Live Webinar: Turning Tragedy into Triumph: How a Family Uses Impact Investment and Philanthropic Initiatives in Precision Medicine to Advance New Cures

Wednesday, October 18 from 5 – 6:30 p.m. ET

The UHNW Institute is pleased to present its upcoming webinar, Turning Tragedy into Triumph: Using Impact Investment and Philanthropic Initiatives in Precision Medicine to Advance New Cures, moderated by Edward Marshall, the global head of family office and HNW at Dentons.

UHNW families have the potential to bring tremendous financial, social, intellectual and human capital to the table to solve big problems— including global health issues. Combining three domains of family wealth, Social Impact & Philanthropy, Health & Well-Being and Financial & Investment Management, we’ll explore a real-world case study, Project ALS, that seeks to find and fund a cure for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.

We’ll hear from Valerie Estess, co-founder of Project ALS, on the paradigm-shifting initiative that launched 20 years ago and required funded doctors and researchers at multiple research universities to work together toward a new standard of results-oriented accountability. Project ALS now oversees collaborations among 25 leading research institutions, the discovery of over 60 ALS genes, the development of the world’s first patient-based models of ALS for laboratory testing and accelerated drug testing and clinical trials through identifying new drug targets. She’ll share how the project launched, maintains support and its impact on other neurodegenerative diseases.

John Prufeta, founder of Medical Excellence Capital (MEC), will share his journey and the skills, talent, expertise, and network required to launch MEC, the early-stage life sciences venture fund that aims to discover, fund and accelerate precision health ventures, focused on AI to advance drug discovery, cell and gene therapy, synthetic biology and precision medicine.

Stan Abel and Erin Fleming, the team from ProJenX, a clinical-stage biotechnology company that’s developing therapies for untreatable brain diseases, will discuss its partnership with Project ALS Columbia University and MEC to translate basic research into ALS therapy and the challenges along the way.

Lastly, Drew Rabe, managing director at Arabella Advisors, will share perspectives and trends in philanthropic and investment vehicles used by the HNW to turn helplessness into action, thinking strategically about how the different types of capital can be blended for the strongest impact.

Members may register for this webinar on the portal here. If you are interested in learning more about joining The UHNW Institute, we invite you to contact us.

 

Meet the Speakers

Moderator: 

Edward Marshall, Global Head of Family Office and High Net Worth, Dentons

 

Program Participants:

Stan Abel, President & CEO, ProJenX

Valerie Estess, Co-Founder, Project ALS

Erin Fleming, VP Research & Development, ProJenX

John Prufeta, Founder, CEO & General Partner, Medical Excellence Capital; Co-Founder, ProJenX

Drew Rabe, Managing Director, Arabella Advisors

 

Mission:
  • Provide an intellectual framework, understanding and organization of family wealth management content
  • Educate advisors and family offices on how best to support evolving UHNW families
  • Provide thought leadership, insights and resources to advisors and family offices
  • Promote best practices, provide professional development and support sustainable, positive change within our industry
  • Foster an equitable, collaborative and safe learning environment within the wealth management industry