About Founder & CEO, Dr. Sophia Ononye-Onyia
Multidisciplinary Background
BS Honors, Biochemistry, BGSU
MPH, Public Health Administration, UTOLEDO
MBA, Healthcare Management, UCONN
PhD, Medicinal Chemistry, UCONN
Advanced Business Certificate, Healthcare Finance, UCONN
Predoctoral Fellow, Pharmaceutical Science, AFPE
Postdoctoral Fellow, Medical Oncology, YALE
9 peer-reviewed publications PUBMED
10+ publications in influential media outlets
Patent on epigenetic agents (WO2013192554A1)
Pending trademark for Amplifying Scientific Innovation (Serial Number 90193891)
Honors and Affiliations
Creator, Host and Producer, Amplifying Scientific Innovation
Board of Directors, Daré Bioscience (NASDAQ: DARE)
Member of the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD)
Member, EY Entrepreneurs Access Network (EAN)
President, Healthcare Businesswomen Association (HBA), New York Chapter Board of Directors
Entrepreneur-in-Residence, YALE
Member, Yale Alumni Association (YAA)
Advisory Council, Dell Women's Entrepreneur Network (DWEN)
Mentor, Cartier Women's Initiative (CWI)
Women in Business Advisor, UCONN
Invited Guest Speaker, UCONN
Scientific Advisory Board Member, BioSortia Pharmaceuticals
Expert Advisory Board (EAB) Member, Catalant Technologies
Member, Entrepreneur Leadership Network
Member, Female Founders Collective
Woman of the Week, Dell Women's Entrepreneur Network (DWEN)
Member, Massachusetts Biotechnology Council (MASSBIO)
Contributing Writer, Inc. Magazine
Woman of The Week (WoW) Podcast Guest, PharmaVoice
Guest Contributor & Host, Pharmacy Podcast Network
Venture Partner, FundRx
Advisor, Harvard Biomedical Careers Science Program
Editorial Advisory Board Member, Cell & Gene
Panelist, MIT Technology Review
Contributor, Life Science Leader
Contributor, PharmaBoardRoom
Member, NYC Health Business Leaders
HBA Mentor Recognition
Spark Awardee, HBA (2 awards)
Certificate of Congressional Recognition, 30 Black Stars Award
Tradition of Excellence Award, UConn School of Pharmacy
Professional Summary
Dr. Sophia Nnenna Ononye-Onyia (Oh-Non-Yeah-Oh-Ni-Ya) is a Nigerian-American entrepreneur and life science strategist who utilizes her multidisciplinary background (PhD, MPH, MBA), scientific background as a Pfizer scientist and Yale-trained molecular oncologist and diverse therapeutic area experience to advise clients in the life science industry on traditional and digital marketing strategies and impact-driven communications tactics across traditional, online and social media.
She is the Founder and CEO of The Sophia Consulting Firm, a life science marketing and communications consultancy that was established in New York City with the goal of amplifying scientific innovation. She is also the Creator, Host and Producer of her firm’s Amplifying Scientific Innovation (trademark pending) Video Podcast, which has received over 450,000 views on YouTube since its 2020 launch and featured over 40 CEOs and senior executives in biotech and Big Pharma companies who share perspectives on critical issues such as health equity, inclusion and diversity.
Dr. Ononye-Onyia is a Board Director of Daré Bioscience (NASDAQ: DARE) and a Member of the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD). She is a Yale Entrepreneur-in-Residence, Biosortia Scientific Advisory Board Member, Cell & Gene Editorial Advisory Board Member, Entrepreneur Leadership Network Member and Contributor for leading outlets such as Inc. and MIT Technology Review. Her commitment to scientific advocacy and health equity is further showcased by frequent external speaking engagements as a moderator, guest speaker and panelist.
She recently joined the inaugural class of the EY Entrepreneurs Access Network (EAN) and serves as a Mentor for the Cartier Women's Initiative (CWI). She is on the Advisory Council of the Dell Women's Entrepreneur Network (DWEN) and is the President of the Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association (HBA) New York Chapter Board of Directors.
Dr. Ononye-Onyia is the recipient of numerous honors and awards, including the UConn Tradition of Excellence Award, two consecutive HBA Spark Awards, a 2020 Dell Women's Entrepreneurial Network (DWEN) Woman of the Week recognition and a 2019 Congressional Letter of Recognition for the Face2Face Africa 30 Black Stars award. Most recently, Commetric recognized her as the Top Digital Health Influencer on Twitter in the FemTech/Women's Health space.
Advisory + Operations Team
Carmen Guerra, MD MSCE FACSP
Carmen Guerra, MD MSCE FACSP
Carmen Guerra, MD MSCE FACSP
CLINICAL TRIAL DIVERSITY
Dr. Carmen E. Guerra, MD, MSCE, FACP, vice chair of diversity and inclusion for the department of medicine and associate director of diversity and outreach at the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania, specializes in eliminating the barriers to cancer screening tests in underserved populations. C
CLINICAL TRIAL DIVERSITY
Dr. Carmen E. Guerra, MD, MSCE, FACP, vice chair of diversity and inclusion for the department of medicine and associate director of diversity and outreach at the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania, specializes in eliminating the barriers to cancer screening tests in underserved populations. Carmen is also an attending physician at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and the Presbyterian Medical Center. As an American Cancer Society volunteer, Carmen has held leadership positions at every level of the organization, including president of the former East Central Division Board and has served on the American Cancer Society Board of Directors since 2016. Carmen received the St. George National Award for her dedication to our mission in 2017. Carmen has served on the Mission Outcomes Committee, ACS Clinical Guidelines Development Group, and the National Advisory Council on Health Equity.
