Leadership
Reset Pharma has established a highly experienced biotech team to develop and commercialize innovative and highly effective therapies for demoralization, anxiety and depression in patients with life-threatening cancer and other illnesses. We work with a dedicated group of scientific and strategic advisors who are at the forefront of R&D and bring deep domain experience in psychology, psychiatry and oncology.
Innes Meldrum is a purpose-driven healthcare leader dedicated to improving health outcomes through medicines, technologies, and services that enhance patient care. Until December 2022, Mr. Meldrum served as the SVP and Chief Commercial Officer of Otsuka Pharmaceutical Companies (U.S.) where he oversaw pharmaceutical and digital health commercial activities in the U.S. and Canada (~1,300 people with revenues of >$2.5B). Taking on this role at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, he drove revenue growth and profitability, and transformed the commercialization model using supporting technology to better meet stakeholder and patient needs. Before joining Otsuka in 2017, Mr. Meldrum led commercial activities at Orexo, an addiction-focused startup. Prior to Orexo, Mr. Meldrum spent 11 years in commercial roles of increasing responsibility at Novartis and led NeuroPsych marketing efforts for Fanapt® (Schizophrenia), Focalin XR® (ADHD) and other franchises. Mr. Meldrum studied Electrical and Electronics Engineering at Strathclyde University (Scotland).
Anne C. Andorn, M.D., is a Board Certified psychiatrist with additional fellowship training in clinical pharmacology and pharmacology. Dr. Andorn spent the first half of her career in academic medicine where she taught, cared for patients, and conducted neuroscience research. The second half of her career has been spent in the pharmaceutical industry with positions of increasing responsibility at companies including Eli Lilly and Company, GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer, and others. In these roles, Dr. Andorn has conducted translational, early phase, and late phase drug development. In these positions she has interfaced with commercial and medical affairs colleagues and has previously served as a CMO. Dr. Andorn received her medical degree from The Ohio State University College of Medicine and completed her residency and fellowship training at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine.
Mr. Prabhu, C.P.A., brings over 30 years of accounting, finance, cost accounting, auditing, and taxation experience. He has been providing CFO and accounting services for many companies, including publicly listed companies. Between 2005 and 2008, Mr. Prabhu was a Senior Project manager at Withum Smith+Brown, Certified Public Accountants.
Elissa Fuller brings over fifteen years of experience in the life sciences industry, holding a variety of business strategy and legal leadership roles within biopharmaceutical, medical device, and contract manufacturing organizations. She spent the last eleven years at Otsuka Pharmaceutical, most recently leading Otsuka’s Commercial Strategy function where she oversaw early commercial development, mature product planning, alliance management and business development activities. Elissa has extensive global experience procuring partners, leading alliances, and negotiating, building and managing collaboration and license agreements. She has developed and executed complex global strategies that require a deep knowledge of all pharmaceutical functions, including early clinical and product development, manufacturing and supply, commercialization and mature products. Prior to joining Otsuka, Elissa held leadership positions in small and venture backed biopharmaceutical companies, including as CEO and General Counsel of the U.S. subsidiary of a Swiss-based clinical research organization and pharmaceutical company.
Ms. Holmgren trained as a pharmacist and has over 30 years of experience in Global Regulatory Affairs and Drug Development. Prior experience spans a number of different therapeutic areas, across development phases 1–3 as well as international regulatory marketing authorizations in several CNS indications. Åsa has extensive experience from working in large as well as small pharma companies. She was previously Executive VP, Global Head of Strategic Regulatory Affairs and Market Access at Medivir AB. Prior to Medivir AB, she held leadership positions and led regulatory strategies at Orexo AB, AstraZeneca R&D, Pharmacia & Upjohn R&D, and Roche AB. In these positions she has interfaced with all other R&D functions as well as commercial and medical affairs and led numerous interactions with the US FDA and other international Health Agencies.
Robert (Bob) Leadbetter, M.D., is a board certified psychiatrist with over 20 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry. After an initial career at the University of Virginia running a research unit specializing in treatment-refractory schizophrenia, he joined GSK with executive director responsibilities for programs in all stages of CNS clinical development. He was the clinical lead in obtaining FDA/MAA/other country approval of an anticonvulsant for bipolar disorder. In addition, he has had over 10 years of experience in pharmacovigilance and drug safety, including an FDA advisory committee presentation of the risk/benefit profile of a novel asthma biopharmaceutical resulting in NDA approval. More recently, he has been consulting with a variety of pharmaceutical and contract research companies regarding CNS clinical development and non-CNS safety issues.
