leadership
Management
Tony Giordano, Ph.D.
President and CEO
Tony has co-founded and served as Vice President or President of eight different biotechnology companies. As an executive for these companies, he led four translational programs resulting in clinical trials, including the release into the marketplace of a medical food, SulfzixTM, for heart failure. He has initiated multiple licenses, oversaw build-out of facilities, hired staff and consultants and has raised both dilutive and non-dilutive funding to advance his companies. Tony also has extensive experience in AD, including work as a Staff Fellow at the NIA, as a member of the nAChR team at Abbott that moved ABT418 into AD trials and as a co-founder of Cognition Therapeutics, a company in Phase II trials with an AD product. He also oversaw grant funded research programs at Message Pharmaceuticals and at LSU Health Sciences Center focused on AD.
Joseph Foss, M.D.
CMO and Co-founder
Joe, has training and experience in clinical pharmacology beginning at the University of Chicago where he led the development of methylnaltrexone, a peripherally active opioid antagonist. This work involved the proof of principle trials in pre-clinical models, the first-in-man studies, and subsequent proof-of-concept clinical trials. Methylnaltrexone was out-licensed and approved for clinical use as Relistor®. He subsequently worked for Adolor, a small biotech company developing alvimopan, another peripherally acting opioid antagonist, which is also approved for clinical use, where he was responsible for the translational program developing novel analgesics.
Marianna Kiraly, Ph.D.
VP, Research and Development
Marianna has over 15 years of experience that includes an extensive background in research, data analysis and education at academic institutions and corporations, including spending a number of years as a Research Scientist at Stanford University. Before joining NeuroTherapia she served as the Neuroscience Lead for Switch Therapeutics.
Board of Directors
John Reher
Chairman
Brain Trust Accelerator Fund II
Mr. Reher is a General Partner and founder of Brain Trust Accelerator Fund, a venture capital fund focused on developing therapies for CNS disorders. He has more than 35 years of venture capital experience. Prior to his current role at Brain Trust, Mr. Reher was founding president and executive director of Accelerate Brain Cancer Cure, Inc., a non-profit organization dedicated to accelerating therapies for the treatment of brain cancer by employing venture capital principles to this philanthropic endeavor. He has also served as general partner of Medicus Venture Partners and has held financial, marketing, licensing, acquisitions and overall team leader positions at Genentech and at G.D. Searle Pharmaceuticals.
Tony Giordano, Ph.D.
President and CEO
NeuroTherapia
Tony has co-founded and served as Vice President or President of eight different biotechnology companies. As an executive for these companies, he led four translational programs resulting in clinical trials, including the release into the marketplace of a medical food, SulfzixTM, for heart failure. He has initiated multiple licenses, oversaw build-out of facilities, hired staff and consultants and has raised both dilutive and non-dilutive funding to advance his companies. Tony also has extensive experience in AD, including work as a Staff Fellow at the NIA, as a member of the nAChR team at Abbott that moved ABT418 into AD trials and as a co-founder of Cognition Therapeutics, a company in Phase II trials with an AD product. He also oversaw grant funded research programs at Message Pharmaceuticals and at LSU Health Sciences Center focused on AD.
Akhil Saklecha, MD, MBA
WittKieffer
Akhil Saklecha, MD, MBA is an emergency physician, venture capitalist, and healthcare operator with more than two decades of experience operating at the intersection of medicine, innovation, and startup investments. As a Managing Director on WittKieffer’s Global Investor-Backed Markets and Life Science teams, Akhil partners with boards, investors, and executive teams across diagnostics, medical devices, digital health, and life sciences to identify and develop impactful leadership capable of driving value creation and sustainable growth. Previously, he served as Chief Scientific Officer of Acute Care at Danaher (NYSE: DHR) where he led the company’s scientific and technology strategy. Akhil joined Danaher from Cleveland Clinic, where he was the Managing Director of Venture Capital leading investments into life sciences, medical devices, and digital health startups for the #2 ranked health system in the world. Prior to Cleveland Clinic, Akhil was Managing Director at Artiman Ventures in Silicon Valley where he invested into early-stage technology companies. He also was CEO and co-founder of Slive, a venture-funded startup focused on saliva diagnostics. Before becoming a VC, Akhil was CEO of an emergency physician staffing company, Chairman of Emergency Medicine (Aultman Hospital), and Vice-Chairman of Quality (AH). He has served on local, state, and national boards and committees touching emergency medicine, quality improvement, EMS services, and health insurance. Akhil is Board-Certified in Emergency Medicine and continues to practice on a part-time basis at Cleveland Clinic.