James Boyle, PhD
Carmen Guerra, MD MSCE FACSP
Carmen Guerra, MD MSCE FACSP
EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT STRATEGY
Dr. James (Jim) Boyle is a co-founder and the Managing Director of the Yale Entrepreneurial Institute (YEI), a business/educational unit within Yale University that was formed with the mission of mentoring students with new venture ideas and that has expanded to include the development of faculty ventures. Pri
EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT STRATEGY
Dr. James (Jim) Boyle is a co-founder and the Managing Director of the Yale Entrepreneurial Institute (YEI), a business/educational unit within Yale University that was formed with the mission of mentoring students with new venture ideas and that has expanded to include the development of faculty ventures. Prior to forming YEI, Jim was responsible within the Office of Cooperative Research (OCR) for the licensing and venture startup of a number of engineering-based technologies. Before joining OCR, he developed and actively managed the University’s largest corporate research alliance, managing a large array of both Yale and external scientists in bioimaging-based collaborations. Earlier, Jim co-founded and grew a predictive analytics consulting practice, providing both technical and pricing guidance on new product development to a wide array of Fortune 1000 companies in the scientific equipment industry. Jim began his entrepreneurial career while still a Yale graduate student, developing novel instruments for characterizing trace biomolecules with the support of the National Institutes of Health, and later commercializing these devices through a wide array of OEM partnerships as part of a Yale startup.
Munachimso Onyia
Munachimso Onyia
Munachimso Onyia
COMMUNICATIONS + OPERATIONS
Mr. Munachimso (Muna) Onyia oversees strategic and tactical communications operations for The Sophia Consulting Firm. With education and training in Business Administration and Management from Purdue University, Muna draws from his diverse experiences across multiple industries in the private and public sectors
COMMUNICATIONS + OPERATIONS
Mr. Munachimso (Muna) Onyia oversees strategic and tactical communications operations for The Sophia Consulting Firm. With education and training in Business Administration and Management from Purdue University, Muna draws from his diverse experiences across multiple industries in the private and public sectors to lead strategic operations management, financial management, HR and recruiting for the firm. Most recently, Muna worked as an Assistant to the Financial Attaché at the Permanent Mission of Nigeria to the United Nations (Nigerian House) in New York City where he fostered international relations and diplomacy between the US and Nigerian governments through diligent operations and hospitality management. Muna is also a volunteer for the Federal Emergency Management Association (FEMA).
Ellen Wingard
Munachimso Onyia
Munachimso Onyia
LEADERSHIP CONSULTANT
Ms. Ellen Wingard is an early innovator in the field of leadership development and has for 30 years coached and advised CEOs and emerging leaders in health care, financial services, consumer goods, pharmaceuticals, technology and higher education. She is co-author of Enlightened Leadership: How Women are Transformin
LEADERSHIP CONSULTANT
Ms. Ellen Wingard is an early innovator in the field of leadership development and has for 30 years coached and advised CEOs and emerging leaders in health care, financial services, consumer goods, pharmaceuticals, technology and higher education. She is co-author of Enlightened Leadership: How Women are Transforming the Practice of Leadership. She is past Board Chair of World Pulse Media, an media channel linking 50,000 grassroots leaders across 190 countries, and a member of the Women’s Leadership Board at Harvard Kennedy School, where she engages with 150 top global corporate leaders on the latest practices in global talent development, gender inclusion and socially responsible business. She is part of the Executive Coaching pool of the Harvard Business School Executive Education Program and has been a commentator on career navigation and intergenerational mentoring to the Committee of 200, the Fletcher School International Business Program, Harvard Kennedy School, and NPR Marketplace. She has also served as a Mentor for the Impact Center a program affiliated with the Federal Leadership Program for distinguished public sector women leaders.
Learn + Amplify
In the News: Inc.
Dr. Sophia Ononye-Onyia's story as a Nigerian-American Millennial Female STEM Entrepreneur was featured on Inc.
Inspire + Innovate
Public Board Appointment
In April 2021, Dr. Sophia Ononye-Onyia was appointed to the Board of Directors of Daré Bioscience (NASDAQ: DARE), a leader in women’s health innovation.
Lead + Influence
Top Digital Health Influencer (2021)
In January 2021, Dr. Sophia Ononye-Onyia was featured as the Most Influential Digital Health Influencer in FemTech on Twitter by Commetric, a media analytics solution company.
Lead + Influence
Engaging and Empowering
Dr. Sophia Ononye-Onyia was recently honored with a Tradition of Excellence Award by the UConn School of Pharmacy. She also served as a Guest Speaker on "Healthcare Innovations" for the UConn Executive MBA program and was featured as the Alumna of the Month by the UConn School of Business Alumni.
Lead + Influence
Leading with Purpose
Dr. Sophia Ononye-Onyia joined the the Advisory Council of the Dell Women's Entrepreneur Network (DWEN) and is the current President of the Healthcare Businesswomen's Association (HBA), New York Chapter Board of Directors.
Transcend + Grow
Transcending and Scaling
Dr. Sophia Ononye-Onyia was recently selected to join the inaugural class of EY Entrepreneurs Access Network (EAN). The EAN is part of an elite community of Black and Latinx business leaders with tailored programs designed to transcend barriers and scale businesses.