Jeff Allen is President and CEO of Friends of Cancer Research. Friends is an advocacy organization based in Washington, DC that drives collaboration among partners from every healthcare sector to power advances in science, policy, and regulation that speed life-saving treatments to patients. Jeff manages a leading non-profit cancer research policy and advocacy organization that focuses on innovative research partnerships and healthcare policy particularly related to the FDA. His responsibilities include creating/implementing research and policy initiatives, organizational governance, coordinating staff for scientific and regulatory programs, fundraising, communications, policy activities, speaking at public symposia, and engaging with congressional leaders, federal officials, and scientific experts. Jeff has helped develop and lead collaborative initiatives aimed to advance biomarker development, validate clinical trial endpoints, optimize use of real-world evidence, and establish innovative policies including the Breakthrough Therapy Designation. Jeff previously worked as an Endocrinology & Immunology Research Fellow at the National Institutes of Health. This involved primary research focused on intracellular signal transduction related to growth regulation and apoptosis. He is also the co-author of over 50 peer-viewed publications in leading medical journals and policy publications and has been called to testify before Congress and contribute expertise to the legislative process on multiple occasions. Jeff received his Ph.D. in cell and molecular biology from Georgetown University and holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Bowling Green State University.