Courtney Horvarth

Dr. Courtney Horvath is a board certified toxicologist and drug development professional at Novartis. Courtney graduated from the National Ballet School of Canada and after dancing professionally, she enrolled in Regis College, where she graduated as the valedictorian. Courtney then completed her PhD and postdoctoral training at Dartmouth College in toxicology, where her research garnered attention from the scientific community and the mainstream media.  She started her career in biopharma at Sanofi-Genzyme as a project toxicologist and later moved to the Preclinical Safety Team at Novartis. During the course of her career, Courtney has led the nonclinical development of biopharmaceuticals across various therapeutic areas, modalities, and all stages of development. In 2018, Courtney was promoted to the Global Head of Strategy, Operations and Planning for Translational Medicine at Novartis, where she is the key leader of strategic projects and leads a team focused on business operations. Courtney has been recognized with numerous awards for both her scholarship and leadership.

Courtney is also a mom to an incredible 10 year old, Colby, who has been bravely battling cancer since March 2020. Colby’s journey has inspired Courtney to deliver a TEDx talk and to become a passionate advocate for childhood cancer patients and to raise awareness of the desperate need for more targeted, accessible, safe and effective therapies. Courtney is also on the Board of Directors at the Pablove Foundation, a non-profit organization supporting pediatric oncology patients and research.