NovaBay Pharmaceuticals Management - Directors - Advisory Board
Ron Najafi, Ph.D., Chairman and CEO
Ramin (“Ron&rdquo
Najafi is the founder and Chairman of NovaBay. He has served as President since July 2002, and as Chief Executive Officer since November 2004. Previously, Dr. Najafi served in various management positions within NovaBay including as Chief Scientific Officer.
Prior to founding NovaBay, Dr. Najafi was the President and CEO of California Pacific Labs, Inc., a chemical laboratory safety devices company. He has also held scientific roles at Rhone Poulenc Rorer 
now Sanofi-Aventis), Applied Biosystems, a division of PerkinElmer, Inc., and Aldrich Chemical.
Dr. Najafi received a B.S. and M.S. degree in Chemistry from the University of San Francisco and a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from the University of California at Davis.
Thomas Paulson, M.B.A., Chief Financial Officer
Thomas (“Tom&rdquo Paulson has served as NovaBay’s Chief Financial Officer since January 2008.
Prior to joining NovaBay, Mr. Paulson was a partner at Tatum LLC, an executive services and consulting firm in the United States. Mr. Paulson was also President and CEO of The Paulson Group, a management consulting company whose clients included high-technology and biotechnology companies. He also held senior management positions at Avigen Inc., Neurogen Corporation, Ciba-Corning Diagnostics, Quidel Corporation and Abbott Laboratories.
Mr. Paulson received a B.A. from Loyola University and an M.B.A from the University of Chicago.
Behzad Khosrovi, M.A., Ph.D., Chief Alliance Officer and Senior Vice President of Product Development, NovaBay Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Dr. Behzad Khosrovi has directed research and development for NovaBay Pharmaceuticals since he joined the company in 2003. He currently serves as NovaBay’s Chief Alliance Officer and Senior Vice President of Product Development.
Dr. Khosrovi plays a major role in managing collaborations between NovaBay and its corporate partners Alcon and Galderma.
Dr. Khosrovi’s accomplishments managing new drug and biologic research span more than 30 years. He has in-depth experience in the chemistry, manufacturing, preclinical, clinical and regulatory requirements for both biologics and drugs, as well as a long history of product development achievements. Dr. Khosrovi has taken numerous diverse product candidates through the FDA's Investigational New Drug procedure, with three of these approved and currently sold in both the U.S. and Europe.
Prior to joining NovaBay, Dr. Khosrovi was vice president of development for Neurobiological Technologies Inc. He also served in various roles of escalating responsibility at Cetus Corp., where he was ultimately vice president of development. He has acted as a consultant to several biotechnology companies, advising on manufacturing, quality control and product development.
Educated in England, Dr. Khosrovi received his M.A. degree in natural sciences from the University of Cambridge and earned his Ph.D. in applied microbiology & biochemical engineering from the University of Manchester.
Roy J. Wu, M.B.A., Senior Vice President, Business Development
Roy J. Wu joined NovaBay Pharmaceuticals in July, 2009 as Senior Vice President of Business Development. Mr. Wu brings to NovaBay more than 30 years of highly successful experience in the pharmaceutical industry. He has held management positions of increasing responsibility in the areas of global business development, licensing, international marketing, project management, clinical development, and Pacific sector regulatory and pharmaceutical development.
Prior to joining NovaBay, Mr. Wu was Vice President of Business Development at Genelabs Technologies Inc., where he was responsible for all business development and licensing activities, including search, evaluation, and contract negotiations for all in- and out-license transactions, as well as alliance management and assisting in corporate financing activities. At Genelabs, Mr. Wu completed numerous licensing agreements and research collaborations with companies including Novartis, Gilead Sciences, Tanabe Seiyaku and Affymetrix.
Mr. Wu also has served as Vice President of Kissei Pharma USA, where he was responsible for clinical development, regulatory affairs and business development. Prior to Kissei, Mr. Wu served as Director of Business Development for Quintiles-BRI. Earlier in his career, Mr. Wu spent 16 years at Syntex Corporation, where he rose from the role of chemist to ultimately become the Director of Research & Development and Program Planning & Management, Japan.
Mr. Wu received his MBA in International Finance from the University of San Francisco, School of Business.
Ken Krantz, M.D., Ph.D., Vice President, Medical Affairs
Ken Krantz, M.D., Ph.D., has served as NovaBay's Vice President, Medical Affairs since 2003.
Dr. Krantz brings over 30 years of related experience to his position of Vice President, Medical Affairs at NovaBay. He has held senior management roles at Searle, Schering-Plough, Ayerst, and Johnson & Johnson as well as at numerous start-up and biotech companies including ImClone, Neurocrine and NaPro.
