Daniel Pham

Daniel Pham, PhD, is Program Director at Breakthrough Discoveries for Thriving with Bipolar Disorder. He brings a strategic, partnership-driven approach to BD²’s Discovery Research programs, supporting efforts to advance bipolar disorder research. Daniel has played a key role in building the foundation for BD² and has co-authored multiple publications related to bipolar disorder research and science philanthropy. He is also the author of the “Giving Smarter Guide, Giving Smarter: Philanthropic Opportunities to Advance Bipolar Disorder Research”. He previously served as a Director at the Milken Institute on the Science Philanthropy Accelerator for Research and Collaboration (SPARC) team.

Nyree Moir

For 25 years, Nyree Moir has operated inside the architecture of consequential lives—partnering with chief executives, founders, and philanthropists across enterprises that span the Fortune 100, the founder-led, and the mission-driven. Her discipline is the work that does not appear on an agenda: the cadence of a principal’s week, the integrity of 24-member boards, the conditions under which authority operates without strain. She has shaped $17M budgets and choreographed the gatherings where the conversation, not the logistics, becomes the memory. Her instrument is human. Her cadence is patient. Her judgment is the deliverable.

Veronica Beck

Veronica Beck, PhD, supports coordination and collaboration across the BD² Integrated Network. A neuroscientist by training, she brings experience fostering interdisciplinary partnerships across business, basic science, and medical research, as well as managing complex, multi-partner initiatives and grant programs. She previously served as an Associate Director at the Milken Institute on the Science Philanthropy Accelerator for Research and Collaboration (SPARC) team.

Emily Baxi

Emily Baxi, PhD, brings deep expertise in designing and executing large-scale, multi-institutional scientific collaborations to the BD² Integrated Network. Her work focuses on building research ecosystems that align academic, clinical, data, and advocacy partners to accelerate translational discovery and impact in complex brain disorders. She previously served as a Director at the Milken Institute on the Science Philanthropy Accelerator for Research and Collaboration (SPARC) team. Prior to that, she was an assistant professor at Johns Hopkins University, where she served as Executive Director of the Packard Center for ALS Research and Program Director for Answer ALS, a multi-institutional ALS research initiative.

Cara Altimus

Cara Altimus leads BD2, a philanthropic research initiative focused on accelerating research and improving care for people living with Bipolar Disorder. Prior to the public launch of BD2, Cara led the development and early years of operational build, and her work across the last 5 years has led to an influx of more than $250M to the field of bipolar research. Cara’s passion and dedication for science funding—driven by rigor, patient insights, and the need for open science—is unmatched. She received her PhD in cellular and molecular biology at Johns Hopkins and has focused her career on neuroscience. Cara currently serves on the board of the Ontario Brain Institute. Prior to joining the Institute, Altimus led the Science Philanthropy Accelerator for Research and Collaboration (SPARC) program at the Milken Institute. Earlier in her career, she worked at the Food and Drug Administration, leading the Neural Interfaces Laboratory.