TEAM
Woolsey Pharmaceuticals repurposes drugs for some the world’s most challenging medical conditions. We are part of the Embark Healthcare family of companies. We are passionate about helping transform healthcare. It’s what drives us to do our best – every day.
It takes a team of dedicated, seasoned professionals with a deep understanding of intricacies of drug development to find opportunities where others see none, to tackle the toughest of diseases and conditions, to push to find a novel way forward, because lives are depending on it.
FOUNDING PARTNERS
DAVID M. GELIEBTER
Executive Chairman
David Geliebter has over 50 years of experience successfully starting and growing businesses. He was a founding principal and President of Evolution Capital, a healthcare investment banking firm. David is the Managing Partner of Embark Healthcare (formerly Carrot Capital). He is a past winner of the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award. David co-founded Remedy Pharmaceuticals which developed a repurposed drug, CIRARA for the treatment of brain edema in large hemispheric infarction. CIRARA was sold to Biogen in 2017 and is currently in a Phase 3 study.
SVEN M. JACOBSON
CEO
Sven Jacobson, MBA, has over 25 years of senior management experience. He is the Managing Partner of Embark Healthcare. He received his Bachelor of Science Engineering (BSc Eng) and MBA degrees from the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa. Sven co-founded Remedy Pharmaceuticals which developed a repurposed drug, CIRARA for the treatment of brain edema in large hemispheric infarction. CIRARA was sold to Biogen in 2017 and is currently in a Phase 3 study.
THE CORE TEAM
THOMAS W. MACALLISTER
General Counsel and VP of R&D
Thomas MacAllister, JD, PhD, is licensed IP attorney and a pharmaceutical executive with a PhD in molecular biology. He has over 25 years of experience in pharma.
ANN C. TUNSTALL
VP of Regulatory and Clinical Operations
Ann Tunstall, PhD, has worked as a regulatory and clinical professional in the healthcare industry for more than 25 years. She has a Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, an M.S. in Material Science from Duke University, and a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering from Duke University.
ROLAND GERRITSEN VAN DER HOOP
Chief Medical Officer
Roland Gerritsen van der Hoop, MD, PhD, is a pharmaceutical executive with over 30 years of experience. He has an MD and PhD from Utrecht University, the Netherlands.
IBRAHIM MIAN
Medical Director and Director of Operations
Ibrahim Mian, MD, brings almost a decade of clinical experience, taking care of patients from all age groups in diverse populations. He has an MD from Wake Forest University School of Medicine and a B.S. in Biology from Duke University.
OSCAR LIU
Manager of CMC
Oscar Liu, PhD, has been working in the pharmaceutical industry for over 20 years with increasing responsibilities. Oscar has led CMC development for multiple NDA and ANDA approvals. He has Ph.D. from Duke University, M.S. from SUNY-Binghamton, and B.S. from Xiamen University.
SABRINA WILLIAMS
Director of Clinical and Regulatory Affairs
Sabrina has almost 20 years of drug development experience. She received her BS in Pharmaceuticals Science at the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Allied Health.
OUTSIDE BOARD MEMBERS
DAVID R. EPSTEIN
David Epstein has more than 25 years of extensive drug development, deal making, commercialization, and leadership experience on a global scale. From 2010 to mid-2016 he served as chief executive officer of Novartis Pharmaceuticals, a division of Novartis AG.
Over the course of his career, David led the development and commercialization of more than 30 new molecular entities, including major breakthroughs such as Glivec®, Tasigna®, Gilenya®, Afinitor®, Cosentyx®, and Entresto®. His teams developed three Prix Galien award winners He was named by FierceBiotech as one of the “25 most influential people in biopharma.”
CLAUDE PICHÉ
Dr. Piché is a seasoned bioscience executive, board member and investor with over 25 years of hands-on operational experience in developing and commercializing pharmaceuticals, vaccines, medical devices and diagnostics.
He is a co-founder and the President and CEO of Locemia Solutions, where he led the creation and development of Baqsimi®, a needle-free repurposed rescue treatment for severe hypoglycemia; the product was acquired by Eli Lilly in 2015