Decision Makers
Board of Directors
Mr. Nelson joined MAP Pharmaceuticals as President and Chief Executive Officer in April 2005, bringing the company 20 years of experience in medical devices, drug delivery, pharmaceutical systems, and biotechnology. Prior to joining MAP Pharmaceuticals, Mr. Nelson served as Senior Vice President of Commercial and Business Development at DURECT Corporation, where he developed and implemented business strategy and market positioning for the company's lead product candidates. Before DURECT, Mr. Nelson held various senior management positions with Medtronic, a $5 billion medical device company. Most recently, he served as the company's business director, neurological division, Europe, Middle East and Africa, where he implemented growth initiatives for innovative therapies treating a variety of medical disorders. Mr. Nelson earned a master's degree in management with distinction from the J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University and a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from the University of Minnesota.
Mr. Chai has spent over 15 years in the healthcare and banking industries and brings with him experience in finance, strategy and operations. Prior to joining the company, he held key management positions at CV Therapeutics, including Vice President for Treasury and Investor Relations. While at CV Therapeutics, Mr. Chai played a key role in capital raising transactions. In addition to raising capital, he contributed to the development of business strategy, executed strategic financial transactions and managed relations with the analyst and investor communities. Prior to CV Therapeutics, Mr. Chai was a healthcare investment banker at JP Morgan where he worked on capital raising, including initial public offerings, and M&A and advisory transactions for a range of healthcare clients. Mr. Chai received his Bachelors of Science degree in Operations Research and Industrial Engineering from Cornell University.
Dr. Shrewsbury brings more than 25 years of expertise in the medical field with specific focus in the areas of research, clinical development, medical affairs and commercialization. Dr. Shrewsbury was promoted to Chief Medical Officer since July 2007. He joined MAP Pharmaceuticals in February 2005 as Vice President of Clinical and Regulatory Affairs. Dr. Shrewsbury served as senior director of clinical development at Chiron Corporation, working on inhaled antibiotics for cystic fibrosis, bronchiectasis, AECB and Chiron's in-licensed aerosol cyclosporin for preventing lung transplant rejection. Before Chiron, Dr. Shrewsbury held the positions of director and senior clinical program head of respiratory clinical development at GlaxoSmithKline where he lead the global inhaled steroid and URID development programs. Dr. Shrewsbury earned a diploma in pharmaceutical medicine from the Royal College of Physician's (UK) Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine, a diploma of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (UK), and bachelors' degrees in medicine and surgery from Liverpool University.
| Organization |
Position |
Status |
| Map Pharmaceuticals, Inc. |
Chief Medical Officer |
Current |
| Map Pharmaceuticals, Inc. |
Vice President of Clinical and Regulatory Affairs |
Former |
| Chiron |
Senior Director |
Former |
| Liverpool University |
bachelors' degrees in medicine and surgery |
Former |
| Royal College |
Diploma In Pharmaceutical Medicine |
Former |
| Liverpool University |
Medicine and Surgery |
Former |
Dr. Armer founded MAP Pharmaceuticals in 2003. Between 1998 and 2003, Dr. Armer served as Vice President of Pulmonary Delivery Systems and later as Chief Scientific Officer at Sheffield Pharmaceuticals, a pharmaceutical company. During his time at Sheffield, Dr. Armer was instrumental in conceiving and developing the Unit Dose Budesonide (UDB) and Tempo® inhaler product lines. From 1989 to 1998, Dr. Armer held a series of senior management and product development positions at the Novon Products Group, a division of Warner-Lambert, and Aeroquip Vickers Corporation, where he and his group developed the Tempo® delivery system. Dr. Armer graduated from Tulane University with a Ph.D. in chemical engineering.
