Our Team

Executive Team

Experienced executive management team with extensive experience in oncology technology, medical device innovation, and clinical oncology and pathology.

Rachel Wellner, MD, MPH, FACS

DIRECTOR, FOUNDER, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, & CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER

Dr. Wellner is an accomplished breast surgeon with 20 years experience in oncology. She has served as a chief of multiple surgical centers.

Dr. Wellner graduated Dartmouth College, cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa in 1997. She received her MD from the University of Connecticut School of Medicine and an MPH from Columbia University. Post-graduate residency training was at The Mount Sinai Hospital followed by an SSO-accredited breast fellowship at The John Wayne Cancer Institute. She went on to hold various professorships at The Mount Sinai Hospital, Beth Israel, Continuum Cancer Center, The Hackensack University Medical Center where she was Chief of Oncoplastic Surgery. Dr. Wellner was also Chief of Breast at Pascac Valley Hospital and Palisades General Hospital. Dr. Wellner was Assistant Clinical Professor of Surgery at The Montefiore Medical Center. She has numerous publications, talks, TV appearances and features, along with myriad awards.

  • CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER

    COMMERCIAL & OPERATIONS EXECUTIVE

    Al Jernigan is a senior commercial and operations executive with deep experience scaling healthcare and diagnostic businesses. He has led go-to-market strategy, sales execution, and operational buildouts across medical devices, diagnostics, and health tech organizations.

    Al is known for translating early-stage innovation into disciplined, revenue-generating systems—aligning sales, marketing, service, and operations to drive growth. He has worked closely with founders and leadership teams to build infrastructure, secure strategic partnerships, and position companies for commercialization and scale.

  • PRINCIPAL SCIENTIST

    Dr. Walsh’s areas of research include Biophotonics, optical microscopy, image analysis, laser-tissue interactions, engineering education, cellular metabolism, personalized therapy for cancer patients, tumor therapy response, immune cells and immunotherapies, functional, multi-scale imaging techniques, fluorescence lifetime imaging, models of physiological processes, and laser tissue interactions. She is an Assistant Professor in Biomedical Engineering at Texas A&M University and received her PhD in biomedical engineering from Vanderbilt University. Dr. Walsh has over 50 publications, raised over $3M in grant money, and has been granted myriad honors.

  • VP OF MARKETING AND ADVOCACY

    Jennifer is an author, medtech marketing expert, and breast cancer patient advocate focused on early-stage breast cancer and DCIS. She has worked with medical technology companies including Molli Surgical (now part of Stryker), PreludeDx, and Perimeter Medical AI to align their marketing and messaging with the needs and experiences of the patient community.

    Through her writing, blog, and online platform, Jennifer creates educational and supportive content to help patients navigate diagnosis and treatment with clarity and confidence. Her book, A Breast Cancer Journey: Living It One Step at a Time, reached #1 in breast cancer on Amazon and was named one of IndieReader’s best-reviewed books of June 2023. She was also named one of the 100 most influential women to follow in oncology by OncoDaily.

  • CHIEF PATHOLOGY OFFICER

    Dr. Jovanovic is a pathologist with over 30 years of experience in the medical field. She has been an assistant professor of Anatomic Pathology at the Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine at Quinnipiac University. Dr. Jovanovic received her medical training at the Medical Academy of Warsaw followed by residency in pathology at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and the Karolinska Institute in Sweden. She next pursued a fellowship in gynecological and perinatal pathology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. She is a staff pathologist at Trinity Health of New England/ Saint Francis Hospital. She also has multiple publications.

  • CHIEF SURGICAL OFFICER

    Dr. Cane is a board-certified thoracic surgeon with over 30 years experience. He completed a residency in general surgery at the New York Presbyterian Medical Center of Queens, and a residency in thoracic surgery at SUNY Health Science Center, Brooklyn NY. Dr. Cane was the director of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the Kings County hospital in Brooklyn NY ,and at the Richmond University Medical Center in Staten Island NY. Dr. Cane attended medical school at the Universidad Autonoma de Guadalajara in Mexico with additional training at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, in New York City. He received the 2015 Celebration of Hope award from the American Cancer Society for starting a lung cancer screening program in Staten Island, NY.

  • VICE PRESIDENT OF ENGINEERING

    Mr. Wang is an accomplished serial entrepreneur with 20 years of experience in algorithm design, electrochemistry and research in the medical device field. He is a scientist and engineer in medical devices, digital health and biotech industries. He has a broad array of clinical knowledge. He has successfully launched several startups startups including AInnocence, SunnyBay Biotech, and Flow Pharma. He completed his undergrad at Jillin University in China and earned both a Masters in Computer Science and a PhD in physiology and neurobiology from Rutgers University. He has also co-authored more than 30 patents and 3 peer-reviewed papers in recent years. He is also an expert in medical device product development, business development and regulatory requirements.