Dr. Learned has over 25 years of expertise in the pharmaceutical industry spanning all phases of drug discovery and development. She is an internal medicine physician, a pharmacist and holds a Ph.D. in neuro-behavioral clinical pharmacology. She has managed large, global multidisciplinary drug discovery and development organizations, led the design of innovative clinical trials to make efficient business decisions, implemented biomarkers and translational medicine tools across therapeutic areas and led business development strategies and operations. Her most recent roles include being the Senior Vice President, Global Medicines Development at Indivior; Vice President, Franchise Head and Medicines Development Leader at Stiefel, GSK’s dermatology company; and Vice President, Discovery Medicine Unit, GlaxoSmithKline.
Dr. Stahl, Ph.D., brings 30 years of R&D, and manufacturing experience in small and large pharmaceutical and chemical manufacturing companies. Until November 2022 he served as an EVP and Chief Technology Officer of Tricida, Inc. From 2011 to 2017 he was a Senior Vice President of Pharmaceutical Operations and as Chief Technology Officer, at Relypsa, Inc. Since 2009, he has been a Managing Partner of Rondaxe Enterprises, LLC, a consulting firm, providing CMC consulting services. From 2005 to 2008, he was Head of the Pharma Custom Manufacturing business of Saltigo GmbH. Before entering into manufacturing, he has spent 14 years in different roles in pharmaceutical R&D at Bayer and companies that are today part of Sanofi.
Philip is Founder and Managing Partner of Evolution Venture Partners. He is also the Founder and Chair of the Board of Directors of Reset Pharmaceuticals. Philip has extensive experience in investment banking, merchant banking and the management of small and mid-size companies. Previously, Mr. Taub was Founder and Managing Director of BlueStone Capital Partners, a global investment and merchant bank focused on small and mid-cap growth companies. He has served on numerous boards of directors and has been a guest lecturer on various topics, including technology startups and financial services at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Mr. Taub received his B.A. from Northwestern University.
Jan-Anders Karlsson, Ph.D., has a long track record building and leading life sciences companies as well as discovery and development of innovative drugs. Prior to Reset Pharma, Dr. Karlsson served as the CEO of Verona Pharma, a NASDAQ-listed biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of drugs for the treatment of respiratory diseases. Before that, he was CEO of S*BIO Pte Ltd, a biotech company discovering and developing small molecule drugs for the treatment of cancer. Prior to S*BIO, he served as Executive Vice President and head of Pharma Global Research at Bayer Healthcare AG in Germany. He also held various positions in Rhone-Poulenc Rorer and Astra before joining Bayer. Dr. Karlsson received a M.Sc. in Pharmacy from Uppsala University and a Doctor of Medical Science (Ph.D.) in clinical experimental pharmacology from the University of Lund.
Lisa Deschamps is a passionate leader who brings a track record serving patients and delivering growth far exceeding expectations. Ms. Deschamps has spent more than 17 years at Novartis, and has held various leadership positions including as SVP & Chief Business Officer of Novartis Gene Therapies. Ms. Deschamps was responsible for driving strategic planning, commercialization and business development of the extensive gene therapy portfolio within AveXis. She has played a key role in leading the exploration of inorganic growth opportunities and external partnerships. Ms. Deschamps received an M.B.A. in General Management from the NYU Stern School of Business.
Mr. Schlidt is a co-founder and partner at Palo Santo, a diversified investment fund that is focused on helping to increase the supply of clinically effective and accessible mental health and addiction treatment solutions. Mr. Schlidt brings extensive experience investing across life sciences and healthcare services, and has held a lifelong passion for understanding and improving treatments for CNS disorders. He believes psychedelics are poised to shift the paradigm in mental health treatment and his primary mission in co-founding Palo Santo is to invest in companies and solutions that allow for broad access to those most in need of mental health care. Prior to co-founding Palo Santo, Mr. Schlidt covered the life sciences and health care services sectors as a private equity investor at Madison Dearborn Partners and as an investment banker at Greenhill.