Mr. Gianakakos brings to MAP Pharmaceuticals more than 12 years of experience and leadership in business development in the pharmaceutical sector. Mr. Gianakakos joined MAP Pharmaceuticals from Codexis Inc., a private company he helped spin-off from Maxygen in 2001. While at Codexis, Mr. Gianakakos held a variety of leadership positions, most recently Senior Vice President, Business Development and Head of Codexis' Pharmaceuticals Business Unit. Mr. Gianakakos played a key role in raising private financing, and helping grow the company's revenues and establish its operational and commercial infrastructure. Prior to Codexis, Mr. Gianakakos was Director of Business Development at Maxygen, where he led Maxygen's business development and commercial efforts in the pharmaceutical and fine chemical area and supported Maxygen's financing activities. Before joining Maxygen, Mr. Gianakakos worked as a Process Engineer at Merck and Co. providing technical support for Merck's biologics operations. Mr. Gianakakos received a B.Sc. in Chemical Engineering and a B.Sc. in Economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a M.Sc. in Biotechnology from Northwestern University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Charlene Andros Friedman joined MAP Pharmaceuticals as Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary in July 2007. Ms. Friedman has more than 25 years of legal experience, including serving as General Counsel at several medical companies since 1996. Prior to joining MAP Pharmaceuticals, Ms. Friedman served as Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary of VNUS Medical Technologies, Inc., a medical device company, where she provided legal counsel on general corporate matters, SEC filings, direct-to-consumer advertising and other marketing materials, Sarbanes-Oxley matters and business development transactions. Prior to VNUS Medical Technologies, Ms. Friedman served as Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary for Aviron, a biopharmaceutical company, and R2 Technology, Inc., a medical device company. She also held the position of Vice President, Legal and Regulatory Affairs, General Counsel and Assistant Secretary at Collagen Aesthetics, Inc., a medical device company. Prior to joining Collagen, Ms. Friedman was in private practice for over 10 years. Ms. Friedman is a member of the California and Massachusetts state bars and holds a B.A. in Ancient Greek and Latin from Tufts University and a J.D. from the Northeastern University School of Law.
Dr. Kori joined MAP Pharmaceuticals in July 2007, bringing the company more than 30 years of research and drug development experience in neurosciences. Prior to joining MAP Pharmaceuticals, Dr. Kori served as Senior Director of Clinical Development at GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), where he oversaw the design and execution of clinical studies and coordinated responses to FDA for migraine and pain products in development. In addition, Dr. Kori served as liaison to the external scientific and medical community, including leading headache specialists, participated in the development of new chemical entities and managed market support for marketed products. Before joining GSK, Dr. Kori had 24 years of academic medicine experience at several U.S. medical centers, including Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Case Western Reserve University, Moffitt Cancer Center and Duke University, with extensive experience in clinical patient care, teaching, research and administration. He has also held several leadership positions in national professional organizations in neurology and pain management. Dr. Kori received his undergraduate degree from St. Josephs College in Bangalore, India and he holds MBBS and M.D. degrees from Mysore University in India.
| Organization |
Position |
Status |
| Map Pharmaceuticals, Inc. |
Senior Director, Product Development |
Current |
| Aradigm Corporation |
|
Former |
| St. Mary's College |
master's degree in business administration |
Former |
| University of California, Davis |
bachelor's degree in wildlife and fisheries biology |
Former |
Dr. Uster brings more than 20 years of experience in the pharmaceutical development field with a specific focus in the areas of novel technology and drug development and post market development. Prior to joining the company, he held key management positions at Peninsula Pharmaceuticals, Aerogen Inc., and SEQUUS Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Such positions included Senior Director of Product Development, Pharmaceutics, Formulation Development, and Director of Medical Affairs. In these roles, Dr. Uster directed the commercial pharmaceutical development process and managed strategic partnerships, in addition to continuing his extensive work with drug and device development. Prior to joining the pharmaceutical industry, Dr. Uster was a Carnegie Fellow at Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Uster holds a Ph.D. and M.A. in Molecular and Cellular Biology from the University of California, Davis and a B.A. in Biology from the University of California, San Diego.
