Uncommon Cures
Require An Uncommon Approach

Uncommon Cures® Require Uncommon Sense(SM)

Clinical Trial Innovation

A unique clinical trials company using Uncommon SenseSM to bring life-changing therapies to rare disease patients.
Helping kid. Two doctors in white coats is in the clinic working together
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Introducing Uncommon Cures

Revolutionizing Rare Disease Clinical Research

Welcome to Uncommon Cures, Inc., a trailblazing boutique rare disease clinical trial program dedicated to revolutionizing the way clinical trials for rare diseases are conducted. Our mission is to accelerate the development and delivery of life-changing treatments for patients with rare diseases by streamlining the clinical trial process, reducing costs, prioritizing patient well-being and maximizing the probability of regulatory success.

Uncommon Cures Require Uncommon Thinking

Our Dual Approach

Our unique dual approach combines the centralization of high-risk clinical operations and the decentralization of low-risk clinical operations. This strategy streamlines processes, reduces costs, and maintains the highest quality of patient care throughout the clinical trial lifecycle.

Centralize High-risk Clinical Operations at a Single Location while leveraging multiple locations

De-centralize Low-Risk Clinical Operations to Home-Based Solutions

Pioneering Rare Disease Clinical Research Solutions

What We Do

Rare Disease Study Design

Tailoring innovative, patient-centric strategies for efficient, impactful Rare Disease clinical trials.

Clinical Trial - Data Collection Study

Harnessing advanced technology to optimize accurate, secure, and efficient data gathering in clinical trials.

Subject Screening For Clinical Trial

Rigorous, ethical, and efficient screening processes to identify the ideal candidates for successful outcomes.

In House Clinical Trial (No External Facilities)

Comprehensive, fully-integrated clinical trials within our state-of-the-art facilities for seamless, efficient, and high-quality research outcomes.

Clinical Trial With Facilities (External Complex)

Collaborating with specialized, cutting-edge external facilities to expand capabilities and enhance the quality and scope of clinical research outcomes.

Post Marketing Study

Monitoring and evaluating the safety, efficacy, and real-world performance of approved therapies to ensure ongoing patient benefits.

Research Experts

Meet Our Leaders

Our leadership team combines world-class rare disease expertise with seasoned industry experience. This multidisciplinary team is the driving force behind Uncommon Sense – our innovative approach to the design and execution of rare disease clinical trials.

Marshall Summar, MD

Chief Executive Officer

Dr. Summar is well-known for his pioneering work in caring for children diagnosed with rare diseases. He is now the Chief Executive Officer of Uncommon Cures, LLC, a rare disease clinical trials company focused on physically consolidating trials and using innovative technology to reduce time and cost. 

Marshall Summar, MD
Chief Executive Officer

Rob Freishtat, MD, MPH
President

Tamanna Roshan Lal, MB ChB
Chief Medical Officer

Penny Toren
Chief Regulatory & Quality Officer

Charles M. Bucklar
Chief Business Officer

Alan M. Freeman, Esq.
Chief Strategy Officer & General Counsel

Shan Lu, CPA CGMA MBA
Chief Financial Officer

Juan Francisco Cabello, MD
Senior VP, Latin America

Dr. Joshua Crago, Pharm.D., BCPS, BCCCP,
VP of Pharmacy

Kerri Gallagher, BSN, RN
VP of Clinical Operations

Laura Allan, BSN, RN
Director of Clinical Operations

Christiana Bakare
Director of Business Operations

Our Board of Directors

Uncommon Cures is guided by an accomplished Board of Directors.

Thomas D. O'Malley Jr
Board Chairman

Andrew Lo, PHD
Board Director

Simon Frost
Board Director

Marshall Summar, MD
Board Director

Rob Freishtat, MD, MPH
Board Secretary
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Discover how Uncommon Cures can transform your rare disease clinical research.

Marshall Summar, MD

Chief Executive Officer

A clinical geneticist with nearly 40 years of experience in rare disease research, Dr. Summar has been involved in more than 100 clinical trials. He was the founding Director of the Rare Disease Institute at Children’s National Hospital in Washington, DC, and also chaired the Board of the National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD). Dr. Summar is internationally recognized as a leading authority in the field of rare disease research, and his deep insight into both patient care and clinical trial
inefficiencies inspired the creation of Uncommon Cures.

Rob Freishtat, MD, MPH

President & COO

A physician-scientist with 20+ years of experience in emergency medicine, rare disease clinical research, and biotech development, Dr. Freishtat is a co-founder of Uncommon Cures. He previously served as Chief Biotechnology Officer at Children’s National Hospital in Washington, DC, where he led NIH-funded research programs and helped translate scientific discoveries into clinical trials. Dr. Freishtat oversees day-to-day operations and ensures that trials run efficiently while meeting the highest
safety standards.

Tamanna Roshan Lal, MB ChB

Chief Medical Officer

A triple board-certified metabolic geneticist with 15+ years of experience in rare metabolic disorders and clinical trials, Dr. Roshan Lal previously served as Director of Clinical Trials at the Rare Disease Institute of Children’s National Hospital in Washington, DC, where she managed numerous rare disease studies. As Chief Medical Officer of Uncommon Cures, she works closely with our clients to design clinical trial protocols, and she provides medical oversight to our clinical operations, often
serving as Principal Investigator for our in-house trials.

