The Supervisory Board

George Handy

President of the AFI Supervisory Board, Managing Director of Activity for Innovation and Economic Growth

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During the past 25 years, Mr. Handy has directed projects and activities on four continents through leadership of American nonprofit organizations and as a consultant to governments and businesses.Currently, he is the Managing Director of the Activity for Innovation and Economic Growth, a nonprofit organization that he founded in 2007 to undertake practical projects supporting economic and security improvements in Central and Eastern Europe. Mr. Handy’s work has included 120 projects in and with Poland. In 2014, Mr. Handy was awarded the Order of Merit (Officer Class) of the Republic of Poland. He has supported the start-up of AFI and has become a member and president of AFI’s Supervisory Board. Mr. Handy’s career began as an infantry officer in the United States Army. Following his military service, Mr. Handy served as a Director in United Technologies Corporation, and later as an advisor to a firm engaged in investments of American pension fund assets in global opportunities. Mr. Handy is Chairman of the Board of the Washington Consortium of Theological Universities and a member of the Washington Institute of Foreign Affairs.

Melina Davis, MBA

EVP and CEO
Medical Society of Virginia

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Melina Davis is a trusted leader with executive experience elevating businesses through thoughtful, innovative, strategic guidance. Her experience has crossed many industries and at multiple levels in healthcare, technology and nonprofits. She has been a start-up founder, a board director and previously and currently a CEO. Her success hinges on her unique ability to bring different groups of people together to collaborate for a greater good. Melina’s entrepreneurial approach and ability to motivate and stimulate creativity and deliver impactful results has resulted in her raising more than $130 million dollars for health and human services.

Currently Melina serves as the Chief Executive Officer and EVP of the Medical Society of Virginia (MSV). The organization’s revenue has grown more than 300% under her leadership. She has visioned several innovative solutions for MSV including passing the first of its kind legislative protections for health care clinicians’ wellbeing through the creation of the SafeHavenTM. SafeHaven has been embraced by the Physicians Foundation, American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), and recognized by the American Medical Association (AMA) and is being shared across the country to provide support for doctors, physician assistants, nurses, nurse practitioners, pharmacists and medical students.

She was selected to serve as an international member of Hyperloop Transportation Technology, Inc.’s network and as a HyperLeader as part of HTT’s U.S. Public Affairs Team. HTT is a global leader in the development of hyperloop, an ultra-high-speed, environmentally positive ground transportation system for passenger and cargo initially concepted by Elon Musk. Over the past 20 years, Melina has become a thought leader and strategist in the nonprofit industry specializing in cause marketing, engagement and strategic partnerships. She also founded PlanG Holdings, Inc., a company and cause marketing engagement platform. Melina with two other co-founders was granted a preliminary US Patent related to this start-up platform. Previous positions include the CEO of the American Lung Association of the Atlantic Coast, Vice President of Core Technology and President of the National MS Society of Central Virginia.

Melina was selected as one of “Richmond’s Top 40 Under 40” by Inside Business in 2002, Richmond Magazine’s “20 People to Watch in 2009” and Virginia Business Magazine’s “30 People on the Move” in 2013. She was also awarded the Virginia Business Magazine’s Women in Leadership Award and recognized in as a member of the 2024 Virginia Power List by the magazine. As Founder of PlanG she was also recognized with Richmond Venture Forum’s Bright Future Award and RichTech’s Emerging Technology Company Award and in Fortune Magazine and FastCompany. Under her leadership, MSV was also received the coveted gold award and named a 2022 Top Workplace by the Richmond Times Dispatch and 2023 Top Workplace Award by Virginia Business Magazine.

She also serves on the Board of Virginia Credit Union as vice chair, as well as Virginia Commonwealth University School of Business Foundation as vice chair. She is also a member of the Board of Supervisors for the international nonprofit, The Alliance for Innovation. She is on the Fast Company Executive Board and Executive Committee of the American Medical Association’s Advocacy Resource Center. Melina received an M.B.A. from Virginia Commonwealth University, and a B.A. degree in International Studies from the University of South Carolina.

Halina Sienkiewicz-Jarosz

Head of the 1st Neurological Clinic of the Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology. Chairwoman of the National Council for Neurology.

