Build your foundation as the support to develop a cure

We are pharmacologists, medicinal chemists, volunteers, and presidents of rare disease foundations, with experience in the pharmaceutical industry, drug discovery and clinical trial. The road to finding a cure is complex, we can help you build the tools you need and provide you with a road map to travel as fast as you can.

Board and Scientific Advisory Board

Armelle Pindon, Ph.D.
President and Founder, board member, Scientific Advisory Board member Ph.D. in Neuroscience (Molecular and Cellular Biology) with 20+ years experience in academia, pharmaceutical industry (Johnson & Johnson) with extensive experience with a broad range of consultancy missions for small- to mid-size biotechnology companies, foundations, and foundations in Research & Development in the fields of neuro-oncology, neuroscience, and patient engagement. She was the president and founder of the Art of Science for Kids Foundation, as a respected sculptor, before transitioning the foundation to Plan for Rare Foundation.
Annette Bakker, Ph.D.
Chairman of the board, Scientific Advisory Board member. Annette Bakker, a PhD in Biochemistry, has leadership experience in both the academic and pharma/biotech research enterprise in Italy, Belgium, France, and the USA. Intrigued by the observation that the path from great basic discoveries to equally great clinical benefit is bumpy and often inefficient, she joined the Children’s Tumor Foundation (CTF) in order to try to smooth this path for neurofibromatosis, a rare genetic disorder. The team has built worldwide collaborative science networks, an open biobank, a centralized data collection and integration platform, a patient registry, a key opinion leader (KOL) network, a clinic network etc. Annette feels very strongly about involving the patient voice in every initiative since patients are partners rather than victims. She hopes that the new CTF enterprise will not only benefit patients with NF, but may be of value to the larger rare disease community.

Salvo LaRosa, Ph.D.

Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Board, board member Salvatore La Rosa, Ph.D., serves as the Chief Scientific Officer at the Children’s Tumor Foundation (CTF) and he is responsible for the implementation of the Foundation’s business strategy into research projects. He manages the foundation’s research activities, providing a scientific and knowledgeable review of discovery, preclinical and early development programs in the field of Neurofibromatosis (NF). He also serves as Board Director for the Health Research Alliance, a collaborative member organization of nonprofit research funders, and co-chair the Open Science Task Force. He holds a Ph.D. in Medicinal Chemistry from the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow (Scotland, UK) and MSc in Organic Chemistry from the University of Messina (Italy).

Selaine Niedel, Ph.D.

Board member and Scientific Advisory Board member
Selaine is a scientist and a musician, a piano player and developed later her interest and abilities as a scientist.
She focused on the relations between children and medical staff. As a Scientist, she worked at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and had her Ph.D.: “On Becoming Expert: The influence of communication within clinical encounters on the development of expertise among careers of very young children with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus”.


Martha Siegel

Board member
Cellist Martha Siegel
Martha is a cellist and cello teacher working out of her Park Slope studio “Martha’s Music Studio”, at the United Nations
International School-Queens and The Brooklyn Conservatory of Music. Every Summer she teaches strings and chamber music at Camp Common Ground in Starksboro, Vermont. She also teaches for Musika, an organization that matches up music teachers and students through the internet.
As a performing cellist, she works in many chamber groups and directs her own, Brooklyn Brandenburgers, along with other string quartets and small ensembles. She is principal cellist for the Brooklyn Conservatory
Community Orchestra. From 1976 to 1997she performed, toured and recorded with Argentine singer/songwriter Suni Paz and with Calle Strada Strasse, a trio with English concertina, mandolin, and cello. All told, she has played cello on 23 albums. Underlying her work is a strong belief in the connection between music and the community. To this end, she has produced numerous children’s concerts, chamber music concerts and music festivals in Park Slope for organizations.
Plan for Rare is a 501c3 foundation, Non-for Profit. Copyright © 2020 Plan for Rare, INC. all rights reserved.
Contact US
Address
20 Woodland Terrace, Yonkers, NY 10701, USA