  • Director of Scientific Operations

    Dr. Benavides’s research spans biophotonics, optical microscopy, image analysis, and biomedical diagnostics. His experience includes designing, building, and applying advanced imaging systems, developing control software, and creating quantitative image analysis methods. He has engineered and applied a range of systems, including OCT, confocal laser scanning, fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIM), and light-sheet microscopes. His work addresses diverse applications, including cancer diagnostics, electromagnetic–tissue interactions, calcium signaling dysfunction in cardiomyocytes, and stem cell quality control. He emphasizes interdisciplinary collaborations across engineering, basic sciences, and medicine. At Texas A&M University, Dr. Benavides is an Instructional Assistant Professor in Biomedical Engineering, where he leads the department’s Senior Design (Capstone) course and mentors student teams in developing innovative engineering solutions. He received his PhD in Biomedical Engineering from Texas A&M, has authored over 10 publications, and has contributed to multiple federally funded research programs advancing biomedical imaging and translational applications.

  • Director of Patient Advocacy 

    Vanessa is an advocate, communicator, coach, and two-time cancer survivor, passionate about helping people and organizations achieve their highest missions.

Board of Directors

  • CEO and Director of the Board

    Dr. Wellner is an accomplished breast surgeon with 20 years experience in oncology. She has served as a chief of multiple surgical centers.

    Dr. Wellner graduated Dartmouth College, cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa in 1997. She received her MD from the University of Connecticut School of Medicine and an MPH from Columbia University. Post-graduate residency training was at The Mount Sinai Hospital followed by an SSO-accredited breast fellowship at The John Wayne Cancer Institute. She went on to hold various professorships at The Mount Sinai Hospital, Beth Israel, Continuum Cancer Center, The Hackensack University Medical Center where she was Chief of Oncoplastic Surgery. Dr. Wellner was also Chief of Breast at Pascac Valley Hospital and Palisades General Hospital. Dr. Wellner was Assistant Clinical Professor of Surgery at The Montefiore Medical Center. She has numerous publications, talks, TV appearances and features, along with myriad awards.

Advisors

Financial Advisory Board

  • INVESTMENT ADVISOR

    Patrick is a venture professional with 13 years of experience working with early-stage entrepreneurs at the Connecticut Innovation (CI), the venture capital arm of the State of CT.

  • DIRECTOR

    Tony has served as President & Chief Executive Officer of Biologos since October of 2022. Prior to joining Biologos he held the position of Chief Commercial Officer at Specific Dx where he helped lead the company through an acquisition by Biomerieux. Prior to Specific Dx, Tony held the positions of Sr. Vice President for Danaher’s subsidiary Leica Biosystems, and Sr. Director of Strategic Affairs for Roche Diagnostics North America. He also served in various leadership positions at Life Technologies and Fisher Scientific International. Tony holds a B.S. in Biology from Indiana University and his M.B.A. from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management.

  • INVESTMENT ADVISOR

    Jim has over 28 years of operating experience in high technology firms and served as an Entrepreneur in Residence for Draper Richards, an early-stage venture capital firm, before co-founding Simmons Goodspeed Ventures.

Scientific Advisory Board

  • MEDICAL & SURGICAL ADVISOR

    Dr. Novoselac is board certified in Medical Oncology, Hematology and Internal Medicine. He provides care for a range of benign and malignant blood disorders as well as solid tumors, with a special clinical focus on lung cancer.

  • MEDICAL & SURGICAL ADVISOR

    Dr. Jenkins is a board certified neurosurgeon, a Fellow in the American College of Surgeons (ACS), and is on the board of the New York Society for Neurosurgery and the New York Chapter of the ACS. He specializes in minimally invasive spinal surgical treatments. Dr. Jenkins is CEO of Jenkins NeuroSpine, and has a private practice in New York and Greenwich, CT. He’s also the CEO of the startup tech company Neurotect LLC, developing the next generation of patented wearable devices to prevent or treat devastating injuries.

  • MEDICAL & SURGICAL ADVISOR

    Dr. Baron is Chief of Breast Surgery and the Director of the Breast Cancer Program at Lenox Hill Hospital part of Northwell Health. He focuses his practice on the care of patients with breast  cancer and is active in clinical research.

  • MEDICAL & SURGICAL ADVISOR

    Dr. Baron is a Breast Imaging specialist with over 30 years of experience. She has dedicated her professional career to all aspects of breast cancer imaging including mammography, ultrasound, MRI, and performing breast biopsies. She is focused on expediting breast cancer detection and treatment.