Elaine Hamm

Elaine Hamm, PhD, is the CEO of the pharmaceutical accelerator, Ascend BioVentures where she manages early-stage life science startups and evaluates the commercial potential of life science technologies.   She is on the executive team for Cadenza Bio, a company focused on developing a life-changing therapeutic for Multiple Sclerosis; CLAIRIgene, a startup out of Duke developing gene therapy for Alzheimer’s Disease and Parkinson’s; and Otologic Pharmaceutics which is developing new drugs for hearing loss and tinnitus.   She also serves as the Executive in Residence for Tulane University, School of Medicine and is the current Executive Director for the global nonprofit, The Alliance for Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare.

Prior to joining Ascend BioVentures, Dr. Hamm was the COO of Accele BioPharma and served as management for a portfolio of pharmaceutical companies ranging from diabetes to infectious disease. Dr. Hamm has 13 years of professional leadership experience in the commercialization of early stage pharmaceutical therapeutics and diagnostics with experience in technology transfer, market analysis, and commercialization of preclinical and clinical-stage products. Dr. Hamm also has worked on the investment side, working with early-stage companies on Seed, Series A financing.  In 2022, Dr. Hamm completed a deal with Boehringer Ingelheim, worth up to $100M+.  

Dr. Hamm received her PhD in Microbiology from the University of Oklahoma and holds several licensed US and International patents. In addition to her technology-based commercialization experience, Dr. Hamm owns a wine bar with her Sommelier husband and spends her free time hosting wine classes, fostering rescue dogs, antiquing, and reading trashy books.