Our Team
About Us
Rahul Bhola, MD, MBA, is the Chair and Medical Director of Ophthalmology at Children’s Hospital of Orange County and serves as the division chief of Pediatric Ophthalmology at CHOC Children’s Specialists, and associate clinical professor at University of California, Irvine School of Medicine.
An internationally recognized expert in pediatric ophthalmology, Dr. Bhola has over 20 years of experience specializing in the complete array of pediatric vision conditions and eye diseases. Dr. Bhola is board certified in ophthalmology with expertise in pediatric ophthalmology and adult strabismus.
Dr. Bhola completed his medical degree and ophthalmology residency from University of Delhi, India, and a second residency in ophthalmology from University of Louisville, Kentucky, where he served as chief resident and later Residency Program Director. Dr. Bhola was a visiting assistant professor and fellow in ophthalmology at Jules Stein Eye Institute, UCLA and completed an advanced clinical fellowship in pediatric ophthalmology at University of Iowa. He also pursued Healthcare Executive MBA graduating with Dean’s Honor from Paul Merage School of Business, University of Irvine, California.
Dr. Bhola’s research interests are focused on diseases resulting in irreversible vision loss in pediatric population such as amblyopia, strabismus, retinopathy of prematurity and pediatric glaucoma. He is currently involved in research projects on better understanding the pathogenesis and innovative treatment like intraocular gene therapies for Inherited Retinal Disorders and metabolic disorders with ocular involvement like Batten’s Disease and Mucopolysaccharidosis.
David S. Boyer, MD, is a world-renowned clinician, surgeon, and educator at the Retina-Vitreous Associates Medical Group in Southern California. He is an Adjunct Clinical Professor at USC/Keck School of Medicine. Dr. Boyer is board certified in ophthalmology and has completed formal sub-specialty training in medical and surgical diseases of the retina, vitreous, and macula. Dr. Boyer is a leading investigator for various national clinical trials on retinal diseases and serves as an advisor for multiple research, educational and charitable institutions. He received his medical degree from the Chicago Medical School, finished his residency at the Los Angeles USC County Medical Center, and completed his retinal surgery fellowship at the Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia.
Jeffrey Heier, MD, is the Co-President and Medical Director, Director of the Vitreoretinal Service, and Director of Retina Research at Ophthalmic Consultants of Boston. He is one of the leading retinal clinical researchers in the United States for new treatments in exudative and non-exudative macular degeneration, diabetic macular edema, venous occlusive disease, vitreoretinal surgical techniques and instrumentation, and diagnostic imaging of the retina, and is the lead investigator for numerous clinical trials. Dr. Heier lectures nationally and internationally on retinal research and the innovative approach to the treatment of retinal diseases. He has authored or co-authored over 100 works in peer-reviewed journals, as well as served as a reviewer for several peer-review journals. Dr. Heier is on the Executive Board of the Retina Society, on the Executive Committee of the American Society of Retinal Specialists, and a member of the Macula Society. He received his medical degree from Boston University, then completed a transitional internship and ophthalmology residency at Fitzsimons Army Medical Center. He completed his vitreoretinal fellowship at Ophthalmic Consultants of Boston/Tufts University School of Medicine.
Arshad M. Khanani, MD, MA, is Managing Partner, Director of Clinical Research, and Director of Fellowship at Sierra Eye Associates and Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine. He is a fellowship-trained vitreoretinal specialist and a board-certified ophthalmologist. Dr. Khanani founded the clinical research section at Sierra Eye Associates and has been a principal investigator for more than 50 clinical trials. His articles have been published in top ophthalmology journals and he lectures at medical meetings worldwide. Dr. Khanani is an elected member of the Retina Society; he has received numerous awards, including the ASRS Senior Honor Award and Health Care Hero Award, and has been consistently named one of America’s top ophthalmologists. He completed his fellowship in vitreoretinal diseases and surgery at the University of Texas, Southwestern Medical Center, and performed his residency in ophthalmology at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, School of Medicine.