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Physician trained in neurology and neuro-psychopharmacology with more than 25-year experience in basic and clinical research and practice. Since 2017 she has held the position of full-time professor in the 1st Department of Neurology, Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology, Warsaw Poland. Prof. Halina Sienkiewicz-Jarosz is a member of the Main Board of Polish Neurological Society. Her current scientific interests focus on epidemiology of stroke, epilepsy, degenerative diseases of the central nervous system and mental disorders. She is involved in projects regarding psychosocial aspects of epilepsy i.e. anxiety and depressive symptoms prevalence, stigmatization, psychological factors of drug-compliance. Halina Sienkiewicz-Jarosz is the author of over 300 publications in scientific journals and monographs. She was an expert of the Ministry of Health in the project Healthcare Needs Maps. In 2022, she was appointed the Chairperson of the National Council for Neurology.

Robert W. Carlson, MD

Served as the CEO of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) from 2013 – 2023 following an esteemed history of leadership positions…

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Served as the CEO of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) from 2013 – 2023 following an esteemed history of leadership positions within the organization including, most notably, Representative to the NCCN Board of Directors and Founding Chair of the Breast Cancer Guidelines Panel, the Breast Cancer Risk Reduction Guidelines Panel, and the Survivorship Guidelines Panel.

Prior to his appointment as CEO at NCCN, Dr. Carlson served as Professor of Medicine in the Division of Oncology and Stanford Medical Informatics at Stanford University Medical Center, as well as Medical Director of inpatient oncology and hematology at Stanford Cancer Institute in Stanford, California.

Dr. Carlson is a graduate of Stanford University Medical School, and he completed his internship and junior residency in internal medicine at Barnes Hospital Group in St. Louis, Missouri before returning to Stanford University to complete his senior residency. He earned a Bachelor of Science with Great Distinction from Stanford University, majoring in biological sciences.

Prof. Piotr Rutkowski, MD. PhD.

Maria Sklodowska-Curie National Research Institute of Oncology, Warsaw, Poland
 

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Piotr Rutkowski is Professor of Surgical Oncology at the Maria Sklodowska-Curie National Research Institute of Oncology in Warsaw, Poland.

Dr Rutkowski is the current Head of the Department of Soft Tissue/Bone Sarcoma and Melanoma, the Plenipotentiary of Head Director of Institute for National Oncological Strategy and Clinical Trials at the Maria Sklodowska-Curie National Research Institute of Oncology. He has participated in several investigator-driven trials in melanoma and sarcoma. He is a reviewer for several international scientific journals, as well as a member of the Editorial Board of Annals of Surgical Oncology and European Journal of Surgical Oncology.

Dr Rutkowski is an active member of the EORTC Melanoma Group; EORTC Soft Tissue and Bone Sarcoma Group, where he chaired the Local Treatment Subcommittee and the Membership Committee of the EORTC Board. He is a member of several Polish and international scientific societies (President of Polish Oncological Society, Board member of Polish Society Surgical Oncology, Ex-member of the Board of Directors of the Connective Tissue Oncology Society, member of Membership Advisory Committee of ASCO, Global Curriculum Committee of ESMO). Prof. Rutkowski has authored or co-authored over 500 scientific papers in Polish and international journals (with an impact factor of above 4000, index-H:80, citation index >30000, rewarded Highly Cited Researcher in Clinical Medicine 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024), and is co-author of national and international recommendations for sarcoma and melanoma. He is working very closely with national patient advocacy groups for GIST/sarcoma and melanoma, coordinating Polish Sarcoma Group and is Chairman of the Melanoma Academy in Poland. President of Council of Agency of Medical Research. Chair of Task Group of Ministry of Health, Poland for National Oncological Strategy.

The Management Board

Marcin Hańczaruk

Co-Chairman of AFI Poland

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MD graduated from the Bialystok Medical University Poland in 1997. He has nearly 20 years’ experience in business adaptation to changing environment leading to transformation for profitable growth, organization’s development, building corporate brands and high performance teams. His experience has included strategy acceleration programs, organization efficiency, change management, leadership development in global and international company transformation initiatives and projects. He has led diversified cross functional teams and the whole affiliates in leading international companies: Bristol-Myers Squibb (USA); Schering Plough (USA); Ferring (Switzerland), Amgen (USA).

In most recent years he has also served as the President of the Supervisory Board of the Polish Pharmaceutical Chamber and Board Member of local EFPIA.

Also since many years using international perspective and network, international project management experience he focuses on initiating, supporting and implementation of cross country projects bridging experts, centers committed to quality improvements in patients care and to healthcare innovation.

