Emilijia Mitrikeska
Associate Director, Business Development
Bio:
Emilija Mitrikeska, MD, is Associate Director of Business Development with the Fast Forward Medical Innovation team at the University of Michigan Medical School, where she leads strategic industry engagement and partnerships across oncology clinical and translational research. With nearly two decades at the Rogel Cancer Center, she brings deep experience in clinical research operations, leadership, and industry collaboration.
Dr. Mitrikeska began her career supporting Phase I–IV oncology trials, including first-in-human studies, contributing to more than 70 clinical trials. Her background in patient enrollment, protocol execution, and team training enables her to effectively bridge scientific, clinical, and operational priorities.
In her current role, she builds and manages relationships with biopharma and biotech partners, supporting industry-sponsored research and working closely with faculty and institutional leadership to accelerate study activation and improve trial efficiency.
Her work focuses on advancing innovative site–sponsor collaboration models, improving data quality and feasibility processes, and integrating technologies such as EMR-to-EDC solutions. She also leads major oncology symposia and supports initiatives that enable compliant, scalable engagement between academia and industry.
Dr. Mitrikeska is a strong advocate for elevating clinical research sites as strategic contributors to drug development.