Carl D. Regillo, MD, FACS, is the Director of the Retina Service of Wills Eye Hospital, Professor of Ophthalmology at Thomas Jefferson University School of Medicine, and principal investigator of numerous international clinical trials investigating new forms of treatment for macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, and a variety of other retinal conditions. He is the founder and former Director of the Wills Eye Clinical Retina Research Unit, prior Chairman of the Wills Eye Institutional Review Board and prior Chairman of the American Academy’s Basic and Clinical Science Course Retina Section Committee. Dr. Regillo has authored over 200 scientific papers, lectured nationally and abroad, and has published nine major textbooks in the field. He is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons and an active member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, Retina Society, Macula Society, and American Society of Retina Specialists. Dr. Regillo graduated from Northeastern University College of Pharmacy and received his medical degree from Harvard Medical School. He performed his ophthalmology residency and vitreoretinal fellowship at Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia.
Kuldev Singh, MD, MPH, is Professor of Ophthalmology and Director of the Glaucoma Service at the Stanford University School of Medicine. His academic interests include glaucoma and cataract surgery, the epidemiology of myopia and glaucoma, ophthalmic genetics, as well as health care delivery in underserved communities in the United States and overseas. He is an investigator in the National Institutes of Health funded NEI Glaucoma Human Genetics Collaboration and is funded by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to study patient-related outcomes with minimally invasive glaucoma surgery. Dr. Singh’s clinical practice focuses on the medical, laser and surgical management of glaucoma and cataract.
After receiving an undergraduate degree majoring in Biology and Economics at McGill University, he received his MD and MPH degrees from the Johns Hopkins University and was a Dana Foundation Fellow at the Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins Hospital. Following residency training at the Casey Eye Institute and a Heed Foundation Fellowship at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, Dr. Singh joined the Stanford faculty in 1992, rising to the rank of Professor in 2003. He has published over 200 original peer-reviewed articles and delivered over 350 invited lectures including over 70 named or keynote lectures and visiting professorships, edited three textbooks, and served on the editorial boards of 11 ophthalmic publications.
Dr. Singh has served as President of the American Glaucoma Society, Executive Vice President of the World Glaucoma Association and Board Chair for the Glaucoma Research Foundation. He currently serves on the Advisory Committee of the International Society of Glaucoma Surgery, the Organizing Committee of the annual Stanford Drug Discovery Symposium and is co-chair of Ophthalmology Futures Forum, a global ophthalmic innovation meeting. Furthermore, he is a member of the FDA Advisory Committee on Ophthalmic Devices and the Executive Committee of the UCSF/Stanford Center for Excellence in Regulatory Science and Innovation (CERSI) which is an FDA-funded initiative.
Dr. Singh received the World Glaucoma Association Founder’s Award in 2013, as well as the 2015 Life Achievement Honor Award from the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO). A global nomination-based survey conducted in 2018 by The Ophthalmologist, a U.K. based publication, ranked Dr. Singh as one of the 15 most influential individuals in ophthalmology worldwide.Kuldev Singh, MD, MPH
Rishi P. Singh, MD, is a surgeon at the Cole Eye Institute, Cleveland Clinic, and Associate Professor of Ophthalmology at the Lerner College of Medicine, Cleveland. He also serves as the Medical Director of Informatics at the Cleveland Clinic. Dr. Singh specializes in the treatment of medical and surgical retinal disease such as diabetic retinopathy, retinal detachment, and age-related macular degeneration. He has authored more than 140 peer reviewed publications, books, and book chapters and serves as the principal investigator of numerous national clinical trials advancing the treatment of retinal disease. Dr. Singh is the former president on the Retina World Congress, he is on the board of the American Society of Retina Specialists and has been honored with several research recognitions. He received his medical degrees from Boston University and performed his residency at the Massachusetts Eye and Infirmary Harvard Combined Program in Boston. Dr. Singh completed his medical and surgical fellowship at the Cole Eye Institute in Cleveland.
Dr. Brian Gilger is a Professor of Ophthalmology at North Carolina State University. He is board-certified in veterinary ophthalmology and toxicology and has more than 25 years of experience in pre-clinical ocular drug development and ocular toxicology. Dr. Gilger’s research is focused on ocular immunology, uveitis, lysosomal storage disease of the cornea, and innovative therapies for ocular disease, including gene therapy.
Dr. Gilger is a gold fellow of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) and has been recognized as a distinguished alumnus of the Ohio State University and Auburn University. He was awarded the American Veterinary Medical Association Clinical Research Award, and the Zoetis Award for Excellence in Veterinary Research in 2021. He received his veterinary degree from the Ohio State University and did his ophthalmology residency and graduate training at Auburn University.
