Brenda Yanak
About Brenda Yanak
Brenda Yanak is the Vice President of Global Biospecimen & Imaging Management at Bristol-Myers Squibb and holds advisory roles at Clinical Transformation Partners and Cambridge Healthtech Institute.
Title
Brenda Yanak currently holds the position of Vice President, Global Biospecimen & Imaging Management at Bristol-Myers Squibb. She operates out of Princeton, New Jersey, leveraging her expertise in digital health and drug development to innovate within the pharmaceutical industry.
Current Roles
In addition to her role at Bristol-Myers Squibb, Brenda Yanak also serves as Principal at Clinical Transformation Partners. She is also an Advisor for the Summit for Clinical Operations Executives (SCOPE) at Cambridge Healthtech Institute, contributing her knowledge to both SCOPE-USA and SCOPE-Europe.
Education and Expertise
Brenda Yanak has an extensive academic background. She earned a Bachelor's degree in Molecular Biology and English from Colgate University, followed by a Master's degree in Biology from Brown University. Furthermore, she has studied informatics at Duke University, drug development at Temple University, and even studied baking at The Culinary Institute of America.
Professional Background
Brenda Yanak has led numerous transformative initiatives in the pharmaceutical industry. She developed an Innovation Operating Model to pilot digital health initiatives and envisioned a strategic program to operationalize Precision Medicine at a top pharmaceutical company. She also standardized protocols, digitized informed consent, and developed virtual specimen tracking systems.
Industry Contributions
One of her significant contributions includes the creation of the industry's first enterprise biospecimen, digital specimen, and consent management organization. She also led a high-performing team of over 100 members, formulating a digital specimen roadmap and developing a framework for Human Tissue Policy and governance structure. Moreover, she led the development of China HGRAC Operations and Regulatory Task Force recommendations.