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functions, her responsibilities also cover government affairs and quality assurance. She handles everything from policy discussions to product launches and patent litigation.“ My role is to identify risks, help leadership understand their impact and find solutions that fit our goals,” she says.
Brenda began her career in neuroscience, originally planning on academic research, but later chose a different path. After completing her PhD and a short post-doc, Brenda moved from academia to public policy. A fellowship in Washington, DC, led her to the National Institutes of Health, where she worked first in scientific policy and then in technology transfer, managing patents and licensing for research discoveries. That experience sparked her interest in biotech law.“ I really enjoyed that work and wanted to continue it,” she shares.
Brenda later attended law school at the University of California Law San Francisco( UCSF), and then joined Wilson Sonsini, counselling small public and private biotech companies in corporate and transactional matters. She next moved to the UCSF, where she negotiated research collaborations and partnerships with biotech and pharmaceutical companies. That experience led her to Exelixis.
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