Dr. Gilger has authored over 150 peer-reviewed scientific manuscripts, over 30 book chapters, and is the editor of six textbooks.
Matthew Hirsch, PhD, is Associate Professor at the University of North Carolina (UNC), Departments of Ophthalmology and Microbiology/Immunology. He is also a member of the UNC Gene Therapy Center.
Dr. Hirsch has elucidated concepts of Adeno-Associated Viral (AAV) vectors for nearly 15 years with over 50 publications related to AAV preclinical drug development. He has focused a large part of his academic career on Mucopolysaccharidosis I (MPS I), a rare genetic disorder that manifests as devastating organ damage, including corneal opacity that leads to vision loss.
Dr. Hirsch graduated Phi Beta Kappa and summa cum laude in Biology and obtained his PhD from West Virginia University under the guidance of the classical geneticist Tom Elliott. He did his postdoctoral research fellowship with Jude Samulski at the University of North Carolina Gene Therapy Center.
Dr. Hirsch is listed as an inventor of many AAV technologies and has founded several biotech companies, including RainBIO Inc., all with the goal of improving patient lives.
François Paquet-Durand, PhD, serves as a Professor at the Institute for Ophthalmic Research, Tübingen, Germany, leading one of their academic research groups, and is the Chief Scientific Officer of Mireca Medicines GmbH.
Prof. Paquet-Durand did his graduate training in biochemistry and tropical biology in Hannover, Germany, Heredia, Costa Rica, and Paris, France. During his PhD thesis and in early postdoc years, he did extensive basic research on the neurodegenerative mechanisms underlying diseases of the brain and the retina. He most recently focused on translational research with the goal of bringing promising basic research in animal models to a clinical application in patients.
Prof. Paquet-Durand has initiated and coordinated several national and international research consortia, including the EU-funded DRUGSFORD (“Drugs for RD”) project, which combined state-of-the-art drug design with pioneering drug delivery technologies to treat retinal degeneration (RD). The research data, novel compounds, and patents generated in the DRUGSFORD project led to the foundation of Mireca Medicines GmbH in 2017. In 2021, Graybug in-licensed rights to Mireca’s compounds to develop new treatments for inherited retinal diseases, such as Retinitis Pigmentosa and Leber’s Congenital Amaurosis.
Prof. Paquet-Durand has given more than 50 invited lectures and is author of over 80 peer-reviewed scientific articles.
With over 20 years of experience in the life science industry, Christy is a seasoned entrepreneur and biotech executive. Following her career as a clinical scientist, international project leader and Associate Director of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at Burroughs Wellcome Co., she joined Inspire Pharmaceuticals in 1995 as the first, full-time employee. She was responsible for raising over $300 million in capital for the company, including taking the company public in 2000. As President and CEO, Christy grew the company from 20 scientists to nearly 250 employees with revenues of over $100 million. Under her leadership, Inspire was named as “Best Place to Work for Scientists” by the Scientist magazine, and “Best Place to Work in North Carolina.” Christy retired from Inspire in March, 2010 and the company was acquired by Merck in 2011. In addition to being the Chair at Graybug Vision, Christy is currently the Managing Director of Hatteras Discovery and serves on three other Hatteras portfolio company boards: Clearside Biomedical, G1 Therapeutics and Kinodyn. Christy is a receptor pharmacologist by training, earning her PhD in Pharmacology from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in 1985. She received her post-doctoral training at the Chicago Medical School and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Christina Ackermann has over 20 years of experience as General Counsel and Senior Executive in the pharmaceutical industry. She currently serves as Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Head of Commercial Operations at Bausch Health Companies, Inc. She joined Bausch Health in 2016 as Executive Vice President, General Counsel responsible for the company’s worldwide legal affairs, compliance, global security and enterprise risk management, and was named Head of Commercial Operations in June 2020. Prior to that, Christina was part of the Novartis group of companies for 14 years. She served as Senior Vice President, General Counsel for Alcon, as Global Head, Legal and General Counsel for Sandoz, as well as Head Legal General Medicine and Head, Legal Technical Operations and Ophthalmics for Novartis Pharmaceuticals. Prior to Novartis, Christina served in various Associate General Counsel roles at Bristol Myers Squibb and DuPont Pharmaceuticals, as well as in private practice, where she focused on securities, and mergers & acquisitions. Christina attended York University, Toronto, Canada, for her undergraduate studies focusing first on Fine Arts, and then concentrating on mathematics and political sciences. She obtained her Law degree (an LL.B.) from Queen’s University, Kingston, Canada, and earned her Post Graduate Diploma in EC Competition Law from King’s College, University of London, United Kingdom.