Dr. Krantz received his doctoral degrees in medicine and pharmacology from
The University of Chicago.
David Stroman, Ph.D., Senior Vice President, Ophthalmology
Dr. David Stroman joined NovaBay in October 2011 as Senior Vice President of Ophthalmic Drug Development. Dr. Stroman brings over forty years of pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry to the company, including thirty years of which in the discovery and development of anti-infectives. Dr. Stroman has a long track record of bringing ophthalmology and otic anti-infective products to markets in the US and many other countries around the world; he and his teams have authored over 40 publications and posters in support of six new anti-infective products launched within the past ten years.
Prior to joining NovaBay, Dr. Stroman served in various positions at Alcon for 21 years, most recently as Therapeutic Unit Head for Anti-Infectives. Dr Stroman joined Alcon in 1990 to create and lead the Anti-Infective program, and his work was instrumental in achieving extensive label claims compared to competitors for numerous products.
Before joining Alcon he worked in the Infectious Disease Research Unit of The Upjohn Company in Michigan, and in leading the Biotechnology Unit at Phillips Petroleum Company and its joint ventures with The Salk Institute, Bissendorf Peptide, GmbH, and Baylor College of Medicine.
Dr. Stroman received his Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the University of Oklahoma Medical School, and a B.S. in Chemistry, with a minor in Mathematics from Bethany Nazarene College, now Southern Nazarene University.
Russell Hoon, Senior Vice President, Advanced Wound Care
Russell Hoon joined NovaBay in September 2011 as Vice President of Advanced Wound Care, bringing to the Company more than 30 years of experience in medical product development, sales, marketing, and management at all levels. Over the course of his career, Mr. Hoon’s expertise has been critical in the clinical development, regulatory approval process, manufacturing scale-up, and sales and marketing of various medical products and devices. To date, Mr. Hoon has brought over eight devices to market. Mr. Hoon also holds a process patent as well as several patent applications.
Prior to joining NovaBay, Mr. Hoon served as President of Hoon Consulting, where he assisted biomedical and medical device manufacturers with strategies for bringing new products to market. Before founding that consulting business, Mr. Hoon worked at Xylos Corporation, a start up medical device manufacturer specializing in biosynthesized cellulose polymers, for ten years, nine of which as President and Chief Operating Officer. He also served as Director of Marketing and Business Development at Tutogen Medical Inc and Marketing Manager at Integra LifeSciences, among others.
Directors
Ron Najafi, Ph.D., Chairman and CEO
Ramin (“Ron&rdquo Najafi is the founder and Chairman of NovaBay. He has served as President since July 2002, and as Chief Executive Officer since November 2004. Previously, Dr. Najafi served in various management positions within NovaBay including as Chief Scientific Officer.
Prior to founding NovaBay, Dr. Najafi was the President and CEO of California Pacific Labs, Inc., a chemical laboratory safety devices company. He has also held scientific roles at Rhone Poulenc Rorer now Sanofi-Aventis), Applied Biosystems, a division of PerkinElmer, Inc., and Aldrich Chemical.
Dr. Najafi received a B.S. and M.S. degree in Chemistry from the University of San Francisco and a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from the University of California at Davis.
Charles J. Cashion
Charles J. Cashion is co-founder, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Conatus Pharmaceuticals Inc. From 2001 to 2005, Mr. Cashion was the Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Secretary of Idun. Mr. Cashion’s prior experience also includes serving as the Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Secretary of Quidel Corporation, a publicly owned, medical diagnostics company, and as the Senior Vice President, Finance, Chief Financial Officer, Secretary, and Treasurer of The Immune Response Corporation, a publicly owned biopharmaceutical company.
Mr. Cashion received his B.S. degree in accounting and an M.B.A. in finance from Northern Illinois University.
Anthony Dailley, D.D.S.
Anthony Dailley, D.D.S., has been involved in a number of start-up companies, including the 1-800-DENTIST referral service. Dr. Dailley received his B.S. degree in cell and molecular biology from San Francisco State University and D.D.S. from the University of the Pacific in San Francisco.
Paul E. Freiman
Paul E. Freiman currently serves as Chairman of Penwest Pharmaceutical Co., and serves on the boards of Calypte Biomedical Corporation, NeoPharm, Inc., Otsuka America Pharmaceuticals, Inc., and SciGen Ltd. Mr. Freiman was most recently the President and CEO of Neurobiological Technologies Inc. Prior to this role, he held the position of Chairman and CEO of Syntex Corporation, which was sold to The Roche Group for $5.3 billion during his tenure.
