Dr. Christalyn Rhodes is a scientist, inventor and entrepreneur. She is a pioneering biotech innovator and strategist responsible for the innovation strategies at 3 VC funded biotech startups. She originated a range of companies including those that design therapeutics that address diseases that carry a high economic burden as well as those that develop new funding strategies to address disparities in healthcare cost. She designed the technology and authored 5 pivotal patents that changed the trajectory of previously failing companies and projects amounting to a savings of more than $50 million dollars. Dr. Rhodes is currently the Scientific Advisor- Accelerated leadership for Eli Lilly where she identifies opportunities, manages deals and innovates nuanced approaches to developing medicine and delivering healthcare. She served as the operations lead for the Eli Lilly’s de-centralized clinical trials for COVID in key southern states. Previously, Christalyn worked as a venture capital associate for Flagship Pioneering where she co-founded a biotechnological platform company to create novel therapeutics in the space of personalized genomic medicine. Dr. Rhodes received a Ph.D. in Biological Sciences from Harvard University and a BA from the University of North Texas.