Leadership

Isabelle Lousada has been the driving force behind ARC, building successful collaborations and programs across the sectors to advance the science and understanding of the amyloidosis diseases.

Isabelle was diagnosed with AL amyloidosis, and was one of the first patients to successfully undergo a stem cell transplant. For the past twenty years she has been committed to empowering other patients while serving on several boards and committees, speaking at leadership meetings and key events to encourage research, increase access, and support the critical and unmet needs of amyloidosis patients.

Sarah Cairns-Smith is a Senior Advisor at The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) where she was a Senior Partner and Managing Director. She was also a Harvard University Advanced Leadership Initiative Fellow in 2019. At BCG she was a leader in the social impact, organization and health care global practices and led BCG’s Scientist Network, a group of over 500 PhD/MDs. She specialized in innovation-related consulting with a strong emphasis on R&D and launch stage projects and novel technologies. Her technology interests span biotech and biopharma through digital. Sarah has consulted across the private, public and social sectors including to several of the world’s major foundations.

As the Executive Director of Strategic Partnerships, Vanessa works with a variety of stakeholders to build collaborative relationships and innovative initiatives that meaningfully benefit the amyloidosis community. Vanessa brings over 15 years of experience centering cross-sector collaboration in pursuit of health and social equity to her position at ARC. She serves on a number of leadership committees, embedding ARC’s work in the broader rare disease and public health discourse. Vanessa was the Director of Research at the National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD) prior to joining the ARC team.

Kristen has over ten years of clinical operations experience within the pharmaceutical industry. She has a wealth of experience in managing complex global clinical trials for novel treatments of rare diseases. Kristen is building and overseeing the ARC’s clinical research program and manages a prioritized portfolio of vital research.

Laura leads the development and communications team. She brings over 25 years of non-profit experience, and is highly mission driven. She specializes in building Development teams and systems for fundraising success.

As the Director of Operations, Grace oversees ARC’s day-to-day operating procedures of program management, finance and accounting, human resources, and administration. Grace holds a Master of Public Administration in Nonprofits Management, and has over seven years of experience in both the public and private sectors. Prior to ARC, she supported fundraising and grant management as well as program management at the Office of Financial Empowerment (OFE) at Mayor's Office of Workforce Development for the City of Boston; and also had oversight for business operations for a local biotech startup company.

Lauren brings over 15 years of experience as a nursing professional, educator, and advocate to the role. Previously Lauren served two four-year terms as President of the Southern Nevada Black Nurses Association, a chapter of the prestigious National Black Nurses Association, where she partnered with researchers, industry, and patient advocates to identify innovative use cases in precision medicine with the African American community. Lauren is passionate about championing the practice of nursing and nurse education to address persistent health disparities related to amyloidosis.