David M. Epstein, Ph.D.
Co-Founder, President and Chief Executive Officer
Black Diamond Therapeutics
David is a biopharmaceutical leader and executive with over 20 years of industry experience. He holds a Ph.D. in Biochemistry at Brandeis University and led a joint post-doctoral fellowship in protein structure-function and NMR dynamics between the labs of Steven Benkovic (Penn State) and Peter Wright at The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California. He received a B.Sc. in Chemistry from Lewis & Clark College.
Sergey Yurasov, M.D., Ph.D.
Chief Medical Officer
Black Diamond Therapeutics
Dr. Sergey Yurasov serves as Chief Medical Officer of Black Diamond Therapeutics. He brings over 25 years precision oncology drug development and regulatory expertise to Black Diamond. Dr. Yurasov earned an M.D. from the Russian State Medical University and a Ph.D. from the Research Institute for Pediatric Hematology.
Fang Ni, Pharm.D.
Chief Business Officer and Chief Financial Officer
Black Diamond Therapeutics
Fang Ni serves as the Chief Business Officer and Chief Financial Officer of Black Diamond Therapeutics, where he leads the strategic and business development initiatives and financial operations. Fang holds a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from Purdue University, and he then completed a post-doctoral fellowship at Rutgers University.
Elizabeth Buck, Ph.D.
Co-Founder, Chief Scientific Officer
Black Diamond Therapeutics
Liz Buck serves as the Chief Scientific Officer of Black Diamond Therapeutics and has more than 20 years of experience in oncology therapeutics in biotechnology and large pharmaceutical companies. Liz earned a Ph.D. in Cellular and Molecular Biology from New York University/Mount Sinai School of Medicine and completed postdoctoral work with Jim Wells at Sunesis Pharmaceuticals. She received her undergraduate degree in Physics from the University of New Hampshire
Melissa Johnson, M.D.
Medical Oncologist and Director, Lung Cancer Research
Sarah Cannon/Tennessee Oncology
Dr. Johnson is the Director of Lung Cancer Research at Sarah Cannon Research Institute. In addition to this, she is a medical oncologist at Tennessee Oncology and HCA Healthcare. She also currently serves as the Chair of the Cancer Committee at TriStar Centennial Medical Center in Nashville, Tenn. Dr. Johnson served as the Scientific Committee Program Chair for the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting in 2020. Dr. Johnson holds an M.D. from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and a B.S. in Biology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.