Mr. Freiman holds a B.S. degree in pharmacy from Fordham University and an honorary doctorate from the Arnold & Marie Schwartz College of Pharmacy.
Gail Maderis
Ms. Maderis currently serves as President and CEO of BayBio, an independent, non-profit trade association serving the life science industry in Northern California. Ms. Maderis was previously President and CEO of FivePrime Therapeutics, Inc., a biotechnology company that is focused on the discovery and development of innovative protein and antibody drugs, and prior to that, held general management positions at Genzyme Corporation, including founder and president of Genzyme Molecular Oncology, a publicly traded division of Genzyme, and corporate vice president of Genzyme Corporation. Ms. Maderis has been a member of several boards, and currently serves on The Mayor's Biotech Advisory Council of San Francisco, as well as the HBS Healthcare Initiative board.
Ms. Maderis received a B.S. degree in business from the University of California at Berkeley and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.
T. Alex McPherson, M.D., Ph.D.
T. Alex McPherson, M.D., Ph.D., has served as a director since July 2006. Dr. McPherson was President and Chief Executive Officer of Biomira, Inc., a biotechnology company specializing in the development of products for the treatment of cancer, from 1991 until his retirement in May 2006. He is a Fellow of the Australasian, Canadian and American Colleges of Physicians and is a past President of both the Alberta and Canadian Medical Associations.
Dr. McPherson was previously Deputy Minister of the Alberta Ministry of Hospitals and Medical Care and was also Deputy Commissioner and Executive Director of the Premier's Commission on Future Health Care for Albertans.
Dr. McPherson is currently a Professor Emeritus in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Alberta.
Robert R. Tufts, J.D.
Robert R. Tufts is a founding law partner of Tufts Stephenson & Kasper, LLP and was a partner with Jackson Tufts Cole & Black, LLP for over 35 years. Mr. Tufts specializes in corporate representation for start-up and emerging businesses, business financings, mergers and acquisitions, and in corporate taxation.
Mr. Tufts received his B.A. in history from New York University and received his law degree from Harvard Law School.
Tony Wicks
Tony Wicks has served as a director since May 2002, and was previously a director of NovaCal LLC. Since 1995, Mr. Wicks has been pursuing private investments and venture work, and participating in property investments. From 1986 to 1995, Mr. Wicks was the Chief Executive Officer of American Resource Corporation Inc., a public company in the mining industry with activities in North & South America. He also served as the Chief Executive Officer of several public and private companies in Europe and the U.S., and was directly involved in company start-up operations and public listings.
Mr. Wicks received his H.N.C. in electrical engineering from Essex Polytechnic.
Scientific Advisory Board
Bernard Churchill , M.D., FRCS(C), FAAP
Dr. Bernard M. Churchill serves as the Judith and Robert Winston Chair in Pediatric Urology and is the founding director of Clark Morrison Children’s Urological Center at the University of California, Los Angeles. He is also former Vice Chair of the Department of Urology at UCLA’s David Geffin School of Medicine and Director of the Urology Residency Program. Dr. Churchill was the prime investigator on a $5.7 million award from the National Institutes of Health, which successfully, for the first time, rapidly identified uropathogens using a DNA Biosensor.
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J. William Costerton, Ph.D.
Dr. J. William Costerton is the world leader in biofilm research and an expert in microbiology and electron microscopy. During his postdoctoral research work, Dr. Costerton discovered that natural bacterial colonies create their own microhabitats, which become covered with a protective layer of molecules he named “biofilm.” This discovery, published in Scientific American in 1978, led to a new way of thinking about bacteria implicated in chronic diseases and infections.
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M. Frederick Hawthorne, Ph.D.
Dr. M. Frederick Hawthorne is a world-renowned scientist in the fields of nano and molecular medicine, and a pioneer in boron chemistry. He currently serves as the founding Director of the University of Missouri International Institute of Nano and Molecular Medicine and Professor of Radiology, Chemistry and Physics at the University of Missouri, Columbia.
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John A. Soderquist, Ph.D.
Dr. John A. Soderquist is a Professor of Organic Chemistry at the University of Puerto Rico and is an internationally recognized thought leader and pioneer in synthetic organic chemistry. Dr. Soderquist brings to NovaBay extensive experience in modern synthetic methodologies utilizing boron, silicon and other Main Group organometallic reagents.
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Larry K. Truesdale, Ph.D.