Julie Eastland is a seasoned strategic and financial executive with more than 25 years of experience in the public and private biotechnology industry. Prior to joining Graybug’s Board of Directors, she served as Chief Financial Officer and Chief Business Officer of Rainier Therapeutics, a private biotechnology company focused on bladder cancer. Julie also served as Chief Financial Officer and Chief Business Officer of Cascadian Therapeutics, a publicly traded Nasdaq company, that developed tucatinib (Tukysa™) for patients with HER2-positive breast cancer. During her tenure, she helped negotiate the sale of the company to Seattle Genetics, while the registration trial for tucatinib was ongoing. Prior to Cascadian, she served as Chief Financial Officer and Vice President of Finance and Operations of VLST Corporation, a privately held biotechnology company. Julie held various financial and strategic management positions at publicly traded biotechnology companies, including Dendreon and Amgen, earlier in her career. She currently serves on the boards of Harpoon Therapeutics and Dynavax Technologies. Julie received an MBA from Edinburgh University Management School, United Kingdom, and a Bachelor of Science in finance from Colorado State University.
Eric Bjerkholt has more than three decades of health care and biotechnology leadership experience in finance and related functions, both as an executive at publicly traded and early-stage companies and as an investment banker. He currently is the Chief Financial Officer of Aimmune Therapeutics, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focusing on new treatments for potentially life-threatening food allergies. In this role, he oversees the finance, procurement, investor relations, business development and strategy, information technology and facilities functions. During his tenure, he has raised more than $600 million in equity offerings and a debt financing. Prior to joining Aimmune, Eric served as CFO at Sunesis Pharmaceuticals, Inc., where he oversaw business development and aspects of governance and corporate relations. Prior to Sunesis, he was CFO at IntraBiotics Pharmaceuticals, Inc., and LifeSpring Nutrition, Inc. Eric began his health care career at J.P. Morgan & Co. in New York as an investment banker and then launched the company’s Western US health care practice. He has served on the boards of directors of several publicly traded companies and currently is a board member of Cerus Corporation where he serves as Chair of the Audit Committee. Eric holds a master’s degree in economics from the University of Oslo, Norway, and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Fred has 20 years of leadership, strategic and commercial experience as a pharmaceutical executive. Prior to joining Graybug Vision, Fred was Worldwide Business Franchise Head of Ophthalmology, the largest Novartis Pharma business in sales. He led the integration of the global Alcon Pharma and Novartis Retina businesses and was responsible for a number of deals leading to a significant extension of Novartis’ ophthalmology pipeline, including the acquisition of Encore Vision for the topical treatment for presbyopia (2016), the in-licensing of Lubricin® ex-EU for dry eye (2017), the in-licensing of Luxturna® ex-US, a one-time gene therapy to restore functional vision in patients with biallelic mutations of the RPE65 gene from Spark Therapeutics (2018), as well as the preparation of the Xiidra® acquisition for dry eye from Takeda Pharmaceuticals (2019).
During his 20 year tenure at Novartis, he held additional leadership positions, including Global Franchise Head of Pharmaceuticals at Alcon, Country Head of United Kingdom and Ireland, Country Head and President of Australia and New Zealand, Head of Marketing and Sales for Emerging Growth Markets Region, Country Head and President of Egypt, and Cluster Head of North and West Africa. Fred holds a PharmD and a Master of Biological and Medical Sciences from the University of Rouen, France, and a Master of Marketing from the international business school HEC (Hautes Etudes Commerciales), Paris. He has been a non-executive director at Lenz Therapeutics since 2021.
Dirk is an expert in global pharmaceutical development with more than 30 years of experience in ophthalmology and neuroscience. He successfully led numerous projects and teams during all phases of the drug development process. Prior to retiring from Novartis in 2021, Dirk led the company’s Ophthalmology Development Unit for more than nine years, and during that time built a development portfolio across back and front of the eye indications including small molecules, biologics, gene therapies and digital therapeutics.
