Dr. Dixie-Lee Esseltine, formerly the Vice President of Global Clinical Development at Takeda Pharmaceuticals, recently joined the Harvard Business School’s (HBS) Kraft Precision Medicine Accelerator. Esseltine will lead the Accelerator’s Clinical Trials work stream, which is comprised of leading nonprofit organizations (NPOs) and clinical leaders focused on precision medicine. The goal of this work stream is to accelerate the advancement of innovative platform trials across cancers by identifying best practices and sharing knowledge, helping NPOs build their understanding of the design and operation of master protocols, and working with the FDA to improve master protocols.

“I am excited and honored to join the Kraft Precision Medicine Accelerator. I have worked with Kathy Giusti previously on different projects and have seen the great work that is being done for patients by non-profit foundations,” said Dixie-Lee Esseltine. “Having been in clinical medicine and then the pharmaceutical industry, I welcome the opportunity to contribute as much as I can to this initiative and its clinical trials work stream.”

Esseltine is a Medical Doctor who received her fellowship in Internal Medicine and Hematology at McGill University. She practiced for 12 years in Montreal before starting her 27-year career in the pharmaceutical industry, specifically in oncology drug development. At Takeda, Dixie was part of the teams that secured the global approvals of VELCADE and NINLARO. Dixie is a prolific contributor to the field of multiple myeloma research, and in 2015, she was honored in the PharmaVoice Top 100 as a clinical expert.

“The HBS Kraft Accelerator is excited to see Dixie join our team. She brings extraordinary clinical expertise, a vast understanding of regulatory issues, and endless compassion for patients,” commented Kathy Giusti, the co-chair of the HBS Kraft Precision Medicine Accelerator and the Founder of the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation.

The mission of the HBS Kraft Precision Medicine Accelerator is to speed medical breakthroughs in precision medicine and drive innovation across cancers. The Accelerator advances cures by focusing on four integrated work streams: Direct to Patient, Data Sharing and Analytics, Clinical Trials, and Innovative Investment Models.

Esseltine joins Lori Marcus, Chair of the Direct to Patient (DTP) work stream at Kraft Precision Medicine Accelerator—who has held C-level marketing roles at Peloton, Keurig Green Mountain, The Children’s Place, and PepsiCo—in leading an Accelerator solution team.