TVAX BIOMEDICAL - Key Persons
Andrew E. Sloan M.D., F.A.C.S. Dr. Sloan is a neurosurgeon who is a clinical expert in cancer immunotherapy having participated as a principal investigator in clinical trials of several different forms of brain cancer immunotherapy. Dr. Sloan is Professor and the Peter D. Crystal Chair of Neurosurgical Oncology and Director of the Brain Tumor and Neuro-Oncology Center at Case Medical Center, Case Western Reserve University. Prior to joining Case, Dr. Sloan was Associate Professor, Director of Radiosurgery at the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center at the University of South Florida. Dr. Sloan joined the Moffitt Cancer Center in 2004 after having served six years on the faulty of Wayne State University. He was Chief of Neuro-Oncology at the Karmanos Cancer Institute at Wayne State at the time of his departure. While at Wayne State, Dr. Sloan actively participated in the clinical trials of TVAX Immunotherapy® that were conducted at the institution. Dr. Sloan was chosen a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons in 2004. Dr. Sloan is a graduate of Yale University (B.S.), Harvard Medical School (M.D.) and M. D. Anderson Cancer Center (Fellowship, Neurosurgical Oncology).
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Scientific Advisor
Barry S. Skikne, M.D., has served as a director since 2011 and also serves as a member of our Clinical and Scientific Advisory Board. Dr. Skikne is a Professor of Internal Medicine in the Division of Hematology and Oncology at the University of Kansas Medical Center. Dr. Skikne has served as the Executive Director of Clinical Research at Celgene Pharmaceuticals from 2008 to 2016. Dr. Skikne was a Professor of Internal Medicine in the Division of Hematology and Oncology at the University of Kansas Medical Center from 1978 to 2008. He was the Director of the Bone Marrow Transplantation Program at the University of Kansas Medical Center from 1993 to 2007. Dr. Skikne is the author of more than ninety journal articles and book chapters. He has a B.S. (M.B.B.Ch.,) from the University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, SA and an M.D. and residency in Hematology and Oncology from the College of Physicians of South Africa.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Catherine E. Lucasey, M.A., BSN, is a co-founder and has served as a director since inception. From 1990 through 2011, Ms. Lucasey worked as the nurse manager of the Endocrine Division at the University of Kansas Medical Center. Ms. Lucasey is a registered nurse with 25 years of experience in the health care industry with research, consumer education and direct patient care experience. She has a B.S.N. and M.A.s in Marketing and Management from Webster University.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Chief Operating Officer of Nations Holding Company
Chuck Burton is Chief Operating Officer of Nations Holding Company and President of Foreclosure Management Company. He has developed and implemented strategic business plans leading to substantial revenue and profit growth for the company. He has developed both the structure and the team required to guide the company through the turbulence and uncertainty of the real estate market. As COO of Nations Holding Company, Chuck has shaped a business environment where growth and development flourish for more than 20 businesses. He has served on Children's Mercy Hospital Board of Volunteers and is a regular volunteer at Children's Mercy Hospital and Johnson County Mental Health. Mr. Burton has a proven executive management track record and over 35 years of experience driving sales and growth in the banking industry.
Job Titles:
- TVAX 's Chief Executive Officer
Wayne O. Carter, D.V.M., Ph.D., Diplomate ACVIM, TVAX's Chief Executive Officer joined TVAX Biomedical in 2019 and serves as a member of the Board of Directors. Prior to that, he served as the President and CEO of BioNexus KC leading the transformation of the Kansas City region into a nationally recognized center of excellence in human and animal health research, development and commercialization. Dr. Carter has more than 18 years of Fortune 500 experience in pharmaceutical and nutrition R&D, and in his role at Pfizer as Executive Director of Global Clinical Development, he accelerated the development of many drugs using novel clinical technologies. His board appointments include ImpeDx, MRI Global, University of Kansas Center for Research, University of Missouri Research and Development, and the One Health Commission. Dr. Carter received his B.S., D.V.M., and Ph.D. in Immunology from Purdue University.
G. Yancey Gillespie III, Ph.D. is a cancer immunologist and Professor of Surgery, Microbiology and Cell Biology/Anatomy, University of Alabama at Birmingham. Director of the Brain Tumor Research Laboratories in the University of Alabama at Birmingham's Comprehensive Cancer Research Center. Author of over 120 journal articles and book chapters on brain cancer and cancer immunology. Member, scientific advisory boards of Novapharm Biotech, Ltd, NeuroVir Therapeutics Inc./Medigene, Inc., Targepeutics, Inc., Ceregene, Inc. and SunBiochem, Inc. [Ph.D., M.S., B.A., University of Mississippi].
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Gary W. Wood, Ph.D., founded TVAX Biomedical in 2004 and currently serves as Chief Scientific Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors. He served as President and CEO of the company from the company's inception until December 2012. Dr. Wood is the inventor and principal developer of the TVAX Immunotherapy® technology. Dr. Wood guided the development of TVAX Immunotherapy from concept through its most recent human clinical trials. Dr. Wood organized and coordinated the Phase 1 / 2 clinical trials performed at University of Kansas Medical Center and at Wayne State University and managed the scientific/clinical teams that performed the trials. Dr. Wood was Professor of Pathology, Director of the Diagnostic Immunology Laboratory and Director of the Cancer Immunotherapy Laboratory at KU Medical Center. Dr. Wood also was Professor of Medicine and Director of the Cancer Immunotherapy Laboratory at Wayne State University. Dr. Wood has a B.A. from Kalamazoo College and a Ph.D. from the State University of New York at Buffalo.
