Alice Yu
OPKO HEALTHAbout Alice Lin-Tsing Yu, M.D., Ph.D.
Alice Lin-Tsing Yu is an independent director of OPKO Health who has served on the Board since April 2009. She is 81 years old, a Professor of Pediatrics at the University of California, San Diego since 1994, and a pioneer in neuroblastoma immunotherapy that led to FDA approval of dinutuximab on March 10, 2015; she received the ASCO Pediatric Oncology Award in 2020 . Her background includes prior service as Chief of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology at UC San Diego and as a Distinguished Research Fellow and Associate Director at the Genomics Research Center, Academia Sinica (Taiwan) from 2003 to May 2013 .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of California, San Diego | Professor of Pediatrics | 1994–present | Long-time member, Children’s Oncology Group; Steering Committee of Neuroblastoma |
| University of California, San Diego | Chief, Pediatric Hematology/Oncology | Prior to 1994 (date not specified) | Led pediatric oncology programs |
| Genomics Research Center, Academia Sinica (Taiwan) | Distinguished Research Fellow; Associate Director | 2003–May 2013 | Scientific leadership; immunotherapy development |
External Roles
| Organization | Type | Role | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apexcella Biomedical Inc. | Private | Director | Current (disclosed as “currently serves”) | Private biotech affiliation |
| UCT Bioscience, Inc. | Private | Director | Current (disclosed as “currently serves”) | Private biotech affiliation |
Board Governance
- Independence: The Board affirmatively determined Dr. Yu is “independent” under NASDAQ listing standards and applicable law .
- Committee memberships: Dr. Yu does not serve on any standing Board committees (Audit, Compensation, Corporate Governance & Nominating, Independent Investment, Succession) as of fiscal 2024 .
- Board/committee attendance: In fiscal 2024, all incumbent directors attended at least 85%, with most at 88%+; all directors attended the 2024 annual meeting (company disclosed aggregate attendance, not individual rates) .
- Lead Independent Director and executive sessions: Richard C. Pfenniger, Jr. serves as Lead Independent Director; independent directors hold executive sessions not less than twice annually .
Fixed Compensation
| Component | FY 2024 Amount ($) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Annual cash retainer | 30,000 | Paid quarterly to non-employee directors |
| Option awards (grant-date fair value) | 24,900 | Aggregate grant-date FV for FY2024; options are the standard annual director grant |
| Total FY 2024 | 54,900 | Sum of cash and option FV |
Policy reference (structural pay elements for directors):
- Annual cash retainer $30,000; initial option 50,000 shares; annual option 30,000 shares on the date of the annual meeting .
- Committee chair retainer $7,500; Compensation Committee member retainer $7,500; Audit Committee member retainer $15,000; Audit Chair receives an additional annual option of 15,000 shares; Lead Independent Director receives $10,000 cash plus option of 15,000 shares annually .
Performance Compensation
| Equity Award Type | Annual Grant Basis | Grant Timing | FY2024 Fair Value ($) | Vesting/Performance Metrics |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stock options (non-employee director) | 30,000 shares per year | On annual meeting date | 24,900 | Vesting terms for director options not disclosed; no performance metrics disclosed for director awards |
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Entity | Role/Relation | OPKO Relationship | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| UC San Diego (Dr. Yu’s lab) | Academic affiliation | OPKO donated $55,000 in Jan 2022 to Dr. Yu’s lab for expertise evaluating compounds for AR-sensitive or triple-negative breast cancer | Related-party exposure considered by Board in independence review |
| Apexcella Biomedical Inc. | Director | None disclosed | Private entity directorship |
| UCT Bioscience, Inc. | Director | None disclosed | Private entity directorship |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Pediatric oncology and immunotherapy pioneer; instrumental in development and FDA approval of anti-GD2 (dinutuximab) on March 10, 2015 .
- Academic leadership: Professor of Pediatrics (UCSD) since 1994; prior Chief of Pediatric Hem/Onc; senior research roles at Academia Sinica .
- Recognitions: ASCO Pediatric Oncology Award (2020) .
- Scientific governance experience: Service on scientific committees including Children’s Oncology Group Steering Committee of Neuroblastoma .
Equity Ownership
| Holder | Shares Beneficially Owned | Options Included | Ownership % of Outstanding | Shares Outstanding Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alice Lin-Tsing Yu, M.D., Ph.D. | 306,490 | Includes options to acquire 240,000 | Less than 1% (asterisk in table) | 671,601,520 shares outstanding as of Feb 24, 2025 |
Policy: Directors/officers are prohibited from pledging, short selling, and derivative transactions in OPKO stock without prior written consent; trades generally limited to open windows .
Governance Assessment
- Independence/Board structure: Yu is formally independent; all standing committees are fully independent; Lead Independent Director structure and regular executive sessions support oversight .
- Committee engagement: No committee assignments for Yu currently, which can limit direct involvement in audit, compensation, or nominating functions relative to peers .
- Attendance: Company reports robust aggregate attendance and full director participation at the 2024 annual meeting, supporting engagement at the Board level (individual rates not disclosed) .
- Ownership alignment: Yu’s beneficial ownership is modest (<1%); she holds 240,000 options outstanding per beneficial ownership footnote, aligning interests via equity but indicating limited “skin-in-the-game” in common shares .
- Compensation mix: Director pay is modest and primarily cash plus option grant; no performance-linked metrics for directors disclosed, reducing risk of pay-for-performance misalignment at the Board level .
- Related-party exposure: OPKO’s $55,000 donation to Dr. Yu’s lab (Jan 2022) is a related-party touchpoint; Board considered it in independence determinations. Amount is low, but it is a governance sensitivity to monitor for optics and continued independence .
- Broader related-party context: Multiple related-party transactions (e.g., leases, investments, e-commerce agreement, convertible notes with insiders) are overseen by the Audit Committee under a formal policy; continued scrutiny is warranted given OPKO’s network of affiliations .
- Shareholder signals: Say-on-pay support was ~97% in 2024, indicating broad investor acceptance of executive compensation structures; while not director-specific, it reflects governance confidence trends .