| Organization |
Position |
Status |
| Map Pharmaceuticals, Inc. |
Senior Director of Unit Dose Budesonide Program |
Current |
| The Johns Hopkins University |
Fellow |
Former |
| AeroGen, Inc. |
|
Former |
| Peninsula Pharmaceuticals, Inc. |
|
Former |
| SEQUUS Pharmaceuticals |
|
Former |
| University of California, San Diego |
Ph.D. |
Former |
| University of California, Davis |
Ph.D. |
Former |
| University of California, Davis |
M.A. In Molecular and Cellular Biology |
Former |
| University of California, San Diego |
B.A. In Biology |
Former |
Mr. Borland brings more than 12 years of product development and operations experience to MAP. Prior to joining the company, he held several key management positions at Capnia Inc. and Aerogen Inc., including Vice President of Engineering and Senior Director, Engineering and Operations. In these roles, Mr. Borland was responsible for engineering and manufacturing of technology components and systems for aerosol-based pulmonary drug delivery and medical gas delivery products. Mr. Borland has held several other positions in the medical device, drug delivery, and computer hardware industries with Therics, Inc., Topaz Technologies, and Applied Magnetics and was previously a Visiting Scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Mr. Borland holds an M.S. in Chemical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a B.S. in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Arizona.
| Organization |
Position |
Status |
| Map Pharmaceuticals, Inc. |
Senior Director of Cns Programs and Technical Operations |
Current |
| The University of Arizona |
B.S. In Materials Science and Engineering |
Former |
| Organization |
Position |
Status |
| Advion Biosciences, Inc. |
Managing Director |
Current |
| Ambit Biosciences Corporation |
Chairman, Managing Director, Perseus, Soros Biopharmaceutical Fund |
Current |
| Aisling Capital |
|
Current |
| Map Pharmaceuticals, Inc. |
Chairman |
Current |
| Cenerx Biopharma, Inc. |
Board Chairman |
Current |
| Ambit Corporation |
Director |
Current |
| Ambit Biosciences Corporation |
Director |
Current |
| Advion Biosciences, Inc. |
Board of Directors |
Current |
| Adams Respiratory Therapeutics, Inc. |
Director |
Current |
| Nextwave Pharmaceuticals, Inc. |
Board of Directors |
Current |
| Avera Pharmaceuticals, Inc. |
Director |
Current |
| Bioenvision, Inc. |
Director |
Current |
| Cenerx Biopharma, Inc. |
Director |
Current |
| The Wilkerson Group |
Consultant |
Former |
| Marion Laboratories |
Sales Representative |
Former |
| Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette |
|
Former |
| Adams Respiratory Therapeutics, Inc. |
Chairman of The Board |
Former |
| Allergan, Inc. |
Director |
Former |
| Genzyme Corporation |
Director |
Former |
| Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University |
M.B.A. |
Former |
| Stanford University |
B.A. In Human Biology |
Former |
Dr. Sun serves as a Principal of the Perseus-Soros BioPharmaceutical Fund (PSBF). Previously, Dr. Sun was an entrepreneur co-founding a disease management company for patients on blood thinners. In addition, Dr. Sun was an Adjunct Instructor of Medicine at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania where he provided consulting services to a large managed care organization and investigated pharmacoeconomic issues at the Leonard Davis Institute. Dr. Sun's background also includes basic science research at the N.I.H. on calcium ion channels and medical informatics studies at Albert Einstein Hospital on clinical information systems in the operating room. Dr. Sun received a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Cornell University and an M.D. from Temple University School of Medicine with A.O.A. honors. In addition, he is a Board Certified Internist and has an M.B.A. from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
Bernard Kelley has served as a member of our board of directors since May 2007. From 1993 to 2002, Mr. Kelley was the President of the Merck Manufacturing Division, a division of Merck & Co., Inc., and he served as a member of the Merck Management Committee from 1995 to 2002. Since 2003, Mr. Kelley has served as a member of the board of directors of Aegis Analytical Corporation, an enterprise software company. Mr. Kelley currently serves on the board of directors of Codexis, Inc., a biotechnology company. Mr. Kelley received a B.S. in engineering from the U.S. Naval Academy.
