Daniel M. Skovronsky, M.D., Ph.D., President & CEO
Dr. Skovronsky founded Avid Radiopharmaceuticals in late 2004. Dr. Skovronsky has more than 20 peer-reviewed publications and several NIH funded grants on Alzheimer’s disease research. Prior to establishing Avid, Dr. Skovronsky served as Scientific Director of High Throughput Screening and Drug Discovery at the Center for Neurodegenerative Disease Research at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Skovronsky trained as a resident in Pathology and completed a fellowship in Neuropathology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Skovronsky received his M.D. and Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania and did his undergraduate training in molecular biochemistry at Yale University. Dr. Skovronsky is the recipient of numerous scientific and business awards and was recently named by the Philadelphia Business Journal as one of their “Forty under Forty” business leaders in the region.
William Hamilton, M.B.A., Ph.D.
Dr. Hamilton has served on the University of Pennsylvania faculty since 1967 and is the Landau Professor of Management and Technology and the Director of the Jerome Fisher Program in Management and Technology at The Wharton School and the School of Engineering and Applied Science. He also serves as a director of the following life-sciences companies: Neose Technology, Inc. (Nasdaq: NTEC ), NovaDel Pharma, Inc. (Amex: NVD) and Neuronyx (a privately-held leader in stem cell technologies), and previously served as a Director of Centocor, Inc. prior to its acquisition by Johnson & Johnson. Dr. Hamilton received his B.S., M.S. (chemical engineering), and M.B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania and his Ph.D. in applied economics from the London School of Economics.
Ed Hurwitz, J.D., M.B.A.
Ed has been a partner at Alta Partners since joining in 2002 and is a Director in Alta BioPharma III and Alta Partners VIII. He is currently on the board of directors of Calistoga Pharmaceuticals, Cara Therapeutics, FoldRx Pharmaceuticals, Taligen Therapeutics, Sunesis Pharmaceuticals, and MacroGenics and led Alta’s investments in ChemoCentryx, Sunesis Pharmaceuticals, and Threshold Pharmaceuticals.
Prior to joining Alta, Ed served as Senior Vice President and CFO of Affymetrix from 1997 to 2002. From 1994 to 1997, Ed was a biotechnology research analyst for Robertson Stephens & Company, and from 1992 to 1994 was a biotechnology research analyst for Smith Barney Shearson. From 1990 to 1992, Ed practiced commercial law at Cooley Godward LLP. Ed earned his Juris Doctor and Master of Business Administration degrees in 1990 from the University of California, Berkeley’s Boalt School of Law and Haas School of Business, respectively. Ed earned a Bachelor of Arts in Molecular Biology from Cornell University in 1985.
Gary J. Kurtzman, M.D.
Dr. Kurtzman is Managing Director in the Life Sciences Group at Safeguard Scientifics, Inc. (NYSE: SFE), a provider of growth capital for entrepreneurial and innovative life sciences and technology companies, where he is responsible for identifying and partnering with companies focused on molecular diagnostics, medical devices, regenerative medicine, and specialty pharmaceuticals services. As part of Safeguard’s Life Sciences Group, Dr. Kurtzman brings more than 17 years of experience in operations and investments, leveraging his expertise to enable businesses to grow their products and services, as well as to discover new partnering potential. Dr. Kurtzman currently serves on the board of directors for Safeguard Scientifics’ partner companies: Advanced BioHealing, Alverix, Avid Radiopharmaceutics, Molecular Biometrics, NuPathe and Tengion. Dr. Kurtzman was previously managing director of BioAdvance, an early stage life sciences investor, and held various positions at Pluvita Corporation, Genovo and Avigen, and Gilead Sciences.
Dr. Kurtzman is a board-certified internist with a hematology sub-specialty. He is the author of more than 40 peer-reviewed scientific publications, reviews and book chapters and the inventor on 18 issued U.S. patents. He is currently a lecturer in Health Care Management at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania where he teaches bioentrepreneurship. Dr. Kurtzman received his B.S. from Stanford University and his M.D. from Washington University and post-doctoral training at the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute and Stanford University.
Ernest Mario, Ph.D.
Dr. Mario is Chairman and CEO of Capnia, a developer of novel therapeutic products based on a proprietary medical gas delivery system. Dr. Mario is the former Chairman and CEO of Reliant Pharmaceuticals prior to its sale to GlaxoSmithKline, and he serves on the boards of directors of Boston Scientific Corporation, Celgene Corporation, Maxygen, Inc., and Pharmaceutical Product Development, Inc. Previously, Dr. Mario served as CEO of ALZA Corporation from 1993 to 2001, and from 1989 to 1993 he served as CEO of Glaxo Holdings PLC. Dr. Mario is Chairman of the American Foundation for Pharmaceutical Education and is past Chairman of the Duke University Health System, where he continues to serve as a board member. Dr. Mario holds a B.S. in Pharmacy from Rutgers, and an M.S. and a Ph.D. in Physical Sciences from the University of Rhode Island. He holds honorary doctorates from URI and Rutgers, the latter of which in 2001 renamed its pharmacy school the Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy. In 2007 he was awarded the Remington Medal by the American Pharmacists Association, pharmacy's highest honor.
Matthew Rhodes-Kropf, Ph.D.
Matthew Rhodes-Kropf is a Professor in the Entrepreneurial Unit at Harvard Business School where he teaches the Private Equity / Venture Capital course. Professor Rhodes-Kropf specializes in mergers & acquisitions, private equity, venture capital, hedge funds, and corporate governance and has published in leading finance and economics journals. Professor Rhodes-Kropf comes to Harvard from Columbia University Graduate School of Business where he was the Daniel W. Stanton Associate Professor of Business.
Professor Rhodes-Kropf is also the Managing Director and founder of RK Ventures, an early-stage venture capital company with a focus on finance, technology, and biotech companies. Matt has served as acting-CFO of Avid Radiopharmaceuticals and has been a member of its Board of Directors since its founding. Professor Rhodes-Kropf also serves as a director for Credit Where Credit Is Due, a nonprofit credit union and financial education program focused on low income individuals. Matt is also a member of the Board of Advisors to Ada Investment Management, a statistical hedge fund that uses long run economic signals, and to Correlation Ventures, a quantitatively-based venture fund.
A graduate of Duke University, Professor Rhodes-Kropf holds a B.A. in computer science and economics, and an M.A. and a Ph.D. in economics.
