Advisors
Peter W. Bass, Ph.D.
Dr. Baas is professor of neurobiology and anatomy at Drexel University College of Medicine, where he is also the director of a multi- disciplinary graduate program in the neurosciences. Dr. Baas has studied neuronal microtubules in neurons for two decades, has published over 100 papers on the topic (including publications in the Journal of Neuroscience, Current Biology and the Journal of Cell Biology), and currently collaborates in his department with a world-class group aimed at regenerative neuroscience. He was the first in the world to focus on microtubule-severing proteins in neurons and among the first to focus on the centrosome as a potential generator of microtubules for growing axons. He is an expert in a wide variety of morphological and functional assays on cultured neurons and especially on the contribution of microtubules.
Roy Chuck, M.D., Ph.D.
Dr. Chuck is a cornea specialist and board certified ophthalmologist. He has expertise in the field of laser techniques for refractive eye problems and has published, patented and lectured extensively throughout his career. Dr. Chuck also has strong research interests in dry eye, ocular surface stem cells and corneal transplantation. At present, he is Professor of Ophthalmology and Genetics and the longstanding Chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY, one of the largest eye care centers in the U.S.
Kelvin P. Davies, Ph.D.
Dr. Davies is a biochemist who for the past 20 years has researched the underlying molecular mechanisms of urogenital disease with the goal of identifying and developing new strategies for their treatment. He currently serves as Professor of Urology, Physiology and Biophysics and Director of the Basic Urology Research Laboratories at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Dr. Davies has authored more than 60 peer reviewed publications and is director of a recently established NIH Center to apply nanotechnology to advance urologic research.
Geoffrey Gurtner, M.D.
Dr. Gurtner is a Professor of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery, Vice Chairman of Surgery for Innovation, Executive Director of Stanford Advanced Wound Care Center, and President of Wound Healing Society. He has an extensive publication record.
Eric Hanson, M.D.
Dr. Hanson has 27 years of experience as a scientific advisor, physician, researcher, and author.He served for 17 years as a U.S. Air Force (USAF) Senior Flight Surgeon.
He also served as the Division Chief for Science & Technology and the Chief of Operational Biotechnology and Genomics at the USAF Surgeon General’s office, where he was responsible for technology assessments,research oversight and funding prioritization. In this position, he was designated the USAF programmatics lead for the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP). Dr.Hanson has been awarded over $68 million in research grants as a principal investigator. He has written four books and two dozen peer-reviewed articles, holds eight patents, and is the founder of five companies.
He is an affiliate Associate Professor and Graduate Faculty Advisor at Oregon Health & Science University in the Department of Medical Informatics and Clinical Epidemiology, and he also is an adjunct Associate Professor at the University of Nevada Las Vegas in the Department of Health Physics and Diagnostic Sciences.
Dr. Hanson earned his M.D.from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland, and holds a Masters of Public Health (MPH) degree in epidemiology with a genetics concentration from Johns Hopkins University.
Jeffrey R. Kralstein, M.D.
Dr. Kralstein attended Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York Medical College, and Columbia University. He is a global pharmaceutical executive and physician with extensive and diverse experience leading, creating, and delivering product development strategies across drug phases and regulatory approval processes. He holds multiple leadership, drug development, and medical positions with Novartis Pharmaceuticals and Procter & Gamble Pharmaceuticals.
Belinda Nivaggioli, Ph.D.
Dr. Nivaggioli served as CEO of Avicena, a company focused on neurodegenerative diseases, such as ALS, Huntington and Parkinson, where she brought all programs from Phase I to III, with grants from NIH of over $80M and additional funding from VCs. These programs were all licensed at Phase III stage to Marathon Pharma.
Dr. Nivaggioli also served as CEO of Peninsula Skincare labs, a dermaceutical company and QuRetino, a pre-clinical stage dermatology company, as well as holding senior level positions at Gillette Corp R&D. She is currently a managing partner at CN Partners, a consulting firm for dermatology companies, where she is focused on launching a new topical lidocaine product for cosmetic dermatologists using a novel transdermal delivery technology.
She holds a BA from Oberlin College and earned her Master’s degree, as well as Ph.D.. in Bioorganic Chemistry from the University of Toronto. She conducted her post-doctorate work at MIT.
Joshua D. Nosanchuk, M.D., FACP, FIDSA
Dr. Nosanchuk is professor of medicine (infectious diseases) and microbiology/immunology at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and an attending physician at Montefiore Medical Center. He is an expert on microbial pathogenesis, including processes pertaining to normal and infected wound healing. He has developed and validated several animal models for wound healing as well as skin and soft tissue diseases. He has over 160 peer reviewed publications, including papers in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and Annals of Internal Medicine.
Melanie Rodrigues, Ph.D.
Melanie attended University of Pittsburgh/MIT and is currently a 3M & Wound Healing Foundation Fellow and Instructor at Stanford. She is a strategy and competitive intelligence professional for various biotech and pharmaceutical companies, an engagement Manager at Prescient Healthcare Group; and previously a Product Manager at Orca Bio.
Felice Shieh, Ph.D., MBA
Dr. Felice Shieh is a business and corporate development professional with over 16 years of experience on both the sell side and buy side in healthcare across technology platforms, therapeutics, and diagnostics. She has led the diligence and execution of 12+ global and regional partnerships at over billion dollar valuations. In addition to licensing, Dr. Shieh has led early stage fundraising and company formation efforts for four organizations. She brings a wide breadth of leadership and cross-functional expertise from Onyx/Amgen, Medivation/Pfizer, Alexandria Ventures, and BeiGene.
She holds a PhD in Chemical Engineering from the University of Texas in Austin and an MBA from Saint Joseph’s University.
Bin Zhou, M.D., Ph.D.
Dr. Zhou is professor of genetics, pediatrics and medicine (cardiology) at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. The Zhou laboratory has expertise in studying cellular and molecular mechanisms of cardiovascular development and disease using genetically altered mouse models and published papers in high impact journals such as Cell, Nature, Development, Journal of Clinical Investigation and Circulation Research.