Joseph T. Rich, JD, MBA
Cleveland Clinic
Joseph Rich is Executive Director, Innovations and Ventures at Cleveland Clinic and part of the Cleveland Innovation District leadership team for the Chief Research and Academic Office. Joe focuses on the strategic growth of enterprise-wide innovation programs; investing in and exiting start-up portfolio companies based on Cleveland Clinic Intellectual Property; administering state and federally funded programs; and economic development in Ohio through the growth of the Cleveland Innovation District. Joe has extensive business development expertise through his involvement in the organization and start-up community. He possesses industry-specific expertise in life sciences, venture capital investments, joint ventures and other strategic alliances involving technology commercialization. Joe serves as Managing Director of the Cleveland Clinic’s Ohio BioValidation Fund focusing on early-stage healthcare investment technology company investments. He has also led large-proposal efforts that have resulted in significant innovation funding for the region and has managed program implementation and success. Joe received a BS in Biology, with a second major in Philosophy, from John Carroll University, an MBA in Finance from The University of Akron and a JD from The University of Akron.
Adam Hoffman
Observer
Foundation For A Better World
Adam Hoffman is President of The Foundation For A Better World, a foundation focused on finding a cure for neurodegenerative diseases. He is also a Healthcare Analyst at GMT Capital, based in Atlanta, GA. In this dual role, he is responsible for grant making and investment of significant capital ranging from early-stage medical research initiatives and venture philanthropy to larger public equities. Since joining The Foundation For A Better World in 2018, he has helped establish the FFBW as a significant and consequential philanthropy in the field of neurodegenerative disease drug discovery. In a past life, he was a professional musician, producer and manager who founded and led a successful band, The Shadowboxers. The group toured the globe, playing thousands of shows with numerous high-level artists for over a decade. He co-produced the group’s penultimate album with Justin Timberlake. Adam is a graduate of Emory University where he studied business and creative writing. Adam lives in Atlanta, GA with his wife and daughter.
Linda Li, CFA
Cleveland Clinic Ventures
Linda Li is a Partner at Cleveland Clinic Ventures, the venture investment arm of Cleveland Clinic, where she leads life science and MedTech portfolio strategy. She serves on the Selection Committee for Technology Validation and Start-up Fund Program and holds board and observer seats across a portfolio of companies spanning neuroscience, immunology, digital therapeutics, and medical imaging. Linda started her venture capital career in 2005 and brings nearly two decades of experience translating early-stage science into scalable companies. As a Co-founding Partner and Investment Committee member of Vickers Venture Partners, she was overseeing investments across China, Southeast Asia, and the United States. Over her seventeen-year tenure, the fund raised over $750 million and backed a wide spectrum of disruptive technologies across sectors. Linda graduated from Peking University and earned her Master's degree from the National University of Singapore. She is completing her doctorate at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, where her research focuses on healthcare technology implementation.
Aaron Burstein, Ph.D.
Observer
Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation
Aaron Burstein is an accomplished pharmaceutical executive and clinical development expert with more than 30 years of experience spanning academia, government (National Institutes of Health) research, biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries, and venture philanthropy. Dr. Burstein currently serves as Head of Search and Evaluation at the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation, where he manages a team of scientists responsible for the Therapeutics Portfolio, including drug development, neuroimaging, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarker funding programs. In this role, he leads scientific diligence, portfolio strategy, and investment prioritization to advance innovative therapies for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. Over the course of his career, Dr. Burstein has developed deep expertise in translational medicine, clinical trial design, and the integration of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics into development programs. He has led multidisciplinary teams and guided assets from early-stage research through late-stage clinical development, with a particular emphasis on neurodegenerative diseases.