Penny Toren

Chief Regulatory & Quality Officer

A regulatory affairs veteran with 35+ years of experience in pharmaceutical sponsor and CRO roles, Penny Toren specializes in regulatory compliance and quality assurance. She has led regulatory submissions for dozens of drug investigational drugs and has deep experience working with regulators at the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA), as well as the European Medicines Agency (EMA). At Uncommon

Cures, she ensures that every trial meets FDA/EMA requirements, and she oversees our internal Quality Assurance program – maintaining operations that are inspection-ready at all times.

Chuck Bucklar

Chief Business Officer

A pharmaceutical industry veteran with 25+ years of commercial experience, Chuck Bucklar leads Uncommon Cures’ business development and sponsor relations efforts. He brings to the role a keen eye for aligning trial design with market access needs, having worked on numerous rare disease product launches. He often is the first point of contact for our clients, guiding them in how Uncommon Cures can tailor solutions to their programs.

Alan M. Freeman, Esq.

Chief Strategy Officer & General Counsel

A corporate attorney with nearly 30 years of experience in boardrooms and courtrooms, Mr. Freeman provides both strategic and legal counsel to Uncommon Cures. In addition to supervising governance, contracting and human resource functions, he leads the company’s federal and state government relations initiatives and plays a key role in developing our international footprint. While focused on aligning Uncommon Cures’ legal and business strategies, Alan’s approach emphasizes collaboration, actionable solutions and sustainable growth.

Shan Lu, CPA, MBA

Chief Financial Officer

A finance professional with 15 years in biotech and drug development finance, Shan Lu ensures Uncommon Cures’ financial health. She oversees all financial management, planning and reporting functions, including the budget for each clinical trial – always prioritizing efficiency and quality. Her background in the life sciences sector enables her to bring sound financial management to each trial.

Juan Francisco Cabello, MD

Senior Vice President, Latin America

A leading neurologist with 20+ years of clinical trial experience in Latin America, Dr. Cabello expands Uncommon Cures’ reach and capabilities into Latin America, leveraging relationships with key medical centers and clinical communities. His expertise helps us accommodate diverse patient populations and regulatory environments, reinforcing our global approach.

Joshua Crago, Pharm.D.

Vice President of Pharmacy

A clinical pharmacist with 10+ years of experience in research pharmacy and pharmacology, Dr. Crago manages investigational product handling for all trials. His diligence ensures dosing accuracy and drug accountability across our studies.

Kerri Gallagher, BSN, RN

Vice President of Clinical Operations

Kerri Gallagher oversees all clinical activities related to study execution. She leads feasibility assessments, protocol reviews, and operational planning to ensure trials are practical, efficient, and patient-centered. She brings 10+ years of leadership experience in emergency nursing at Children’s National Hospital in Washington, DC, along with more than two years in organ transplant and procurement operations. Her background provides a strong foundation for managing complex, high-stakes clinical
environments.

Laura Allan, BSN, RN

Director of Clinical Operations

Laura Allan is an experienced nurse with nearly 20 years in critical care and transport medicine, including support for clinical trials in both settings. She oversees our clinical trial coordinators and nursing staff, ensuring seamless execution of patient visits, data collection, and protocol compliance. Her deep commitment to patient-centric care reinforces our company’s values at every stage of the clinical trial process. Laura brings both expertise and empathy to her leadership role, fostering excellence across clinical operations.

Christiana Bakare

Director of Business Operations

Christiana is an experienced program management professional with over a decade of demonstrated history of working in international development, trade relations and finance sectors. She is skilled in Non-profit Organizations, Financial Management, Relationship Management, Development Finance, Research and Private Sector Development. She has successfully managed and coordinated programs centered on poverty alleviation, African regional and bilateral trade and sustainable development.
She is constantly learning to stay current on the most effective business trends and emerging practices. At Uncommon Cures, she provides expertise to facilitate successful onboarding of projects through the provision of business and program management strategy and operations.

Thomas D. O’Malley Jr.

Chairman of the Board

The founding partner of PilotRock Investments, LLC, Tom O’Malley brings significant international business and finance leadership experience to the role. In addition to his role with Uncommon Cures, he serves on the Boards of Directors of Phlow Corp, Clearspeed and Vestr AG.

Andrew W. Lo, PhD

Board Director

As the Charles E. and Susan T. Harris Professor at the MIT Sloan School of Management, director of MIT’s Laboratory for Financial Engineering, and principal investigator at MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, Andrew Lo is a leading authority on financial engineering and business modeling for drug and device development. He is a co-founder and Director of BridgeBio Pharma, a Director of AbCellera and Atomwise, a co-founder and Chairman of QLS Advisors, and a member of the Advisory Boards of NCATS and the American Cancer Society’s BrightEdge Impact Fund.

Simon Frost

Board Director

The founder and CEO of Tiber Capital Group, Simon Frost is a prominent business executive and rare disease advocate. In addition to his role with Uncommon Cures, Mr. Frost is President of Cure AHC and Hope for Annabel, and a Board member of both RARE-X/Global Genes and the National Center for Advancing.

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