Dirk joined Ciba-Geigy in 1989 as a postdoctoral fellow in the Neuroscience Preclinical Research Department. He subsequently held various positions of increasing responsibilities within preclinical, clinical research and project management working on acute and chronic neurodegenerative diseases such as stroke, head trauma, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease and ALS at Ciba-Geigy and Novartis. In 2005, Dirk joined the Ophthalmology Business Unit at Novartis as Senior Global Project Leader for Visudyne and Lucentis. In 2011, Dirk was appointed Global Development Unit Head for the Novartis Ophthalmology Development Unit, which subsequently included the development unit of the former Alcon Pharma franchise.
Dirk has a degree in Pharmacy from the University of Münster, and a PhD in Pharmacology from the University of Marburg, Germany.
Fred has 20 years of leadership, strategic and commercial experience as a pharmaceutical executive. Prior to joining Graybug Vision, Fred was Worldwide Business Franchise Head of Ophthalmology, the largest Novartis Pharma business in sales. He led the integration of the global Alcon Pharma and Novartis Retina businesses and was responsible for a number of deals leading to a significant extension of Novartis’ ophthalmology pipeline, including the acquisition of Encore Vision for the topical treatment for presbyopia (2016), the in-licensing of Lubricin® ex-EU for dry eye (2017), the in-licensing of Luxturna® ex-US, a one-time gene therapy to restore functional vision in patients with biallelic mutations of the RPE65 gene from Spark Therapeutics (2018), as well as the preparation of the Xiidra® acquisition for dry eye from Takeda Pharmaceuticals (2019).
During his 20 year tenure at Novartis, he held additional leadership positions, including Global Franchise Head of Pharmaceuticals at Alcon, Country Head of United Kingdom and Ireland, Country Head and President of Australia and New Zealand, Head of Marketing and Sales for Emerging Growth Markets Region, Country Head and President of Egypt, and Cluster Head of North and West Africa. Fred holds a PharmD and a Master of Biological and Medical Sciences from the University of Rouen, France, and a Master of Marketing from the international business school HEC (Hautes Etudes Commerciales), Paris. He has been a non-executive director at Lenz Therapeutics since 2021.
Robert has over 20 years of experience in the biopharmaceutical and drug delivery industries, serving exclusively as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) since 2003. Prior to joining Graybug Vision, he was the CFO of Corium, Inc., a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company, for seven years, taking the company from private to public and then through the sale to a private equity buyer. Prior to that, he was the CFO of Codexis, Inc., a developer of biocatalysts for the pharmaceutical and fine chemical production industries for three and a half years. In 2002, he became the CFO of Aerogen, Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company focusing on the field of aerosolized drug delivery, which was acquired by Nektar Therapeutics in 2005. Prior to Aerogen, Robert worked at ALZA Corporation, where he held numerous positions including Director of Corporate Planning, Analysis and Controller. In 2001, ALZA was acquired by Johnson & Johnson and Robert stayed on as Controller until joining Aerogen in 2002. Before his industry experience, he served for eight years as a naval officer and aviator. Robert holds a B.S.E.E. from the United States Naval Academy and an M.B.A. from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
Parisa is a physician-scientist with deep expertise in biopharmaceutical and small molecule drug discovery and development, drug and device safety and pharmacovigilance, as well as biomarker development across multiple therapeutic areas. She is an ophthalmologist by training with clinical experience in medical retina, immunology and inflammation. Parisa joined Graybug Vision from Novartis Pharmaceutical, where she most recently held the position of Vice President, Global Head of Clinical Development and Therapeutic Area Head for Ophthalmology, leading a group of clinical scientists and ophthalmologists that designs and executes Phase 2b-4 clinical trials in small molecule, biopharmaceuticals, novel biologics, digital therapeutics and gene therapy for ophthalmic indications such as wet age-related macular degeneration (wet AMD), retinitis pigmentosa and dry eye. Prior to this, she was a translational medicine expert, responsible for designing and executing multiple first in human and proof of concept clinical trials for novel medicines in ophthalmology at the Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, Massachusetts. Before joining Novartis in 2012, Parisa was a Director of Pre-clinical Sciences at Arsenal Medical Inc., an early stage combination medical device company, where she led teams across cardiovascular, ophthalmology and pain programs using innovative drug/device combination technologies. Parisa received her medical degree from the King’s College Hospital, University of London, and did her ophthalmology residency at the North Thames Rotation, London, England. She earned her PhD in ocular immunology for her research on the immune privilege of the subretinal space conducted at the Schepen’s Eye Research Institute of Massachusetts Eye and Ear, a Harvard Medical School affiliated institute.
