Tempest Therapeutics Inc. announced the appointment of Ronit Simantov, M.D., a seasoned and accomplished industry veteran as well as hematology and oncology expert, to the company's board of directors. Dr. Simantov brings more than 20 years of experience in oncology research and product development. Dr. Simantov currently serves as chief medical officer at Gamida Cell, an advanced cell therapy company. Prior to joining Gamida Cell, Dr. Simantov served as head of oncology global medical affairs at Pfizer, where she was responsible for multiple programs including Sutent (sunitinib), Inlyta (axitinib), Ibrance (palbociclib), Bosulif (bosutinib) and Xalkori (crizotinib). Dr. Simantov previously led Phase 1-3 studies as vice president of clinical research at OSI Pharmaceuticals, and served as chief medical officer at CuraGen Corporation (acquired by Celldex), where she led development of small molecules and antibody-drug conjugates. At Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals, Dr. Simantov led the Phase 3 study of Nexavar (sorafenib) resulting in the first approval of a tyrosine kinase inhibitor in renal cell carcinoma. Prior to joining industry, Dr. Simantov was on the academic faculty at Weill Medical College of Cornell University, where she directed the fellowship program and conducted angiogenesis and vascular biology research. She has authored over 40 peer-reviewed manuscripts. Dr. Simantov also serves on the board of Clovis Oncology.