NIH Staff 
Major Responsibilities
SEED supports the NIH innovator community in their efforts to validate the potential health impacts of promising scientific discoveries and advance them into healthcare products that improve patient care and enhance health. Developing products across the biomedical spectrum requires NIH’s collaboration with universities and research institutions, small businesses, trade associations and societies, angel investors, venture capitalists, and strategic partners. SEED leads initiatives that develop these relationships and build opportunities for NIH innovators to further their product development efforts.
Director: Matthew McMahonAdministrative Coordinator: Ashley Moore*
Academic Innovation Team
NIH’s national network of proof-of-concept centers enables academic innovators to validate the potential health impacts of promising scientific discoveries and advance them into healthcare products and services that improve patient care and enhance health. This consortium, which includes the NIH Centers for Accelerated Innovation, the Research Evaluation and Commercialization Hubs 
, and the STTR Regional Technology Transfer Accelerator Hubs for IDeA States , merges the strengths of high-impact research institutions with product development expertise and resources from federal and private-sector partners and includes 92 research institutions across 34 states and Puerto Rico.
The Academic Innovation Team:
- Coordinates the activities of the NIH proof-of-concept center consortium.
- Develops and facilitates programs for accelerating the translation of research discoveries from the laboratory into new diagnostics, devices, therapeutics, and tools.
- Collaborates with staff across NIH to develop entrepreneurial training opportunities that provide alternative career development opportunities and strengthen the diversity of the biomedical workforce.
Academic Innovation Team Contacts
Ashim Subedee – Academic Innovation Team Lead
Steve Wolpe* – Entrepreneur in Residence
Arthur Bray-Simons* – Academic Innovation Support Staff
Stacey Karetnyi* – Academic Innovation Support Staff
Cassidy Slater* – Academic Innovation Support Staff
SEED Small Business Team
NIH is the world’s largest early stage life sciences investor, backing over 1,000 companies each year with more than $1 billion in non-dilutive awards through the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs.
The SEED Small Business Team:
- Develops and implements strategic approaches and policies to enhance the return on the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) set aside funds; and
- Serves as a focal point for the extramural research community for information about the NIH small business and other technology development opportunities and resources.
HHS Small Business Team Contacts
Stephanie Fertig – HHS Small Business Team Lead
Rob Vinson – Small Business Program Manager
Innovator Support Team
NIH offers support to innovators and NIH staff by teaming with experts in business and product development to offer education and mentorship through the Innovator Support Team.
The Innovator Support Team:
- Delivers product development guidance from industry veterans to NIH’s academic and small business innovators;
- Delivers entrepreneurial training to NIH awardees and program staff; and
- Facilitates strategic alliances between federal and private sector stakeholders and expands NIH outreach to non-traditional constituencies, including angel investors, venture capitalists, technology transfer organizations, and state economic development agencies.
Innovator Support Team Contacts
Chris Sasiela – Senior Regulatory Specialist and Innovator Support Team Lead
Ethel Rubin* – Entrepreneur in Residence
John Sullivan* – Entrepreneur in Residence
Salman Hasan* – Business Analyst
SEED Operations and Communications Contacts
Kate Fritz* – Operations Manager
Camarin King* – Project Manager
Monika Mahajani* – Communications Strategist
Contact Us:
* Denotes contractor