Reetika Bhardwaj
Observer
Dolby Ventures
Reetika joined the DFV team in 2025 where she manages the life sciences practice. Reetika focuses on identifying and evaluating new life science technologies and providing operating assistance to early-stage portfolio companies. Reetika is a Biochemist by training and combines her subject matter expertise with experiences in investing, company formation, healthcare consulting, and investment banking. She has authored 5 peer-reviewed publications with greater than 100 citations in the areas of immunology, oncology, neuroscience and intracellular signaling. Prior to DFV, Reetika spent 7 years at ARCH as an investor and was instrumental in investing and forming 10+ portfolio companies. She began her career as a research fellow at National Institute of Health (NIH) doing pre-clinical research in neuroscience and immunology. Additionally, she worked at the technology commercialization offices at both Georgetown University and Virginia Commonwealth University, assisting in licensing of technologies to pharma/biotech companies. She also worked with the University of Chicago Innovation Fund, a seed-stage fund that invests in scientific spinouts from the University of Chicago and Argonne National Lab. Reetika holds a B.S. in Biomedical Sciences from University of Delhi (she was ranked # 1 nationally), a Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Virginia Commonwealth University and an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
Clinical/Scientific Advisory Board
Marwan Sabbagh, M.D., FAAN
Chairman
Barrow Neurological Institute
Marwan Noel Sabbagh, MD, board certified neurologist and geriatric neurologist, hopes to work himself out of a job. Considered one of the leading experts in Alzheimer’s and dementia, he is currently a Professor in the Department of Neurology and a Behavioral Neurologist at Barrow Neurological Institute. Prior to this, he served as the Camille and Larry Ruvo Endowed Chair for Brain Health and Director of Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health in Las Vegas. Dr Sabbagh has dedicated his career to finding a cure for Alzheimer’s and other age-related neurodegenerative diseases. Dr. Sabbagh is a leading investigator for many prominent national Alzheimer’s prevention and treatment trials. Dr. Sabbagh is on the editorial board for Journal of Alzheimer's Disease and BMC Neurology. He is now editor in chief of Neurology and Therapy. He has authored and co-authored almost 370 medical and scientific articles on Alzheimer’s research. Dr. Sabbagh is the author of The Alzheimer’s Answer: Reduce Your Risk and Keep Your Brain Healthy, with foreword by Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, and of The Alzheimer’s Prevention Cookbook: 100 Recipes to Boost Brain Health. He has edited Palliative Care for Advanced Alzheimer’s and Dementia: Guidelines and Standards for Evidence Based Care and Geriatric Neurology, published in 2014 and Fighting for my Life: living in the shadow of Alzheimer’s disease in 2019. He has been recognized with numerous awards, including WestMarc Innovator Award, 2015; Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology, 2004. Dr. Sabbagh earned his undergraduate degree from the University of California, Berkeley and his medical degree from the University of Arizona in Tucson. He received his residency training in neurology at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, and completed his fellowship in geriatric neurology and dementia at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, where he served on the faculty as assistant professor. Before joining the faculty of the Cleveland Clinic, he was at the Barrow Neurological Institute where he served for three years, and prior to that, he was the director of the Banner Sun Health Research Institute for 15 years.
Graham Johnson, Ph.D.