That led to very well established professional relationship and network with different stakeholders including KOLs, medical societies, PAGs, distributors and governmental bodies.

He also over the recent years educates actively on the value of innovation, biotechnology, healthcare system improvements, change management and business development. He serves as Board Member of Healthcare Think Tank, Expert on Innovation -National Centre for Research & Development and Executive partner at Acceptance Ltd.

Michael Czekajlo

Co-Chairman of AFI USA

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Dr. Michael Czekajlo is a Critical Care Physician at Hunter Holmes McGuire VA Medical Center and VCU Health System. He has a long established history in Poland assisting with the development of Poland’s national First Responder Program in 1997 and then the first American Heart Association training center to standardize emergency cardiac care in 2000. The AHA initiative lead to collaboration with Poland’s largest foundation the Great Orchestra for Christmas Charity for a CPR for Schools Program in 2006 that has since been implemented in over 5000 public schools and lead to the training of over 1 million school children in CPR.Dr. Czekajlo was the first Fulbright Scholar from the MCV campus of Virginia Commonwealth University and the first to earn an extension. In 2010 he established the first multidisciplinary medical simulation center in Poznan, Poland as his Fulbright project. This center became a model for Poland and on July 4, 2011 lead to the first meeting at the Ministry of Health for the development of a plan to have Poland become the first European country to have a national plan for modelling and simulation in healthcare. The project lead to Poland receiving $65 million Euro from the EU to develop the first national healthcare simulation network in Europe. The Fulbright project had also resulted in the creation of SimChallenge a simulation competition for medical students. The 4th International SimChallenge was held in Paris in June 2017 and the 5th will be held in Barcelona in June 2018.In 2016 Dr. Czekajlo consulted for the President of Poland on healthcare simulation focusing on areas that would improve healthcare outcomes and identify commercial opportunities for Polish companies in healthcare simulation.

Since 2014 he has been involved with PLUS-IP (Polish-US Innovation Project) signed between the US State Department and Polish Government. The program has recently been rebranded as Innovation UP (US-Poland) but the goal is the same to increase collaboration and commercialization between the 2 countries.

In 2017. Dr. Czekajlo co-founded Alliance for Innovation Foundation to continue work on increasing academic and business collaboration between Poland and Virginia.

Dr. Czekajlo completed his undergraduate training at Kean University and Masters at Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey. He then attended Poznan University of Medical Sciences where he completed and MD, PhD program and served on the faculty until 2000 when he began his internal medicine residency at Capital Health System in New Jersey and Critical Care Fellowship at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

Beata Biel

Executive Director

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Beata has been involved with AFI as a project manager from its inception helping to execute its, mission to develop Polish-American cooperation based on three pillars: science, culture and business. In 2019, she became AFI’s first Executive Director and continues in that capacity. Beata is responsible for steering the organization and managing its international operations, including donor development, fiscal management, grants and program operations, board relations, human capital management, community relations. She is an analytical and agile professional with several years of experience in strategic and operational management of national and international projects.

She currently also holds a position as Head of the Monitoring and Coordination Department for the implementation of the Polish National Cancer Strategy (NCS) at the Maria Sklodowska-Curie National Research Institute of Oncology. In this role she cooperates with public and commercial entities and supervises a team in addition to oversight of all public and private entities directly involved in the project.

Prior to her current position she had a successful career in the pharmaceutical industry with increasing seniority to hold a variety of marketing and project management positions. Beata holds a masters degree in International Management, Marketing and International Relations from the Cracow University of Economics (CUE).

Advisory Council Virginia

Scott Schoenborn

AFI Advisory Council Virginia Member

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On the professional level, Scott Schoenborn currently serves as Associate Director of Marketing with Indivior.  He delivers value as a transformative leader with over 3 decades of expertise in sales, marketing, branding, commercialization, and policy with life sciences organizations (Pfizer, Mallinckrodt, Interleukin Genetics). He is recognized for strategic vision, creating trust, and implementing viable solutions with a proven track record of delivering results.

On the operational front, Scott partners with community enterprises to improve education, economic development, and health status. He develops solutions by building trusted relationships and aligning stakeholders around common objectives to fulfill organizational mission, vision, and goals.

