Joan Lau is the Chief Executive Officer of Spirovant, a company pursuing gene therapy for patients with inherited respiratory diseases. Dr. Lau co-founded Militia Hill Ventures and has served as Executive in Residence at BioAdvance. Previously she held roles as COO of Immunome; President and CEO of Azelon Pharmaceuticals; and President and CEO of Locus Pharmaceuticals. Prior to Locus, Dr. Lau worked at Merck & Co., where she served in a variety of roles in R&D and Business Development. Dr. Lau is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Pennsylvania in the Wharton Healthcare Management Program, and has served on the board of Penn’s School of Social Policy and Practice. Dr. Lau also serves on various community and industry boards, including Renovacor, PhillyBio, The Philadelphia Orchestra and The Kimmel Center. Dr. Lau has earned an MBA from the Wharton School of Business, a PhD in Neuroscience from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, and a BSE in Bioengineering from the University of Pennsylvania.