Dr. Christalyn Rhodes, PhD is currently the Associate Vice President- Genetic Medicine, External Partnering and Collaborations for Eli Lilly and Company where she identifies opportunities, manages deals, and innovates nuanced strategies and collaboration agreements to develop genetic medicine strategically aligned with Eli Lilly core therapeutic areas. Additionally, Christalyn serves as the Expert-In-Residence for Harvard Innovation Labs, on the board of University of Massachusetts Medical School’s Bridge Fund, as well as an advisor to the Nucleate organization where she has supported the launch and advancement of several startups ranging from idea stage and brainstorming to securing funding. 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.