancing human health research toward clinical and commercial translation. Her work focuses on building awareness of commercialization opportunities, fostering relationships with researchers, and creating pathways for faculty to access the expertise and resources needed to advance their innovations.

A major focus of her role is strengthening the pipeline of high-impact human health innovations emerging from UC Davis and UC Davis Health. She leads faculty engagement and education initiatives, identifies opportunities for research translation and Records of Invention, and guides researchers toward appropriate commercialization and translational resources, including the Technology Transfer Office, Venture Catalyst, translational funding programs, and industry and foundation partners. 

Prior to joining Health Ventures, Neha spent five years as an Outreach and Engagement Coordinator with the UC Davis Health Comprehensive Cancer Center, where she engaged faculty investigators and researchers, developed and maintained external partnerships, and supported research collaborations across health systems, community-based organizations, and academic research sites. Her experience includes faculty engagement, partnership development, translational research programs, research operations, curriculum development, and workshop facilitation. She also brings experience supporting the implementation of AI-enabled clinical documentation at UC Davis Health.

Neha holds an MPH from UC Davis with a concentration in Epidemiology and a BS in Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior from UC Davis.

Patrick Cantini is the Director of Translational Funding Programs at UC Davis Health Ventures, where he leads teams and initiatives that support research and investment funding for faculty, startups, and companies at UC Davis. His work is instrumental in shaping the vision, strategy, and funding mechanisms that advance human health translational research with commercial and societal impact, strengthening UC Davis Health’s position among the nation’s top academic health systems.

Prior to joining UC Davis, Patrick served as Chief Strategy and Business Development Officer for the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh. For over a decade, he spearheaded strategic initiatives to drive both short- and long-term growth, accelerate technology translation, and build key alliances across government, industry, and the global research community. He also played a key role in identifying emerging trends in regenerative medicine and optimizing programs for greater impact.

Earlier in his career, Patrick was the Chief Business Officer at the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, overseeing strategic planning, business development, and long-range policy implementation. He also served as Associate Director for the Pittsburgh Tissue Engineering Initiative (PTEI), a nonprofit think tank focused on advancing regenerative medicine and tissue engineering.

Patrick’s career began in the automotive manufacturing industry, where he held leadership positions at the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) and the Society for Manufacturing Engineers (SME) before transitioning into biotechnology in 2001.

Tanu Thote, Ph.D., is the Director of Faculty Engagement and Education at UC Davis Health Ventures, where she leads initiatives to activate UC Davis faculty and researchers in the commercialization and translation of their human health research. In this role, she focuses on expanding and strengthening the university's innovation pipeline by increasing Records of Invention, launching educational programs, and crafting engagement strategies that guide researchers through licensing and commercial translational pathways. 

Prior to joining Health Ventures, Thote spent 12 years in the life sciences and pharmaceutical industry. Most recently, as Field Medical Lead at Theratechnologies Inc., she shaped rare disease medical strategy and directed scientific content development while serving as a strategic partner to key opinion leaders (KOLs) across the West Coast.

Thote has held Medical Science Liaison roles across multiple prominent pharmaceutical and biotech organizations, including AbbVie, Aerie Pharmaceuticals, Avanir Pharmaceuticals, and Osiris Therapeutics. Her deep cross-functional experience spans neuroscience, psychiatry, oncology, ophthalmology, wound healing, and rare diseases, with a focus on clinical trial support and medical education. Earlier in her career, she served as a Life Science Strategy Consultant at Blue Matter, advising pharmaceutical clients on product launches, and as a Senior Product Development Engineer at 3M, leading consumer healthcare product initiatives and clinical claim substantiation studies.

Thote holds a Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology, where her doctoral research focused on intra-articular therapeutic delivery strategies for osteoarthritis in collaboration with leading industry partners. She also conducted graduate research at Peking University in Beijing.

A Sacramento resident living near Aggie Square, Thote brings a strong appreciation for the emerging innovation ecosystem across UC Davis and UC Davis Health, driven by a commitment to bridging faculty research, regional venture growth, and industry engagement.

Troels Adrian serves as the Director of Industry Engagement for UC Davis Health Ventures, focused on advancing the human health product innovation capacity of the university and its health system.

Troels leads a newly created initiative within Health Ventures that connects global industry partners to the high-impact human health innovations emerging from UC Davis, working closely with stakeholders across campus. A key pillar of this effort is the development of a Clinical Test Bed concept, enabling the co-development and validation of emerging technologies such as medical devices, diagnostics, and digital health solutions within real clinical environments.

Prior to joining UC Davis Health Ventures, Troels spent almost 15 years in the economic development industry, leading initiatives focused on global industry attraction and expansion across multiple sectors. These efforts collectively contributed to the creation of over 20,000 jobs across three U.S. regions. His most recent role was as the Executive Vice President of the Greater Sacramento Economic Council, the economic development organization serving California’s Capital Region. Here he led the marketing, business development and public relations functions and oversaw the implementation of a strategic plan, which led the organization to receive the prestigious Economic Development Organization of the Year award from IEDC, the global trade association for economic developers. Troels is a native of Denmark and holds two Master’s degrees: an MPA from Baruch College and a Master of City and Regional Planning from Georgia Tech.