Scott’s philanthropic activities include Board membership and Advisory roles with the following organizations – Virginia Health Information, Lead Virginia, Virginia Center for Health Innovation, Virginia Chamber of Commerce. He also volunteers with Saint Mary’s Catholic School (PTO), Knights of Columbus, and the Boys Scouts of America. In 2017, Scott assists the Alliance for Innovation Foundation to develop academic, business, and cultural collaborations between Poland and the United States.

Scott earned a B.A. in Biology from Gettysburg College, MBA (International Marketing) from the University of Richmond.   He and with his wife Agata strive to instill an international education and cultural enlightenment with their 5 children.

Agnieszka Chojecka

AFI Advisory Council Member

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Agnieszka Chojecka, MSHA is a Practice Administrator at VCU Health System in Richmond, VA.  She provides operational support to several of multi-specialty surgery clinics in Ambulatory Care at the VCU Medical Center in Richmond, VA. The initiatives she works on include improving patients’ access to care, creating efficiencies in clinics in order to increase throughput as well as increasing the quality of patient and provider satisfaction.  Before joining VCU Medical Center, Agnieszka has worked in the International Emergency Assistance department at Allianz Global Assistance where her work regularly required her command of foreign languages (Polish and French).

Since having moved to the U.S. in 1996, Agnieszka completed her undergraduate studies at Randolph Macon College (2002) and her graduate degree in Health Administration at VCU in 2016.  In addition to the academic background in business and health administration, Agnieszka also holds a Virginia teacher license in French for grades K-12.

Her efforts related to popularizing Polish culture in the U.S. include organizing a concert featuring a live performance of Chopin’s music in November 2018, commemorating the 100th anniversary of Poland’s independence.  In October 2018, Agnieszka was in charge of organizing an event celebrating the first anniversary of the declaration of the Kosciuszko Day in Virginia on October 15th, attended by about 100 people of Polish descent.  Agnieszka has also led a few hands-on classes in Polish cuisine, free and open to the local community in Richmond, where her pierogi-making skills were in the spotlight.

In her spare time Agnieszka spends time with her two daughters, Veronika and Viktoria, and her husband, Piotr.  She regularly cooks the most challenging dishes of Polish cuisine for her family and friends, she grows vegetables in her organic garden, and depending on the season – she enjoys water sports or downhill skiing.

Advisory Council Poland

Marzena Domańska – Sadynica

President of the Experts for Health Foundation

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Expert in the field of health care system. Author of numerous reports, including analyses and recommendations on systemic changes.

In 2005, she initiated activities to improve pain relief in Poland, which led in 2017 to the amendment of the Act on Patients’ Rights and the Ombudsman for Patients’ Rights, indicating that every patient has the right to pain treatment and every entity providing health services is obliged to take action to determine the degree of pain intensity, pain treatment and monitoring the effectiveness of this treatment. She participated in the process to improve analgesic care in emergency medical services, leading to the implementation of good practices in pain treatment in children and adults in Emergency Medical Teams. It led to the creation and implementation of the health care system (Regulation of the Minister of Health of 2023) organizational standard of chronic pain treatment in outpatient care.

She participated in long-term mental health activities, which resulted in the creation of the “National Mental Health Protection Program for 2011-2015”. In 2014-2015, she participated as an expert in the “Civic Coalition for Mental Health” project, the aim of which was to socially control the way the Ministry of Health implements the National Mental Health Protection Program, analyze this system, and develop conclusions and propose changes to the amendment to the National Mental Health Protection Program 2016-2020.

In 2014-2015, she initiated the project of the Civic Agreement for Oncology, aimed at social control of the way the Ministry of Health implements the National Program for Combating Cancer, the analysis of this system and the development of the Strategy for Oncology from the perspective of an oncological patient.

As part of the project, the Patient Oncology Strategy and the Oncological Patient Card template were developed, implemented by the Minister of Health in the health care system as the DILO card.

Co-author of projects of new health services, implemented in 2024 in the health care system by the regulation of the Minister of Health, i.e. the pilot program entitled: Comprehensive care for a patient with early arthritis and the pilot program Comprehensive general developmental care for a child born prematurely. It focuses on the topic of value-based health care, VBHC (Value Based Health Care).

She obtained her PhD in medical sciences and health sciences at the Medical University of Gdańsk. She completed her MBA in healthcare at the Lazarski University in Warsaw.

