About Dr. Veena Thomas
Veena Thomas, Ph.D.
Dr. Veena Thomas is a seasoned scientist, strategist, improv comedian, and long-time physical therapy patient who helps PT clinic owners niche with confidence, attract right-fit private-pay patients, and grow with simple, sustainable marketing plans tailored to their strengths.
She bridges two worlds: scientific rigor and business clarity. Veena earned her Ph.D. from UCSF, B.S. in Biology from MIT, and completed her postdoctoral training at Stanford. She founded DrugAbility LLC, advising AI-for-drug-discovery and early biotech teams on cross-functional strategy, target portfolios, and scientific narrative. Most recently, she led cross-functional strategy management at a global antiviral discovery center for pandemic preparedness.
Her work with PT clinics began organically—supporting her own physical therapist’s practice and other small business owners during the pandemic—then rapidly grew through referrals as business owners saw dramatic results from her strategic guidance. Today she also brings the same precision thinking she uses in drug discovery consulting to PT marketing: maximize company / business impact with minimum resources, maximize efficiency, and stay laser-focused on always moving the needle forward for her clients.
Clients affectionately call her “the Velvet Blade”: warm, direct, and surgically precise. Sessions with Veena feel energizing and practical—expect thoughtful questions, clear decisions, and a bullet-point action recap you can implement right away. (Plus some dad jokes.)
Veena has been recognized with an NIH NRSA and NSF Graduate Research Fellowship. Outside of work she trained in improv at Second City Chicago, which honed her quick, human way of communicating (and love of absurdist humor). Earlier in her career she worked in forensic science at the FBI in Quantico (yes, with a top-secret clearance)—experience she credits for her profiler-level instincts.
Creds snapshot: MIT • UCSF Ph.D. • Stanford postdoc • 25+ years strategy • NIH/NSF fellowships • ex-global antiviral cross-functional strategy lead for pandemic preparedness center.
