Monique Yoakim-Turk, Ph.D.
Partner, Technology Development Fund; Associate Director of TIDO
monique.yoakim@childrens.harvard.edu
(617) 919-3027
Monique joined TIDO of Boston Children's Hospital in 2000. As Partner, Technology Development Fund, Monique created the Boston Children's Hospital Technology Development Fund (TDF), which launched in March of 2009. For the launch, she designed and implemented the evaluation processes for promising hospital technologies, formed an advisory board of industry leaders, and established collaborations with technology development partners and CROs. She continues to oversee the management of funded projects, external collaborations, and the operation of each year’s funding cycle. In its first four years, Children’s awarded $4.5M to support 40 hospital innovations.
In her previous role as Senior Licensing Manager, Monique handled technologies in the therapeutic, diagnostic, and medical device arenas, closed significant deals in licensing and sponsored research, and established creative collaborations with industry partners.
Prior to Boston Children's, Dr. Yoakim-Turk was a post-doctoral fellow at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in the laboratory of Dr. Benjamin Neel, where she studied the regulation of cytokine receptors by the tyrosine phosphatase SHP1. She holds a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the Tufts University, Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences. In the laboratory of Dr. Brian Schaffhausen, her doctoral thesis focused on the regulation of the PI3-Kinase by Polyomavirus middle T antigen and the proto-oncogene c-src. Monique has authored and co-authored 9 peer reviewed publications. She also holds a B.S. and an M.S. in Biology from the University of Massachusetts.
Meridith Unger, MBA
Principal, Technology Development Fund
meridith.unger@childrens.harvard.edu
(617) 919-2721
Meridith joined the Technology Development Fund (TDF) in 2011 as a Principal. Prior to TDF, Meridith was an Associate with the Life Sciences team at Atlas Venture. Meridith has also worked closely with several venture capital firms, including Third Rock Ventures, Lux Capital, and Oxford BioScience Partners in the creation of several NewCos, including Sage Therapeutics, AviTx Inc, Kala Pharmaceuticals, and Asterand Inc. Meridith was also the co-founder and CEO of Aukera Therapeutics, which won the Life Sciences track and the Audience Choice Award in the 2010 MIT $100K Competition, and was a finalist for MassChallenge in 2010.
Prior to her work in venture capital and entrepreneurship, Meridith was a Managing Consultant at Boston Healthcare Associates and a Senior Associate with Silicon Valley Bank’s Life Sciences and Venture Capital Lending Group. Meridith received her A.B. from Bryn Mawr College where she received the Anna Pell Wheeler Prize for Mathematics and her M.B.A. from Harvard Business School. Meridith is a member of the 15th class of Kauffman Fellows.