The series highlights the groundbreaking work and unique perspectives of women leaders in the biomedical sciences
Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute hosted another inspirational installment of the Women in Science Lecture Series on October 14, 2026. The featured guest speaker was Robin Toft, CEO of Curebound, a community-powered cancer research accelerator in San Diego that has invested more than $50 million in 170 scientific projects.
Toft shared the trajectory of her career in health care and research. Early in her professional journey as a clinical laboratory scientist, she found that she excelled at educating physicians about new technologies. That led her into molecular diagnostic sales and later into the San Francisco biotech industry. After being diagnosed with colon cancer on a business trip, she was determined to move her life and career in a different direction.
Toft built an executive search firm in San Diego focused on serving oncology companies. Her goal was to put the right people in the right places to succeed. After she grew her search firm and it was acquired, Toft focused even more intently on providing service to institutional boards.
“Having served on more than 15 boards in and around this area, I was pulled toward nonprofit service,” said Toft. “Curebound was by far my favorite, so when Anne Marbarger stepped down as CEO, I raised my hand and said, ‘choose me, I really, really need to do this job.’”
Toft then discussed enhancements to Curebound’s leadership team and fundraising strategies aimed at increasing the organization’s ability to invest in the region.
“We love to invest over $10 million annually, and I want that to go up to 15, 20 and 25 in the coming years,” she said.
Toft concluded by providing advice on career advancement for women in academic and industry science based on her experience placing high-level executives.
“It always comes down to three elements: confidence, competence and connections,” said Toft.
Demonstrating confidence starts with candidates applying to jobs even when they don’t meet every single qualification. Competence includes creating and demonstrating value, then leveraging it to ask for additional opportunities. On the topic of connections, Toft discussed mentors who provide direct guidance and sponsors who go to bat for you when you’re not in the room.
“I challenge each of you to create a board of directors for yourself that includes both mentors and sponsors, and you’ll have a network to push you forward.”
Curebound CEO Robin Toft shared the trajectory of her career in health care and research. She also provided advice on career advancement for women in academic science and industry based on her experience running an oncology-focused executive search firm. Image credit: Sanford Burnham Prebys.
Following Toft’s remarks, Jessica Proulx, PhD, postdoctoral associate in the lab of Peter Adams, PhD, moderated a fireside chat and audience question-and-answer session with Toft, Susanne Heynen-Genel, PhD, director of high content imaging platforms in the Center for Therapeutics Discovery, and Xueqin (Sherine) Sun, PhD, assistant professor in the Cancer Genome and Epigenetics Program at the Sanford Burnham Prebys NCI-designated Cancer Center. Heynen-Genel and Sun have active research projects supported by grants from Curebound.
Topics during the fireside chat included: the importance of funding for high-risk, high-reward research and pilot studies to generate preliminary data; how grantmakers and principal investigators manage risk and balance their professional portfolios; plans for investing in personalized therapy research; and how principal investigators can better serve as mentors and sponsors for female scientists.
The Women in Science Lecture Series features events that are free and open to the public. The series is part of broader efforts at Sanford Burnham Prebys to foster an environment that nurtures the success of individuals from all backgrounds. The events are hosted by the Office of Workforce Engagement & Belonging and highlight the groundbreaking work and unique perspectives of women leaders in the biomedical sciences, while fostering mentorship and collaboration across the Torrey Pines Mesa.
Stay tuned for more information about the next event in the series scheduled for spring 2027.