Alisa is Vice President and Chief Patent Counsel at Novartis, a Swiss-based company with roots dating back to the mid 18th century developing cutting edge pharmaceuticals and vaccines and manufacturing well-known consumer health products ranging from Bufferin to Maalox to CIBA Vision contact lenses. She hold a B.A. "with distinction" in Chemistry from the University of Virginia, a J.D. from Georgetown, and is a member of the American Intellectual Property Law Association.