Bettina has more than 20 years of leadership, communications and culture change experience in healthcare. Prior to joining Graybug Vision as Chief People Officer, Bettina has served as a consultant to Graybug since August 2019 and played an integral role in the planning and successful execution of the company’s IPO in September 2020. Prior to that, Bettina held the position of VP, Group Head of Enterprise Communications at Novartis, where she led the development and implementation of the enterprise communications strategy with a focus on driving company-wide culture change in partnership with the executive team and human resources department. Prior to that, Bettina served as VP, Global Head of Communications at Alcon and was President of the Alcon Foundation. During her tenure, she established the Global Communications function, played a key role in the company’s culture and business transformation, as well as defined and executed Alcon’s corporate social responsibility strategy partnering with leading non-profit organizations to enhance access to quality eye care in developing markets as well as local communities. Bettina also served in leadership positions at CIBA Vision, Novartis Pharma and Serono International earlier in her career. She holds a degree in Business Administration from the Business School, Mannheim, Germany.
Ming has over 10 years of experience in the field of biomaterials and drug delivery, including the development of novel polymer-based drug delivery systems for ophthalmic indications. He received a PhD in Biomedical Engineering from Johns Hopkins University, where he studied with Dr. Justin Hanes, and he gained ocular drug delivery expertise during his tenure at Genentech. Ming received an MS in Bioengineering from Pennsylvania State University and a BE in Materials Science and Engineering from Tsinghua University, China.
Ali has over 20 years of experience in program and project management for the development of medical devices and pharmaceuticals across multiple therapeutic areas. He has extensive knowledge in the management of global clinical studies, device development, clinical manufacturing, as well as regulatory submissions. Prior to joining Graybug, he served as Director of Strategy, Program and Portfolio Management at Alexion (acquired by AstraZeneca) managing a first-of-its-kind marketed drug in hematology as well as a drug/device combination product in phase 1 clinical development. Prior to that he served as Head of the Program Management Office at Portola Pharmaceuticals directing lifecycle and development teams for the company’s lead products in oncology and hematology. Earlier in his career, Ali led cross-functional teams and programs at companies including Ablative Solutions (drug/device combination product), Abbott Vascular (Drug Eluting Stents), Align Technology (Invisalign), and Lockheed Martin (NASA’s Biological Research Project). He received his PhD in Biomedical Engineering from Arizona State University, where he completed his dissertation conducting research at The Neurosciences Institute in the field of Biomechanics and Neuromuscular Control. Ali also graduated from the Project Management Institute (PMI) as a certified Project Management Professional.
Niall Murphy has over 25 years of experience in the drug delivery, biopharmaceutical, and medical device industries, serving in a variety of senior finance roles. Prior to joining Graybug, he served as Director, Financial Planning & Analysis, at Corium, a publicly traded, commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company specializing in the development of transdermal drug delivery systems. Prior to that, he served as Vice President, Finance & Administration, at Fluxion Biosciences, a privately held medical device company specializing in live-cell analysis tools. Earlier in his career, Niall held senior leadership roles in Finance at Invuity (acquired by Stryker in 2018), Codexis (IPO in April 2010), National Reproductive Medical Centers (acquired by Matria Healthcare), Alere Medical (acquired by Inverness Medical Innovations), and Eos Biotechnology (acquired by PDL Biopharma). Before his industry experience, Niall worked for Arthur Andersen in their tax practice and audit practice. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of British Columbia, an MBA from the University of California, Davis, and is a licensed CPA (active status).
Marither brings over 25 years of experience in ophthalmology, leveraging years of academic, clinical and surgical experience as a practicing physician. In addition to her desire to advance global public health and improve patients’ lives, Marither’s strategic leadership and scientific commercialization expertise span therapeutic areas such as ophthalmology, neuroscience, facial aesthetics and dermatology, hematology-oncology and nephrology.