Kevin Schultz, DVM, PhD Immunology/Medicine/ Microbiology serves as Chair of the ELIAS Animal Health scientific advisory board (SAB) and also as a member of the TVAX Biomedical SAB. Kevin has previously served as chief scientific officer of Kindred Biosciences, chief scientific officer and head of global R&D at Merial, and executive director of worldwide animal science research and development at Merck. Prior to that, he was a Professor of Pathobiological Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and managed his own veterinary practice. Dr. Schultz serves as an industry consultant for human and animal health research and development, and most recently was appointed as CEO of Pathens, LLC. He is also a Venture Fellow with the George Research Alliance.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Scientific Advisor
- TVAX 's Interim Chief Executive Officer
Lowell L. Tilzer, M.D., Ph.D., TVAX®'s interim Chief Executive Officer is a co-founder and has served as a director since 2011. Dr. Tilzer is a board-certified clinical pathologist and is an expert in blood processing. Dr. Tilzer is a Professor in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of Kansas Medical Center. He served as Chairperson of that department from 2009 until his retirement from that position in 2015. Prior to 2009, Dr. Tilzer held a series of senior management positions within the Blood Services division of the American Red Cross, including service as chief executive officer of the American Red Cross Southwest Region. Dr. Tilzer received his B.A. from the University of Kansas and his M.D., Ph.D. and Pathology Residency from the University of Kansas Medical Center.
Noe Reyes, DVM, is an experienced veterinarian and animal health researcher. He serves as our contract veterinary medical director, and as a member of our scientific advisory board. Previously, Dr. Reyes has served as medical director for Kindred Biosciences, a development-stage veterinary biopharmaceutical company, and in scientific positions with Achaogen and Theravance Biopharma, as well as the United States Army Veterinary Corps, where he was responsible for the medical care of military working dogs and equine at installations in California and Texas. Dr. Reyes received his doctor of veterinary medicine degree from the University of California, Davis.
Job Titles:
- Immunologist
- Scientific Advisor
Patrick E. Fields, Ph.D. has served as a scientific advisor to TVAX since 2010. Dr. Fields is a cancer immunologist and an expert in T cell activation. Since October, 2004, he has been a research scientist in the Cancer Division, the Department of Pathology at the University of Kansas Medical Center. Dr. Fields is extensively published in the area of T cell biology, having over thirty peer-reviewed scientific publications. He has a B.A. from Louisiana State University, a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago and post-doctoral training from the University of Chicago and Yale University.
Ralph Richardson, DVM, DACVIM, served as dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine at Kansas State University from August 1998 to June 2015, and continues as a faculty member. Prior to that, he served as a faculty member and head of the clinical sciences department at Purdue University, served as a Captain in the U.S. Army Veterinary Corps, and was in private practice in Miami, Florida. Ralph is a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medical (Internal Medicine, Oncology). He is a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association, the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges, the Veterinary Cancer Society, and is actively engage in public health and comparative medicine programs.
Tammie A. Wahaus, CPA, CGMA, joined TVAX Biomedical in 2012 and serves as our Chief Financial Officer and prior to that provided services as a consultant to the company. Ms. Wahaus is also Chief Executive Officer of Elias Animal Health, a subsidiary of the company. Ms. Wahaus has more than 25 years of experience in both public accounting and private business. She has served as Vice President-Finance for Epiq Systems, Inc., as an audit partner with Ernst & Young LLP providing services to public and private companies and as Controller and Principal Accounting Officer for GE Global Insurance Holding Corporation, a public company. She has a B.S. in Business Administration from Kansas State University.
Job Titles:
- Scientific Advisor
- Business Development and Technical Consultant
Thomas D. Overbay, D.V.M. is a business development and technical consultant to the animal and human health industries and co-founder of Expedite Animal Health, assisting with the commercialization of products in the veterinary industry. Dr. Overbay brings over 20 years of experience in the veterinary pharmaceutical industry, as the senior business development officer for a major animal health company and in similar roles with a contract services provider and start-up animal health companies in the US and internationally. Dr. Overbay has successfully brought to market products arising from universities, government agencies, human hospitals, start-up companies (both human and veterinary), and multinational pharmaceutical and chemical companies. Dr. Overbay holds his veterinary degree from the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Wesley E. Griffitt, M.D., has served as a director since December 2011. Dr. Griffitt is a board-certified neurosurgeon involved in brain tumor immunotherapy research. The surgical treatment of metastatic and primary brain cancers constitutes a significant part of his practice. Dr. Griffitt is an Adjunct Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Wisconsin and serves as the Neuroscience Medical Education Program director at Aurora Baycare Medical Center. Dr. Griffitt served as Chief of Neurosurgery at David Grant Medical Center (1997 to June 2000). Dr. Griffitt received his M.D. from the University of Kansas School of Medicine and completed his Neurosurgical Residency at Loyola University in Chicago.