Our Team
Executive Team
Experienced executive management team with 100 years of collective 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.
Damon Silvestry
CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER
Damon has three decades of strategic leadership and operational expertise across the life sciences, biotech, healthcare, and technology industries. He has a background in executive leadership roles at Progenity, Natera, Miraca Life Sciences, and Caris Life Sciences. Damon has delivered significant sales growth, forged strategic partnerships, optimized operations, and fostered a patient-centric culture. He holds a Master of Science in Manufacturing Engineering from Polytechnic/NYU University and a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering from Southern Illinois University.
Mary Ann M. Brazell
Head of Business Development
Mary Ann M. Brazell is a seasoned business development executive with over 20 years of experience driving mergers and acquisitions, structuring complex financial deals, and raising capital for global telecommunications and satellite ventures. She has negotiated multi-million-dollar joint ventures, secured over $100M in financing, and partnered with leading banks, investment firms, and government agencies worldwide. Her career includes leadership roles at Intelsat, British Telecom, and Startec Global Communications, where she consistently delivered high-value deals, advised investment banks on industry valuations, and built partnerships that aligned with long-term corporate and financial objectives.
Fluent in Spanish and experienced in emerging and developed markets, she combines financial acumen with cross-cultural negotiation expertise to deliver competitive advantages in capital-intensive, technology-driven industries.
Alex Walsh, PhD
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.
Anna Jovanovic, MD
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.
Jeffrey Cane, MD
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.
Lu Wang, PhD
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.
Tom Skripps
SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
Tom has 30 years of combined start-up, product development, go-to-market, and manufacturing experience across multiple industries. He has brought hundreds of products to market with over 45 patents and $1B in Sales, and has developed leading products for major medical device companies including Hill-Rom, Steris, Stryker, GE Medical, SmithNephew, Arthrex, J&J, Trumpf, Medtronic, Nuvasive, Getinge, Thermogenesis, Sirtex, and many others. Tom is a co-founder of Kyra Medical and has been an advisor to CEOs/founders. He has raised capital from angels, family offices, private equity, venture capital, and mezzanine along with traditional lending sources.
Board of Directors
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.
Advisors
FINANCIAL ADVISORY BOARD
Tony Bazarko, MBA
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.
Patrick O’Neill
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.
Jim Simmons, MBA
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
Amory Novoselac, MD
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.
Paul L. Baron, MD, FACS
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.
Arthur L. Jenkins, MD, FAANS, FACS
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.
Lisa F. Baron, MD, FACR
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.
ADVOCACY ADVISORY BOARD
Vanessa Walker
CANCER SURVIVOR & ADVOCATE
Vanessa is an advocate, communicator, coach, and two-time cancer survivor, passionate about helping people and organizations achieve their highest missions.
Jennifer Douglas
CANCER SURVIVOR & ADVOCATE
Jennifer is an author and breast cancer patient advocate. Her book, A Breast Cancer Journey: Living It One Step at a Time, was number one in breast cancer on Amazon and was one of IndieReader’s best-reviewed books of June 2023.