Patricia Devitt Risse, Pharm. D., Class of 1980

Pat is a native of Boston, New York. She graduated from Rutgers University with a Doctorate in Pharmacy and has been devoted to the development of novel compounds to treat cancer for the past 30 years. Prior to forming her own company, Pat played a critical leadership role in Clinical Operations for Covance, Inc., one of the world’s largest Contract Research Organizations (CROs). Pat’s passion for oncology research inspired her to create her own CRO, ACT Oncology, LLC in 2000 that was solely committed to oncology research to expedite the delivery of new and innovative treatments to patients with cancer. Her business grew steadily and helped support the development of multiple innovative treatments that have been approved by the FDA and are available to patients with cancer today. In 2016, her company became Precision Oncology, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Precision Medicine Group, a company committed to improving outcomes in the life sciences area. The Core Values of the company reflect Pat’s individual passions — individual accountability, do the right thing with unwavering integrity, teamwork, quality first and give back to the community. Pat has been recognized for her work, including being named Winner Best 50 Women in Business in 2014 by the NJBIZ, New Jersey’s leading business journal, a finalist for the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year in 2015 and Winner of the 2016 PACT Enterprise Award Life Sciences Emerging Healthcare Company.