Mike Cooke
Co-Founder, CEO & Board Member, AmacaThera

Mike Cooke co-founded AmacaThera Inc. with Dr. Molly Shoichet in 2016 to commercialize novel hydrogels. Their lead product, AMT-143, is focused on improving postoperative pain management and has applicability to any surgical incision. Under Mike’s guidance as CEO, the AmacaThera team has successfully gained approval from Health Canada to initiate a Phase 1 clinical trial for AMT-143. In 2021, AmacaThera closed an oversubscribed CDN$10.3 Series A financing to further the company’s clinical development and expand the uses of its drug delivery platform.

Jack Lee
Senior Director, Capital Access, Ontario Bioscience Innovation Organization

Jack Lee manages the Capital Access program at the Ontario Bioscience Innovation Organization (OBIO), a Canadian life science accelerator. OBIO supports venture-backed companies with strategic programming, investment and corporate partnerships; OBIO’s Capital Access team advances this goal through relationship-building with VCs, corporate ventures and search & evaluation teams from biopharma. Jack is the former CEO, COO and Co-Founder of MDDT Inc, a SaaS and hardware Medtech spinout from Western University. He serves as an advisor to OptimEyes for investment, capital access, partnering and business development.

Bernard Lim
Expert Advisor, Innovation Factory

Bernard Lim founded a medical device company which he grew and led to a highly successful acquisition by a global pharmaceutical. As CEO, Board Chair and Director, he has led the growth of both start-ups and corporate multinationals spanning diverse industry sectors including biotechnology, diagnostics, medical devices, electronics and high technology, including Cardiol Therapeutics and Front Line Medical Technologies. Bernard is a mentor to multiple university spin-out companies and the resident Health and Life Science executive-in-residence (EIR) at Innovation Factory. 

Michael O’Rourke
CEO, RE-VANA Therapeutics

Michael O’Rourke has been involved in drug delivery for over 30 years, including strategy development and global commercialization at 3M Pharma, Pfizer, Alza, Chiron Vision, Bausch + Lomb and GrayBug. In 2009 Michael founded Scotia Vision Consultants, advising ophthalmic companies on all aspects of commercialization and product development. His ocular drug delivery experience includes launching the world’s first intra ocular drug delivery technology in Europe, Vitrasert®, and the world’s second, Retisert®, in the USA. At 3M, Michael worked in both sales and marketing for new sustained release therapeutics and enhanced aerosol delivery technologies treating pulmonary disease. Michael has managed 28 brands, led 13 product launches, structured/negotiated 12 strategic business deals and has been a team member in 18 device/drug approvals.

Parnian Tajbakhsh
Senior Manager, Capital Access, Ontario Bioscience Innovation Organization

Parnian holds a Masters of Management of Innovation from the University of Toronto.  She is a business development and commercialization professional with experience across biotech, medical device and digital health startups supporting founding teams with fundraising and commercialization. She specializes in translating complex science into scalable commercial opportunities through market strategy, partnerships, and stakeholder engagement. Together with Jack Lee, Parnian serves as an adviser to OptimEyes.

Keith Pardee
Lead Mentor, H2i Health Innovation Hub, University of Toronto

Keith Pardee is the Canada Research Chair in Synthetic Biology and Human Health and is an Associate Professor at the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy. His lab works in the field of synthetic biology, with a focus on pioneering in vitro devices to improve access to health care and research tools.  Using freeze-dried, cell-free enzyme systems, the lab builds low-cost molecular diagnostics (e.g. Zika, COVID-19) and low-burden platforms for cell-free biomanufacturing of lab reagents and biologic therapeutics.  These efforts have led to the co-founding of three trainee-led ventures (LSK Technologies, Liberium Biotech, En Carta Diagnostics). Keith serves as the lead mentor for OptimEyes as part of our membership in the H2i Health Innovation Hub, advising the company on business strategy, R&D and commercialization.

Christopher Tan
Executive Director, BD & Licensing, Search & Evaluation, Infectious Disease, Vaccines & Oncology, Merck

Christopher Tan is an Executive Director in Business Development & Licensing in Cambridge, MA, USA. His primary responsibility is to serve as a Merck spokesperson and scientific prospector for identifying, evaluating, and

championing new research collaborations, preclinical assets, clinical assets and/ or technologies in the New England States and Eastern Canada, through licensing, acquisition, collaborations, co-development agreements, and strategic alliances. As the recipient of the 2025 Merck Blue Ticket Award, 20/20 OptimEyes receives mentorship from Christopher and other scientists and business leaders at Merck through 2026. 

Richard Yi-Hsiu Cheng, PhD
Senior Scientist, Biology Discovery, Merck

Richard Cheng is a Senior Scientist in the 3D Technologies division at Merck. As the recipient of the 2025 Merck Blue Ticket Award, 20/20 OptimEyes receives mentorship from Richard and other scientists and business leaders at Merck through 2026. 

Lyndon Jones, MD
Optometrist, Professor & Director, Centre for Ocular Research & Education, University of Waterloo

Lyndon Jones graduated in Optometry from the University of Wales in 1985 and gained his PhD in Chemical Engineering from the Biomaterials Research Unit at Aston University, Birmingham, UK in 1998. He was awarded an Honorary DSc by Aston in 2018. He was awarded Fellowship of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences (CAHS) in 2017. He holds three of the higher clinical awards granted by the UK College of Optometrists, is a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry (AAO), in which he is a Diplomate in Cornea and Contact Lenses, and is also a Fellow of both the International Association of Contact Lens Educators (IACLE) and the British Contact Lens Association (BCLA).

Talena Rambarran, PhD
Application Development Scientist – Polymers/Composites, Universal Matters Inc.

Talena Rambarran is a polymer chemistry and advanced materials professional with over 16 years of experience in polymer synthesis, biomaterials development, and sustainable materials technologies. She earned her PhD in Polymer Chemistry from McMaster University, specializing in advanced material design and characterization, and completed postdoctoral research focused on polymer-based materials for ophthalmic drug delivery and biomedical applications. Throughout her career, she has contributed to innovation in advanced materials technologies, while also supporting scientific collaboration and STEM outreach initiatives.

Andy Whitlock, PhD
CSO, Ocular Services on Demand

Currently serving as Chief Scientific Officer for SightStream Biotherapeutics and Vice President, Head of Global Ophthalmology for Mannin Research, Inc., Andy is an experienced ophthalmic research leader and executive with a demonstrated history of preclinical drug discovery and development success in both the biopharma and CRO industries.

David Wong, MD
Ophthalmologist-In-Chief, Unity Health Toronto, St. Michael’s Hospital

Dr. David Wong is a vitreoretinal surgeon at St. Michael's Hospital. He is an Associate Professor at the University of Toronto and oversees the Department of Ophthalmology & Vision Sciences' residents and fellows at St. Michael's Hospital. David is also a Board Member for the C20/20 Innovation Hub.