Rick Winneker, PhD

Rick Winneker specializes in drug discovery and development, life science research and organizational strategic planning and project management. During his 35-year scientific career, Rick has worked in all phases of R&D including building several pharmaceutical research organizations. Most notable is his work shaping and leading several pharmaceutical research departments in endocrinology and women’s health that resulted in multiple compounds being delivered to the development pipeline along with four registered products.  

Rick has held several pivotal roles in his career, his last being SVP for Research at the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS). While at LLS he built and led a research group focused on improving the standard of care and accelerating cures for patients with blood cancers. He transformed the way research was conducted by adding more therapy related strategic partnerships and further engaged the academic and biopharma community. He expanded and strengthened the research staff and portfolio; led the strategic planning of future innovations in research funding programs and increased awareness of LLS programs and accomplishments.  

Prior to LLS, Rick worked for 14 years at Wyeth Research, spearheading a drug discovery group focused on contraception, menopausal symptoms and reproductive disorders in women. Rick first joined Wyeth as Director of the Women’s Health Research Group and later promoted to Assistant Vice President, Women’s Health & Musculoskeletal Biology. Before joining Wyeth Research, Rick worked for Sterling Winthrop Pharmaceuticals Research Group for over 12 years where he started his career as a Senior Research Biologist in the Department of Endocrinology. 

Currently Rick is using his R&D and disease foundation experience as an independent consultant.  His industry clients included BioMotiv, Therapeutics MD, Therapy Architects, Quintiles and The One Health Company and non-profit clients included the Gateway Foundation for Cancer Research, Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation, Cutaneous Lymphoma Foundation and NephCure Kidney International.  Since 2018, the majority of his time has been in support of the Myeloproliferative Neoplasms Research Foundation, where he provides scientific oversight for existing research funding programs while spearheading future research strategies. 

Rick earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Penn State University, a Master of Science degree in Physiology from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and a PhD in Anatomy from the University of Minnesota. Rick has over 80 publications in peer reviewed scientific journals, along with multiple patents, and is a contributing author of several book chapters.