Adam Ustynowicz

AFI Advisory Council Member, Film producer & director

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Born in 1953 in Warsaw. MSc. of Aviation Faculty of Warsaw Institute ofTechnology and PhD candidate in Thermodynamics. Graduated as film directorfrom Lodz Film School in 1986, traveled to China to become assistant ofBernardo Bertolucci during production of THE LAST EMPEROR on location inThe Forbidden City in Beijing.

In 1989 set up one of the first independent film production companies inPoland. In 1990/91 produced and directed a 50 min. documentary for popularBBC2 series Bookmark about Polish Science Fiction writer Stanislaw Lem. Thefilm was awarded the first prize on the International Festival of the Films onArt, Montreal 1994. Series of educational programs about Space „Ad Astra”was presented to the Pope John Paul II during the seminar on philosophical andreligious aspects of contemporary science in Castel Gandolfo, August 97.

From 1994 to date a film director and independent producer, author of morethan 200 films and programs, mostly about exploration of Space, history ofaviation and philosophical and ethical aspects of modern science. Author ofthe pioneer in the World Series of programs converting Internet and televisionbroadcasted by Polish Television in 1995. Producer of live coverage of landingof space robots on Mars and Titan.

In February 2010 produced a Chopin concert in Space on board of STS-130Endeavour during the mission to the International Space Station. Producer anddirector of documentary film ”Chopin. The Space Concert” on theoccasion of 200th. anniversary of Chopin birth. In December 2012, the filmwon Grand Prix of the International Film Festival in Monaco.

Author and producer of popular educational awareness campaigns promotingprotection of natural environment, responsibility and ethics in science andpopularization of sport and Olympic values among young generation.

Passionate about aviation and Space exploration. In the years 2003-2005 vicepresident of CASI – International Air Sport Commission of FAI, member ofPolish Aviation Council.

Katarzyna Michalak-Magda

AFI Advisory Council Member

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Experienced manager of innovative projects and commercialization of innovations. Law and international relations master by education. She has completed post-graduate studies and a number of courses in the field of project and finance management. She has gained managerial experience by working in the energy and real estate industry.

Katarzyna has acquired financing for a number of projects financed from various EU operational programs and funds for supporting the development of innovations. Until December 2017, she was the CEO in a cell therapy company. Under her leadership, the company has obtained funding under various granting programs (i.e. Horizon 2020) as well as seed and VC investment funds.

In April 2018, she was hired as the Head of the Biotechnology Development Program in the Polish Development Fund. After that, she has become responsible for the Innovation and Strategy Department at the Medical Research Agency, where she helped develop the Agency’s strategy and establish international cooperation with various health organizations and institutions mainly in the USA.

Katarzyna is an Alumn of an MIT Enterprise Forum acceleration program, during which she has taken part in a bootcamps and a series of lectures on innovations and commercialization at the MIT.

Przemysław Michalak

AFI Advisory Council Member

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10 years of experience in business-academia relations – innovations commercialization and business development, starting at the university, through innovations department of an energy utility ending with startups and own consulting company.

Through his career, Przemyslaw was mostly responsible for developing strategies for R&D projects and their commercialization ending with accelerating start-ups (acquiring funding – public/private). He was a business coach at the largest European energy accelerator where he was responsible for coaching and mentoring the entrepreneurs (innovators), to help them on the way to launch their products/services to the market.

His practical experience in startups comprises of helping to incorporate two startups (university spin-offs) – one dedicated to the commercialization of novel biometric solutions for the identification and authorization of clients in the banking sector (Przemyslaw is the CEO of this company currently) and the other was dedicated to marketing authorization of an innovative cell-therapy medicinal product. He is also an author of a strategy for building astartup ecosystem in the med-tech sector for one of Polish cities.

Przemyslaw is an Alumn of an MIT Enterprise Forum acceleration program, during which he has taken part in a bootcamps and a series of lectures on innovations and commercialization at the MIT.

David B. Kaiser

AFI Advisory Council Member

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brings comprehensive “know how” in the development and operations of new medical initiatives. Mr. Kaiser has developed and operated integrated health care delivery systems including for Health Maintenance Organisations (HMO), Consolidated Medical Group Practices, Hospitals, and Medical Marketing in the USA, Central and Eastern Europe.

Medical delivery, physician governance and reimbursement mechanisms continue to evolve into comprehensive and complicated systems. Mr. Kaiser has been influential in implementing many comprehensive delivery initiatives into the infrastructure where health delivery is a major concern.