Gilbert A. Block, MD, PhD, has over 30 years of pharmaceutical and biotechnology experience encompassing all phases of clinical development and translational medicine; focusing primarily on neurologic and neuroinflammatory diseases, rare and ultra-rare orphan disorders, psychiatric diseases and pain. His experience covers novel experimental small molecules, monoclonal antibodies, stem cells and gene therapy (DNA and RNA) approaches. Dr. Block was the Head of Clinical Neurology and Neuropharmacology at Merck and Co. Research Laboratories, Clinical Section Head of Global Neuroscience Development at AstraZeneca, Vice President of Clinical Neuroscience and Clinical Pharmacology at Cephalon, Vice President of Clinical Development at Cambridge Neurosciences, Vice President and Global Head of Neurosciences and Clinical Training Assessments at i3 Global, Chief Medical Officer of Neuraltus Pharmaceuticals, and Senior Clinical Consultant for Vtesse Pharmaceuticals. Dr Block has been responsible for filings of multiple INDs and has overseen or led successful filings and approvals of 9 NDAs and MAAs. Dr. Block received his BA, PhD and MD at Case Western Reserve University. He completed his neurology residency and fellowship in cerebrovascular disease/cerebral metabolism at New York Hospital-Cornell University Medical College in New York, New York. He was previously on the faculty of the Departments of Neurology at Cornell University Medical College/New York Hospital and the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine/Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and is currently an Adjunct full professor at Drexel University School of Medicine. Dr Block is a member of the American Academy of Neurology and a founding member of the American Society of Experimental NeuroTherapeutics, Inc.
William Breitbart, M.D. is Chairman, The Jimmie C. Holland Chair in Psychiatric Oncology, and Attending Psychiatrist, Psychiatry Service in the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY. He is recipient of the International Psycho-Oncology Society’s (IPOS) 2009 Sutherland Lifetime Achievement Award and 2019 Jimmie Holland Award for lifetime contributions to psychiatric oncology; the Academy of Psychosomatic Medicine’s 2011 Hackett Lifetime Achievement Award; the American Psychosocial Oncology Society’s (APOS) 2013 Distinguished Leadership Award; and the American Cancer Society’s 2017 Trish Greene Quality of Life Award. Dr. Breitbart also served as President Emeritus of IPOS. Dr. Breitbart's research efforts focus on psychiatric aspects of cancer and palliative care. His most recent efforts focus on Meaning-Centered Psychotherapy for cancer patients, an “NCI designated Research Tested Intervention” for end of life despair. He has had continuous NIH RO1 funding of investigator initiated research since 1989. Dr. Breitbart was PI of the “Network Project, NCI R25 grant (1992-98) which trained clinicians in cancer pain management and psycho-oncology. He is currently PI of R25 CA190169 which is training a national cohort of cancer care clinicians in Meaning Centered Psychotherapy. He has over 500 peer review publications, chapters and review papers, and 13 textbooks. Dr. Breitbart is Editor-in-Chief, of Cambridge University Press’ international palliative care journal entitled, “Palliative & Supportive Care”.
Harvey Max Chochinov M.D., Ph.D., FRSC is a Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Manitoba and Director of the Manitoba Palliative Care Research Unit, CancerCare Manitoba. His seminal publications addressing psychosocial dimensions of palliation have helped define core-competencies and standards of end-of-life care. He holds the only Canada Research Chair in Palliative Care and is a member of the Governing Council of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. Dr. Chochinov has been doing palliative care research since 1990 with funding support from local, provincial, and national granting agencies.
Jim Grigsby, Ph.D., has done cognitive neuroscience and health services research for thirty years at the University of Colorado Denver (UCD). He is a Professor in the Department of Psychology, and Professor of Medicine in the Division of Health Care Policy and Research (HCPR) in the UCD School of Medicine. He has been involved in research with MDMA for the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder, and the use of psilocybin for depression, and he is co-editor with Charles S. Grob, M.D., of the Handbook of Medical Hallucinogens. An author of many peer-reviewed scientific papers, he also published Neurodynamics of Personality, the first comprehensive framework for understanding personality based on cognitive neuroscience and nonlinear dynamical systems theory. His research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Department of Defense, as well as other federal, state, and private sources. Dr. Grigsby obtained a B.A. from the University of Kansas, an M.A. from the University of Regina (Saskatchewan), and a doctorate from the University of Colorado Boulder.
David J. Hellerstein, M.D., is a research psychiatrist at the New York State Psychiatric Institute and a Professor of Clinical Psychiatry at the Columbia University Irving Medical Center. He specializes in research and treatment of mood and anxiety disorders, particularly the medication treatment of chronic depression. His current studies include psilocybin in treatment-resistant depression and psilocybin for body dysmorphic disorder. Dr. Hellerstein is Director of the Depression Evaluation Service, which conducts studies on the medication and psychotherapy treatment of conditions including major depression, chronic depression, and bipolar disorder. He has published over 125 scientific articles and book chapters on subjects including the treatment of persistent depressive disorder. Dr. Hellerstein received his medical degree from Stanford University Medical School.
