PNOC Foundation Appoints Biopharma Executive Jeremy Bender to Its Board of Directors

San Francisco, CA – Jeremy Bender, Ph.D., MBA, a senior biopharmaceutical executive with more than 25 years of drug development and corporate leadership experience, has joined the Board of Directors of PNOC Foundation, the national fundraising partner for the Pediatric Neuro-Oncology Consortium (PNOC). 

Bender most recently served as CEO of Day One Biopharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: DAWN), where he led the team that worked directly with PNOC's scientific leadership on the clinical trials behind the FDA's accelerated approval of tovorafenib (OJEMDA™)—a targeted therapy for BRAF-altered pediatric low-grade glioma and the first FDA approval for a pediatric brain cancer treatment in more than 50 years. Day One was subsequently acquired by Servier Pharmaceuticals in April 2026.

"Working alongside PNOC's researchers on clinical trials of tovorafenib gave me a firsthand view of the success that can be achieved when committed people and organizations collaborate to create new medicines for children living with cancer," said Bender. "Joining the board is an opportunity to help sustain and expand the work that gives children with brain tumors new potential therapies and hope for a brighter and longer future."

Prior to Day One, Bender served as Vice President of Corporate Development at Gilead Sciences, leading transactions totaling more than $10 billion. He holds a Ph.D. in Microbiology and Immunology from the University of Colorado School of Medicine, an MBA from MIT Sloan, and a B.S. in Biological Sciences from Stanford University. He and his wife, Melissa, have been longstanding philanthropic supporters of PNOC Foundation. 

"Jeremy has been part of PNOC's story in a real way—as a clinical partner and as a supporter," said Bruce Campbell, PNOC Foundation Co-Founder. "His experience taking a treatment from trial to FDA approval, in direct collaboration with the PNOC team, brings a depth of understanding that is rare and invaluable." Bender's appointment further strengthens the board driving PNOC Foundation's Lose No Child campaign, a global push to ensure no child loses their life to a brain tumor.