Dr. Larry K. Truesdale is Senior Director, External Research & Development Innovation at Pfizer Inc. In this role, Dr. Truesdale assists Pfizer with finding and evaluating new technologies for drug discovery. Prior to this position, Dr. Truesdale served in various management roles at Alanex, Agouron and Warner Lambert, which over the course of three acquisitions ultimately became Pfizer.
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Roger Whiting, Ph.D.
Dr. Roger Whiting is a co-founder, president and chief scientific officer of Roxro Pharma Inc., a privately owned, virtually organized specialty pharmaceutical company focused on developing innovative treatments for pain. A veteran of the pharmaceutical industry, Dr. Whiting has held a range of scientific and management positions over the past 30 years.
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Ophthalmic Advisory Committee
Stephen Wilmarth, MD (Chair)
Stephen Wilmarth, M.D., is a board certified ophthalmologist with 30 years of experience. Currently practicing in Roseville, Calif., Dr. Wilmarth is a founding member and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Medical Vision Technology, the largest private practice group in Northern California. Dr. Wilmarth is also a founding member of Horizon Vision Centers, which specialize in laser vision correction, with seven surgical clinics located throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and Sacramento. Dr. Wilmarth is medical director of the Horizon Vision Center in Roseville, Calif. He is a member of the Medical Executive Committee and medical director of Ophthalmic Surgery at South Placer Surgery Center in Granite Bay, Calif., where he performs cataract and vision correction surgery.
As a practicing eye surgeon, Dr. Wilmarth has become particularly concerned about the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria as well as the over-reliance on antibiotics in ophthalmology. Since January 2002, Dr. Wilmarth has advised and supported NovaBay in the development of non-antibiotic, anti-infective ophthalmic products. In 2006, NovaBay dedicated its new Synthetic Chemistry Laboratory to Dr. Wilmarth in appreciation of his contributions to the development of NovaBay Pharmaceuticals.
Dr. Wilmarth received a BA with Honors from the University of California, Berkeley, and attended Stanford University School of Medicine, where he participated in the first isolation and purification of endorphins.
More information about Dr. Wilmarth may be found at www.wilmartheye.com
Kathryn K. Najafi-Tagol, M.D.
Kathryn K. Najafi-Tagol, M.D., is a founding member of the scientific advisory board at NovaBay Pharmaceuticals. She conducted the initial research for developing NovaBay’s Aganocide ® compounds into an antimicrobial ophthalmic drug.
Dr. Najafi-Tagol is the founder and medical director of the Eye Institute of Marin, where she practices general ophthalmology and specializes in the treatment of glaucoma. She is a member of the faculty at the California Pacific Medical Center. As a fellow in the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO), Dr. Najafi-Tagol has been a frequent lecturer at the AAO’s annual conference. She has also volunteered for EyeCare America, a public service program of the foundation of the AAO, which strives to reduce avoidable blindness and severe visual impairment by raising awareness of eye disease and care, providing free eye health educational materials and facilitating access to medical eye care.
Dr Najafi-Tagol received her B.S. with Honors in Chemistry at the University of California, Davis, and received her medical doctorate degree from the University of California School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles. She completed a postdoctoral fellowship in glaucoma at the Doheny Eye Institute, University of Southern California, Keck School of Medicine, in Los Angeles.
More information about Dr. Najafi-Tagol may be found at www.najafimd.com .
Behzad Khosrovi, M.A., Ph.D., Chief Alliance Officer and Senior Vice President of Product Development, NovaBay Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Dr. Behzad Khosrovi has directed research and development for NovaBay Pharmaceuticals since he joined the company in 2003. He currently serves as NovaBay’s Chief Alliance Officer and Senior Vice President of Product Development. Dr. Khosrovi plays a major role in managing collaborations between NovaBay and its corporate partners.
Dr. Khosrovi’s accomplishments managing new drug and biologic research span more than 30 years. He has in-depth experience in the chemistry, manufacturing, preclinical, clinical and regulatory requirements for both biologics and drugs, as well as a long history of product development achievements. Dr. Khosrovi has taken numerous diverse product candidates through the FDA's Investigational New Drug procedure, with three of these approved and currently sold in both the U.S. and Europe.
Prior to joining NovaBay, Dr. Khosrovi was vice president of development for Neurobiological Technologies Inc. He also served in various roles of escalating responsibility at Cetus Corp., where he was ultimately vice president of development. He has acted as a consultant to several biotechnology companies, advising on manufacturing, quality control and product development.
Educated in England, Dr. Khosrovi received his M.A. degree in natural sciences from the University of Cambridge and earned his Ph.D. in applied microbiology & biochemical engineering from the University of Manchester.