| Organization |
Position |
Status |
| Codexis, Inc. |
Board of Directors |
Current |
| Map Pharmaceuticals, Inc. |
Board of Directors |
Current |
| Biocatalytics, Inc. |
Board of Directors |
Current |
| Merck Manufacturing Division |
President |
Former |
| Aegis Analytical Corporation |
Board of Directors |
Current |
| Organization |
Position |
Status |
| Bay City Capital LLC |
Managing Director |
Current |
| Syntonix Pharmaceuticals, Inc. |
Chairman |
Current |
| Braincells, Inc. |
Director |
Current |
| ZVUE Corporation |
Board of Directors |
Current |
| EnteroMedics, Inc. |
Board of Directors |
Current |
| PTC Therapeutics, Inc |
Director |
Current |
| NeoRx Corporation |
Board of Directors |
Current |
| Metabolex, Inc. |
Director |
Current |
| Etex-Ltd |
Director |
Current |
| Sarah Lawrence College |
Member of the Board of Trustees |
Current |
| Allegro Biodiesel Corporation |
Board of Directors |
Current |
| Map Pharmaceuticals, Inc. |
Board of Directors |
Current |
| ImClone Systems Incorporated |
Chief Financial Officer |
Former |
| ImClone Systems Incorporated |
Vice President, Finance |
Current |
| Reliance Insurance Company |
Research Analyst |
Former |
| Allegro Biodiesel Corporation |
Chairman of the Board |
Former |
| Albert Einstein College of Medicine |
MD degree |
Former |
| Albert Einstein College |
MD With Honors In Scientific Research |
Former |
| Sarah Lawrence College |
BA |
Former |
H. Ward Wolff, has served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer since December 2007. Mr. Wolff was formerly with Nuvelo, Inc., where he served as Senior Vice President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer until its restructuring in August 2007. Prior to joining Nuvelo, he was Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President, Finance, of Abgenix, Inc. until April 2006 when Abgenix merged with Amgen Inc. Prior to joining Abgenix, Mr. Wolff held financial management positions in both public and private emerging growth companies, including serving as Senior Vice President and CFO of DoubleTwist, Inc., a life sciences company integrating genomic information and bioinformatics analysis tools. He began his career with Price Waterhouse, where he held a number of positions as a certified public accountant, including Senior Audit Manager. Mr. Wolff is a member of the boards of directors of Portola Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and MAP Pharmaceuticals, Inc. From June 2006 until his appointment to Sangamo's management team he was a member of Sangamo's Board of Directors, serving as Chairman of the Audit Committee. Mr. Wolff received a B.A. degree in Economics from the University of California at Berkeley and an M.B.A. degree from Harvard Business School.
