Barbara has gained an international reputation for her enthusiastic support of science-based innovation.

She began her career in business and clinical development roles in Vancouver’s biotech start-up community before joining the university technology transfer department at the University of British Columbia (UBC). Barbara contributed to and then led the team that managed the university’s diverse life sciences technology portfolio–the largest of its kind in Canada. There she was involved in extensive due diligence, technology assessment, license negotiation and partnership development. With the support of the Gates Foundation, Barbara was the architect of the Global Access Initiative at UBC, which became the gold standard reference for global access from Canadian universities.

Barbara then spent three years in technology transfer at Dalhousie University before launching Hammock Facilitation, a boutique consulting firm focused on life sciences start-ups. From this venture, Barbara played a pivotal role in the development of a range of companies, delivering corporate positioning, business development strategies, intellectual property management and contract negotiation. She sits on the boards of various start-ups and has filled key roles within many of them.

Barbara’s entrepreneurial ventures include co-founding two medical device companies: OrthoMX Inc. and FIVAMed Inc., both based on clinician-led innovations. Most recently, Barbara was engaged as VP Commercialization with Oberland Agrisciences Inc., an alternative protein company. In these roles, she helped to propel emerging technologies and companies through proof of concept, prototype development, clinical validation, and multinational partnerships.

Barbara has gained extensive experience navigating regulatory landscapes for pharmaceuticals, medical devices, natural health products, alternate protein ingredients and fertilizers. She has also cultivated a diverse network of experts in part due to her role as an expert reviewer for multiple large scale federal funding programs. Barbara obtained a Master of Science in Biochemistry and Immunology from Simon Fraser University.