Nikki received her Bachelor’s of Science in Business Administration from Villanova University, studying Marketing, French and International Business. Compelled to help advance medicine and science, she pursued a career in pharmaceuticals, first with Pfizer, later Genentech, launching two new medicines, and working with an array of physician specialties and hospitals. At Genentech, she became an active member of the Maryland Stroke Consortium, streamlining education of EMS, physicians, and nurses to improve patient care outcomes. Shortly after accepting her most treasured role, “mom”, Nikki fell ill with multiple autoimmune disorders to include frightening neurodegenerative symptoms. Noticing that physician specialists thought only within their “silo”, she started scouring the medical literature, discovering a strong correlation between her diagnoses and various chronic infections. Antibiotic treatment led to a complete remission (see full story in blog), and she is spending her life helping patients by asking fundamental questions about the role of infection in devastating diseases, with particular interest in neurodegeneration, Alzheimer’s Disease and Asthma. She is connecting researchers, clinicians, and stakeholders across the globe, building research collaborations, serving as a scientific and business advisor to companies innovating in this space, and publishing alongside global experts.