NuPharma Advise, LLC
Graham Johnson has over 44 years of senior leadership experience in both the large pharmaceuticals and biotechnology. He is currently the Principal at NuPharmAdvise LLC that provides medicinal chemistry consulting services to the National Institutes of Health, biotechnology, venture capital and intellectual property organizations. Leveraging his extensive pharmaceutical expertise, Dr. Johnson was a co-founder of and is currently COO for Oricula Therapeutics. Since 2011, Dr. Johnson has been a medicinal chemistry consultant to the NINDS’ Blueprint Neurotherapeutics (BPN) programs. He has also served as CSO of iCura Vision, CRO for Rib-X, VP of Discovery Chemistry and interim VP of Neuroscience Biology for Bristol-Myers Squibb and Director of Neuroscience Chemistry at Warner-Lambert/Parke-Davis. Dr. Johnson is an inventor on over 79 US patents and coauthor of 74 research papers.
Robert Rissman, Ph.D.
UC, San Diego
Dr. Rissman currently serves as Professor of Physiology and Neuroscience at the University of Southern California, Epstein Family Alzheimer's Therapeutic Research Institute (ATRI) in San Diego. He holds the William Keck Endowed Chair in Medicine at USC. Dr. Rissman is the Founding Director of ATRI's Neuroscience Translational Research Division. He is also the Director of USC'S Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (ADRC) Biomarker Core. His research focuses on novel biomarker discover in neurodegenerative disorders. This work has led to over two hundred publications and earned him recognition as one of the leaders in biomarker research.
John Olichney, MD
Professor Emeritus, UC Davis
Dr. John Olichney, Professor Emeritus of Neurology with UC Davis, is an academic neurologist and cognitive neuroscientist who specializes in the treatment of dementia and other cognitive disorders. The main focus of his research is on memory and other higher cognitive processes, and how these are affected by Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and other forms of pathological aging. Dr. Olichney has expertise in cognitive electrophysiology and uses the techniques of event-related potentials (ERPs), electroencephalography (EEG) and functional MRI (FMRI) to study memory, language and attentional processes and their dysfunction in neurological disease. His Cognitive ERP research has earned him international recognition and invited review articles on ERP studies of memory disorders. His laboratory remains on the cutting edge of applying Cognitive ERP paradigms to better understand memory mechanisms, and the circuits disrupted by disorders such as such as Fragile X-associated Tremor/Ataxia syndrome (FXTAS), Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), other amnesias, and AD (from preclinical stage through dementia).
Nily Osman, MD
Managing Partner, Osman Clinical Pathways
Dr. Nily Osman is a board certified neurologist with extensive experience in clinical neuroscience, therapeutic development, and clinical trial strategy. She has worked across academic and industry settings, supporting the design, execution, and oversight of clinical research programs with a focus on data quality, patient safety, and operational excellence. Dr. Osman serves as a clinical and scientific advisor to organizations developing innovative therapies in neurology and related fields, providing strategic guidance on study design, regulatory considerations, and clinical implementation. Her work bridges clinical practice and research, with a focus on translating scientific insights into effective and responsible patient care solutions.
Business Advisors
Peter Kovacs, Dr. Pharm., Ph.D., MBA
Chairman
Business/Development Advisory
CRU Global, Founder and CEO
Péter Kovács is a clinical research professional and life sciences entrepreneur with more than 23 years of experience across the full pharma development landscape. His expertise spans basic research, clinical research sites, sponsor and CRO operations, business development, and investment, giving him a uniquely holistic view of the ecosystem from research lab to clinic, financing, and market entry. He has founded and led international clinical research site networks, built accredited Phase I centers, managed global clinical programs, and supported biotech and medtech innovation through both operational leadership and investment insight. In addition to his operational and scientific leadership, Peter has also been active on the investor side of the life sciences sector, supporting and investing in biotech and medtech companies advancing toward clinical-stage readiness. This broad perspective across research, clinic, CRO, site networks, business development, and investment positions him as a highly effective partner for companies navigating the complexities of modern drug development.
Thomas Digby, J.D.
Intellectual Property Advisor
Thomas Digby is a US and Canadian intellectual property (IP) and transaction attorney. He has 30+ years’ experience working with start-ups in pharma/biotech and generics including 10 years at the global pharmaceutical company Novartis. He has been an advisor with Neurotherapia since 2019.