Peter Hendricks, Ph.D., is Professor and Director of Research in the Department of Health Behavior of the School of Public Health at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). His research centers on the development of novel and potentially more effective treatments for substance dependence, with specific areas of focus on cigarette, cocaine, cannabis, opiate, and polysubstance dependence in vulnerable populations (e.g., individuals in the criminal justice system). Since 2014 Dr. Hendricks has published approximately 20 peer-reviewed manuscripts relating to psychedelics, including population studies suggesting that psychedelics may be effective in preventing and treating substance use, criminal recidivism, psychological distress, and suicidality. Recently he proposed that the emotion awe represents the psychological mechanism underlying the effects of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy. He is currently Principal Investigator of on ongoing pilot trial of psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy for cocaine dependence.
Benjamin Kelmendi, M.D., is an Associate Research Scientist at Yale University School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry. Dr. Kelmendi’s research explores the mechanism of symptoms that characterize obsessive-compulsive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder, with the ultimate goal of developing new understandings and better treatments. In parallel, he is interested in elucidating the neurobiological mechanisms of pharmacological interventions that produce acute clinical effects such as MDMA, psilocybin, and ketamine using various methodological tools including fMRI, MRS, EEG, genetics, and neurocognitive testing. Dr. Kelmendi received his medical degree from the University of Vermont College of Medicine.
Mark Corrigan, M.D., is the co-founder and CEO of Tremeau Pharmaceuticals, a company advancing novel solutions for patients with acute and chronic pain. Prior to founding Tremeau, he held several executive positions at Zalicus, Sepracor, and Pharmacia Corp. Dr. Corrigan has led discovery and development efforts of multiple novel therapeutic approaches and has raised substantial capital through public markets to fund research, development, and company operations. Dr. Corrigan has held board roles at a number of public biopharmaceutical companies including Novelion, Cubist, and Avanir Pharmaceuticals. Dr. Corrigan is board certified in psychiatry and neurology. He received a medical degree from the University of Virginia and received specialty training in psychiatry at Maine Medical Center and Cornell University.
Stephen Juelsgaard is the former executive vice president, secretary and chief compliance officer of Genentech, Inc. In that role, Mr. Juelsgaard was responsible for Genentech’s Corporate Law, Intellectual Property, Government Affairs, Human Resources, and Healthcare Compliance groups, as well as the Business Services group. He had oversight responsibility for more than 600 employees and an annual budget of approximately $250 million. Prior to joining Genentech, Mr. Juelsgaard was an associate at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati in Palo Alto, California. Mr. Juelsgaard currently serves on the Independent Citizens’ Oversight Committee (Board equivalent) of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, the board of directors of AltruBio, Inc. and Juvena Therapeutics and the Board of Trustees of the African Wildlife Foundation. Mr. Juelsgaard received Doctor of Veterinary Medicine and Master of Science degrees from Iowa State University and a law degree from Stanford Law School.
Brad Sitko is the Managing Director of Strategic Finance at RTW Investments, LP (“RTW”). Mr. Sitko is responsible for providing leadership and execution across the firm’s key initiatives across new company formation, private transactions, business and corporate development and partnering, and the venture fund. Mr. Sitko brings over 15 years of experience to RTW including corporate strategy, business development, capital raising and M&A in life sciences and digital health. He has worked as a growth stage company executive, investment banker, and strategy consultant. Before joining RTW, Mr. Sitko led DNAnexus’ finance and operations teams as the company scaled its industry leading, cloud-based genomics IT platform. Prior to DNAnexus, Mr. Sitko was a senior investment banker at MTS Health Partners executing more than 30 transactions accounting for $7B of M&A volume, capital raised, and royalties monetized. Mr. Sitko received an M.B.A. from Columbia Business School, with dual concentrations in Finance and Healthcare & Pharmaceutical Management.
Richard Yacenda is the Chief Operating Officer for Bank of America for Asia Pacific and is also the bank’s Chief Executive for Hong Kong. Mr. Yacenda is responsible for the management and coordination of the bank's governance platform across the business divisions and support functions. And in role as Chief Executive for Hong Kong, he is responsible for the bank’s business and operations in Hong Kong which is the Asia Pacific Headquarter for the bank. Prior to joining Bank of America, Mr. Yacenda served as Managing Director of Deutsche Bank in the capacity of Chief Administrative Officer of Asia Pacific. He joined Deutsche Bank from JP Morgan Chase and Co. where he held the joint roles of Chief Administrative Officer, Asia Pacific and Chief Operations Officer, North Asia. Before joining JP Morgan, he had a 21-year career at Goldman Sachs.
