Executive Management

John Goldberg, MD has served as Chief Executive Officer of Cornerstone Pharmaceuticals since March 26, 2024 and as Chief Medical Officer of Rafael Holdings since November 20, 2023. Dr. Goldberg is a seasoned biotech executive with 18 years of experience in Oncology clinical trials across academia and industry. Dr. Goldberg was the Chief Medical Officer at Oncorus, a publicly traded oncolytic virus and RNA medicine developer, from Feb 2022 to June 2023 and served as Senior Vice President of Clinical Development from Oct 2018 to Feb 2022. Prior to joining Oncorus, Dr. Goldberg served as Senior Medical Director of H3 Biomedicine, a developer of genomics-based cancer therapies. While at H3 Biomedicine, he supervised the clinical development of H3B-8800, the first-in-human spliceosome modulator. Previously, Dr. Goldberg held clinical roles in cancer drug development, leading the pediatric oncology Phase 1 program at the University of Miami and working as Medical Director for Agenus. His immunotherapy experience includes first-in-human neo-antigen vaccines, dendritic cell vaccine and GVAX trials, as well as checkpoint inhibitors and costimulatory agonists. Dr. Goldberg is also a pediatric oncologist with 15 years of experience treating children with cancer and enrolling patients in clinical trials. Dr. Goldberg received his pediatric hematology oncology training from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Children’s Hospital Boston and his general pediatrics training from the University of Rochester. Dr. Goldberg holds an M.D. from the University of Massachusetts Medical School and a A.B. in Biological Sciences from the University of Chicago. In addition, Dr. Goldberg is a Medical Advisory Board Member for the Sarcoma Foundation of America.

Dr. Shorr has a 40-year track record in drug discovery from concept through approval and market launch. As Cornerstone’s Chief Scientific Officer, Dr. Shorr’s primary focus is on the discovery and development of safe and effective novel drugs and delivery technology. He has previously served as VP of Science and Technology at Enzon Pharma, VP of Science and Technology and Chief Scientist at United Therapeutics, and Associate Director of Molecular Pharmacology at SmithKline Beecham. At Enzon, Dr. Shorr was responsible for co-development with Schering-Plough of the blockbuster drug, PEG INTRON A, for the treatment of hepatitis and certain forms of melanoma. Dr. Shorr has authored more than 250 technical articles, abstracts, book chapters and conference proceedings and has more than 150 inventions with more than 300 issued and pending patents worldwide. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of London, and a DIC from the University of London Imperial College of Science and Technology.

Jenna brings two decades of experience in finance from the pharmaceuticals industry. Prior to joining Cornerstone, she spent 10 years on the research and development finance team at Daiichi Sankyo. Jenna grew her role from back-office support into a true business partner, as she integrated herself as a key member of the clinical projects team. She was instrumental in transforming the finance department at Daiichi Sankyo. Given her experience and strong technical expertise, Jenna will ensure that Cornerstone allocates its financial resources most efficiently and productively, allowing the company to focus on its top priority; the patients it serves. In her role she will also act as head of IT overseeing the technical infrastructure within an organization, determining business requirements for IT systems, and eliminating security risks. In addition, she will take on the role of Administrative Officer for Cornerstone, responsible for the administrative and operational of the organization, overseeing daily operations.

Mike is a strong entrepreneurial leader who over the years spearheaded multiple departments at Cornerstone Pharmaceuticals, including Quality Assurance, Manufacturing and CMC. Over his career, he worked with innovative medicine organizations, like Alnylam Pharmaceuticals and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, resulting in commercialization of leading products: Praluent, Eylea, Kavzara, Dupixent, Onpattro and other. Mike holds a BioMedical Engineering degree and M.B.A. from University of Illinois at Chicago. He also achieved RAC (US & Global), Six Sigma and PMP certifications.

Vikram Katragadda brings 23 years of diverse experience ranging from most recent in Clinical development and Operations to pharmaceutical development. Vikram has a strong background in clinical trials and pharmaceutical sciences and thoroughly understands various aspects of Clinical/Drug development. In his current role, Vikram is responsible for leading and directing clinical operations and development activities – collaborating with investigators on clinical programs, supporting clinical regulatory documentation and expanded access program. Prior to his current role, Vikram held various positions at multiple organizations. ​Vikram holds master’s degree from Rutgers University in Clinical Trial Sciences, and master’s and bachelor’s in pharmacy from India. Vikram also holds RAC certification from RAPS.