Leadership

Our leadership team is a highly successful and uniquely experienced group of clinicians, scientists, drug developers, corporate executives, and investment professionals.

Our focus: deliver novel antiviral medicines to the right people at the right time, to significantly reduce morbidity, mortality, and costs associated with viral infections among vulnerable populations.

Brett P. Giroir, MD

Chief Executive Officer

Full Bio

  • Former US Assistant Secretary for Health and Admiral, US Public Health Service,
  • Former Acting FDA Commissioner

John M. Clerici, JD

President and Chief Operating Officer

Full Bio

  • Founder, Tiber Creek Partners LLC,
  • Former Partner & Life Sciences Chair, McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP

Kate Knobil, MD

Chief Medical Officer

Full Bio

  • Former Chief Medical Officer, GSK
  • Former Chief Medical Officer and Head of Research & Development, Kaleido BioSciences
  • Former Chief Medical Officer, Agilent

Katie Laessig, MD

Chief Regulatory Officer and Deputy Chief Medical Officer

Full Bio

  • Former Deputy Director, Division of Anti-infective Products, FDA,
  • Former VP Therapeutic Strategy, IQVIA
  • Board Certified in Infectious Diseases

Andy Drechsler

Chief Financial Officer

Full Bio

  • Former CFO, Provention Bio and VaxInnate Corp.
  • Over 25 years of financial and operational leadership experience in life sciences companies

Management Team

Karen Fusaro

Senior Vice President
Clinical Development

Full Bio

  • 25+ years designing clinical trials
  • Expertise spans from large global pharmaceutical companies to small biotechs specializing in infectious diseases

Katherine Squires, PhD

Vice President
Preclinical and Translational Science

Full Bio

  • Doctorate in Molecular Pharmacology, Emory University
  • Former Director of R&D at Antios Therapeutics

Alan Parr, PharmD, PhD

Vice President (Acting)
Manufacturing

Full Bio

  • Former Vice President of Biopharmaceutics, GlaxoSmithKline

Melissa Allaband

Vice President
Operations and Program Management

Full Bio

  • Former VP Operations, Antios Therapeutics
  • 20+ years experience in pharmaceutical operations and manufacturing

Laura K. Smart, BA, MA

Vice President
Corporate Affairs

Full Bio

  • Former Principal and Co-founder, Tiber Creek Partners, LLC
  • Former Policy Advisor, McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP

Erica Bitten, MHA, SPHR

Vice President (Acting)
Human Resources

Full Bio

  • Former Program Director, Human Resources, Emory Institute for Drug Development
  • 15 years Experience in Human Resources and Corporate Culture

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Brett P. Giroir, MD

CEO

Full Bio

  • Former US Assistant Secretary for Health and Admiral, US Public Health Service
  • Former Acting FDA Commissioner and COVID-19 “Testing Czar”

 

Moncef Slaoui, PhD

Board Member

Full Bio

  • Former chair of global vaccines for GlaxoSmithKline
  • Previously served on Moderna’s board of directors
  • Led U.S. government’s Operation Warp Speed during the COVID-19 pandemic

Nick Williams

Medicxi, Partner

Full Bio

  • Creating and investing in their therapeutic companies across of full spectrum of development from initiation through IPO

Ittai Harel, BSc, MSc

Managing General Partner Pitango

Full Bio

  • Former Director of Corporate Development at Nektar Therapeutics
  • Previous management roles with IDEXX Laboratories and IDGene Pharmaceuticals.

Seth Rudnick, MD

Altesa Co-Founder

Full Bio

  • Chairman, DRIVE Advisory Board
  • Former Canaan Partners, General Partner
  • Former CytoTherapeutics, CEO & Chairman
  • Forbes Midas List: top deal makers in biotechnology (named twice)

SCIENTIFIC ADVISORY BOARD

James F. Donohue, MD

Full Bio

  • Former Professor of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary Diseases and Critical Care Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
  • Recipient of the “Breathing for Life Award” from the American Thoracic Society, the highest honor given for philanthropy, scientific achievement and commitment to mentorship
  • Has led trials for the most commonly used inhaled therapies for COPD and asthma

Gary Ferguson, MD

Full Bio

  • Clinical Professor of Medicine, Michigan State University
  • Director Emeritus, Pulmonary Research Institute of Southeast Michigan
  • Former Director of the Emphysema/COPD program, National Jewish Medical Center

MeiLan K. Han, MD, MS

Full Bio

  • Professor of Medicine and Chief of the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care at the University of Michigan
  • Member, Scientific Advisory Committees for the COPD Foundation and the American Lung Association
  • Member of the Global Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) scientific committee

George R. Painter, PhD

Altesa Co-Founder and Chair

Full Bio

  • Professor, Pharmacology and Chemical Biology, Emory University School of Medicine
  • CEO, Drug Innovation Ventures at Emory and Executive Directory, Emory Institute for Drug Development
  • Decades of experience in discovery and development of drugs; inventor of Molnupiravir

Richard Whitley, MD

Full Bio

  • Professor of Microbiology, Medicine and Neurosurgery, University of Alabama, Birmingham
  • Past President of the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA)
  • Inaugural recipient of the Distinguished Clinical Research Scholar and Educator in Residence at the NIH Clinical Center.
  • Recipient of the 2020 National Foundation for Infectious Diseases John P. Utz Leadership Award