| Organization |
Position |
Status |
| Splashpaint Creative |
Founder |
Current |
| Allos Therapeutics, Inc. |
Board of Directors |
Current |
| Paintedfrog Studio |
Board of Directors |
Current |
| Splashpaint Creative |
Board of Directors |
Current |
| Technology Vision Group LLC |
Board of Directors |
Current |
| Hansen Medical, Inc. |
Board of Directors |
Current |
| Map Pharmaceuticals, Inc. |
Board of Directors |
Current |
| XenoPort Inc. |
Board of Directors |
Current |
| Westbury Partners |
Director |
Current |
| Xenoportinc.Com |
Board of Directors |
Current |
| Chancellor Capital Management |
Managing Director |
Former |
| Skyline Ventures |
Managing Director |
Former |
| Skyline Corporation |
Founder |
Former |
| Intuitive Surgical, Inc. |
Co-Founder |
Former |
| The Health Care Group |
Co-Founder |
Former |
| Morgan Stanley |
Co-Founder, Healthcare Group in the Corporate Finance Department |
Former |
| Intuitive Corporation |
Co-Founder |
Former |
| Skyline Ventures |
Founder |
Former |
| Skyline Ventures |
General Partner |
Former |
| The Health Care Group |
General Partner |
Former |
| Morgan Stanley Venture Partners |
General Partner |
Former |
| Private Equity |
West Coast Partner |
Former |
| Skyline Ventures |
Manager |
Former |
| Intuitive Corporation |
Director |
Former |
| Harvard Medical School |
M.D. |
Former |
| Harvard Business School |
M.B.A |
Former |
| Harvard College |
B.A. |
Former |
Matthew V. McPherron has served as a member of our Board of Directors since January 2006. Since 1998, Mr. McPherron has been employed by Brookside Capital, LLC, an investment fund, where he is currently a Managing Director. From 1997 to 1998, Mr. McPherron served as the President and Chief Operating Officer for U.S. Carelink, Inc., a clinical information company. Mr. McPherron received an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and a B.S. from the University of Kansas.
| Organization |
Position |
Status |
| Pequot Capital Management Inc. |
Managing Director |
Current |
| Prestwick Pharmaceuticals, Inc |
General Partner, Vivo Ventures |
Current |
| Tenex Greenhouse Ventures |
Operating Committee |
Current |
| Horizon Therapeutics, Inc. |
Board of Directors |
Current |
| Raven Biotechnologies, Inc. |
Board of Directors |
Current |
| Threshold Pharmaceuticals, Inc. |
Board of Directors |
Current |
| Diobex, Inc |
Board of Directors |
Current |
| Codexis, Inc. |
Board of Directors |
Current |
| Map Pharmaceuticals, Inc. |
Board of Directors |
Current |
| Sequenom, Inc. |
Board of Directors |
Current |
| Urigen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. |
Board of Directors |
Current |
| Corcept Therapeutics Incorporated |
Member of the Board of Directors |
Current |
| Biocatalytics, Inc. |
Board of Directors |
Current |
| Urigen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. |
Cfo |
Former |
| Boehringer Mannheim Corporation |
Senior Vice President |
Former |
| Urigen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. |
Senior Vice President, Corporate Development |
Former |
| PaineWebber, Inc. |
Vice President |
Former |
| Pequot Ventures |
Managing Director |
Former |
| Pequot Ventures |
General Partner |
Former |
| Sandoz |
Strategic Planning and Business Development |
Former |
| Pequot Capital Management Inc. |
Principal |
Former |
| Centocor, Inc. |
|
Former |
| Alkermes, Inc. |
|
Former |
| Cephalon, Inc. |
|
Former |
| Boehringer Mannheim |
|
Former |
| Amgen Inc. |
|
Former |
| Genentech, Inc. |
|
Former |
| Stanford University |
M.B.A. |
Former |
| Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania |
M.B.A |
Former |
| Stanford University |
B.S. In Biological Sciences |
Former |
Executive News
-
UPDATE 2-AstraZeneca ends deal on MAP Pharma's asthma drug
Forbes.com - 7/09/09 - View Story
-
UPDATE 2-AstraZeneca ends deal on MAP Pharma's asthma drug
Reuters - 7/09/09 - View Story
-
MAP Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (MAPP) Announces Termination of AstraZeneca PLC (AZN) (JOBS) Pediatric Asthma Collaboration
BioSpace - 7/09/09 - View Story
-
UPDATE 1-AstraZeneca ends deal on MAP Pharma's asthma drug
Forbes.com - 7/09/09 - View Story
-
UPDATE 1-AstraZeneca ends deal on MAP Pharma's asthma drug
Reuters - 7/09/09 - View Story
-
MAP Pharmaceuticals Announces Termination of Pediatric Asthma Collaboration
PR Newswire - 7/09/09 - View Story
-
Map ends pediatric asthma drug development
Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal - 7/09/09 - View Story