Marither joined Graybug Vision from Omeros Corporation where she most recently served as Head of Medical Affairs with a focus on successfully preparing the market for multiple drugs in ophthalmology, hematology-oncology and nephrology. Prior to that, she led medical strategy at Horizon Therapeutics, introducing TEPEZZA (teprotumumab), a biologic drug approved for the treatment of thyroid eye disease, a rare autoimmune condition. Earlier in her career, Marither served in executive leadership roles at companies including Allergan, Upsher-Smith Laboratories, and Avanir Pharmaceuticals.
Marither holds a Master of Public Health from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD. She received her medical degree from the University of the East, College of Medicine, Manila, Philippines, where she also did her ophthalmology residency.
Fang brings over 30 years of drug development and more than 20 years of regulatory affairs experience. She worked across small molecules, biologics, gene therapy, over-the-counter products, in-vitro diagnostic products, and medical devices, with a focus on ophthalmology. Fang has a proven track record in negotiating and gaining regulatory approvals in the US and other regions. She is recognized for her thought leadership in product development ranging from pre-clinical, clinical, CMC, launch preparation to compliance, which originates from a deep understanding of patient needs and regulatory requirements.
Fang joins Graybug from Hurley Consulting Associated, Ltd where she led the regulatory affairs department providing strategic and operational services to clients in the pharmaceutical and biotech industry. Prior to Hurley, Fang was VP, Regulatory Affairs at Iveric Bio, Global Program Regulatory Director at Novartis Pharmaceuticals, and held regulatory affairs positions at Thrombogenics, Bausch + Lomb, Columbia Laboratories, and Warner Chilcott.
Fang started her career as a research scientist in breast cancer at Strang Cancer Prevention Center, Cornell University Weill Medical School. She holds a doctoral degree in medicinal chemistry from China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, a master’s degree in organic chemistry from Wuhan University, and a bachelor’s degree in organic chemistry from Xiamen University, P. R. China. Fang was a Carl Monder Fellow at The Population Council. She has held her US Regulatory Affairs Certification (RAC) since 2005, and co-chaired the NY/NJ Chapter of the Regulatory Affairs Professional Society (RAPS) in 2014 and 2015.
Jen Watts has been a leader in global clinical operations for over 20 years, with a focus on improving and optimizing operational performance and strategic execution of clinical programs.
Jen most recently served as the Clinical Sciences Director of Ophthalmology – Retina Lead at the Novartis Institute of Biomedical Research. In addition to her experience in ophthalmology, Jen led early to late-stage clinical trials in the fields of Respiratory, Immunology, Oncology, Cardiology, and most recently COVID-19. Jen has gained deep experience as a patient advocate pioneering decentralized clinical trials and innovative clinical trial services with the goal of providing patients and sites with an exceptional experience. Prior to Novartis, Jen led global clinical programs at Genentech, Actelion, and Gilead Sciences.
Jen holds a specialized Master of Science degree in Clinical Research Management from the School of Biomedical Science at the University of North Texas Health Science Center (UNTHSC) in Fort Worth, Texas. As one of the first graduates from UNTHSC with this specialized degree, Jen has devoted her career to shaping the future of clinical trials through patient-centric research, innovative thinking and authentic leadership.
Han has more than 20 years of experience in finance and accounting across life science, data science and technology companies. Han joined Graybug in 2018 as the company’s Controller and has been instrumental in preparing and executing Graybug’s IPO in 2019. Prior to Graybug, she served in several finance and accounting leadership roles at global and divisional levels, including Halio, Inc., a global electrochromic technology company, Bio-Techne Corporation, a leading life sciences and diagnostics technology manufacturer, Ocera Therapeutics (acquired by Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals), Amyris, Inc., a sustainable products company, and Symyx Technologies. Han earned her B.S. in business with a concentration in accounting from the University of Phoenix, California.
Sara Mary Hall is a scientist by training with over twenty-five years of gene therapy experience in the US, Europe, Japan, and Australia. She has co-founded and led four private and led a fifth public biotech company. Sara is a member of the Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute (ARMI) Industry Advisory Committee and has served as a gene therapy advisor for many institutions and foundations, particularly for ocular indications.
A member of the Kansas chapter of the International Women’s Forum, Sara has been involved in national and international initiatives for women and girls in the sciences and is a semi-professional violinist performing with the Bainbridge Symphony Orchestra, Port Townsend Symphony, and Bridges: A String Ensemble. The winner of two R&D 100 awards for scientific innovation while still at the bench, Sara is a creative, experienced, and driven executive with a specialty in and passion for first-in-class products and concepts.
