Thelma leads commercial development of oncology-related discoveries arising from research at the University of Chicago. She works with faculty to develop and protect their inventions, and facilitates stakeholder access to the broad set of Polsky Center resources, including intellectual property development, venture creation and support, team building, and fundraising.  Thelma also works with commercial partners to license and develop University oncology technologies, and identifies and develops partnerships with existing companies to help researchers accelerate breakthrough oncology research here at UChicago. Her efforts led to the creation and implementation the UChicago-Abbvie relationship, which has fostered significant research collaborations.

Thelma holds a PhD in Cancer Biology from the University of Chicago, and received her BA in Biology and English from the University of Virginia. A native of Alexandria, Virginia, Thelma enjoys off-shore sailboat racing in her spare time.