ANGEL PHYSICIANS FUND - Key Persons
Angie Willmott has 14 years of experience in the field of medical research. She worked at Ethicon Endo-Surgery (a Johnson & Johnson company) as a Clinical Education Specialist. During her time at Ethicon, she was a surgical trainer for numerous clinical trials, investigative procedures, and newly released medical devices. Angie directly pioneered new medical practices that helped to reduce testing costs while simultaneously decreasing the reliance upon animate models. While at Ethicon, she also continued her education at Northern Kentucky University earning a degree in Organizational Leadership with a minor in Psychology. Angie also has experience as a clinical researcher at VetPharm, an animal health CRO. Since 2015, Angie Willmott has been serving as President of Prime Properties, LLC, , targeting real estate investments based upon various researched market conditions.
Job Titles:
- Wealth Advisor and Principal at Bartlett Wealth Management
Craig M. Sarembock, is a Wealth Advisor and Principal at Bartlett Wealth Management. He provides investment advisory services to high net worth individuals and their families, foundations, endowments and non-profit institutions.
Job Titles:
- Physician
- Scientific Researcher
Dr. Anil Verma has been a physician and scientific researcher throughout his career. Currently practicing interventional cardiology at Mercy Health, Dr. Verma received his medical education from the Maulana Azad Medical College in New Delhi, India. Dr. Verma continued to pursue his education and training in the United States, completing his internal medicine training at the Hahnemann University Hospital, conducting a research-postdoctoral fellowship at the Brigham and Women's Hospital/Harvard Medical School in Boston, and undergoing cardiovascular training at the Ochsner Medical Center in New Orleans.
He is a fellow of the American College of Cardiology and the Society of Cardiovascular Angiography and Intervention. Additionally, Dr. Verma acquired his Masters in Public Health (MPH) from Emory University.
In addition to his practice, Dr. Verma is involved in several clinical and device trials.
He enjoys patient care and feels that the most vital aspect of his job is taking care of his patients, no matter the circumstance.
In his spare time, he loves spending time with his family and friends in addition to being involved in philanthropic activities in the Cincinnati region.
Dr. Kathryn Ann Weichert is a retired Oncologist having spent 35 years in a solo private practice. She was affiliated with Christ Hospital, TriHealth, Mercy and University Hospitals in Cincinnati, Ohio throughout her career. At the University Hospital, she was an Assistant Clinical Professor and taught medical students during their freshman summer internships.
She completed her entire Medical Education with the University of Cincinnati Hospital System. During her career, she participated in several clinical trials and was a Principal Investigator for Femara (Novatis). She also authored several Oncology related papers.
Since she retired, she devotes her time to volunteering in several areas including the Foundation Boards of Christ and Children's Hospitals in Cincinnati. She also does Quality Assurance work for The Christ Hospital Tumor Registry.
Dr. Darryl Dias is a practicing Invasive Cardiologist in Northern Kentucky. He completed his medical school at Mangalore University, then completed his Internal Medicine training in New York and New Jersey. Dr. Dias went on to do a Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania and presented at the American College of Cardiology conference. His passion for Cardiology lead him to complete an Invasive Cardiology fellowship at the University of Kentucky. He has been practicing at the St. Elizabeth Hospital system in Northern Kentucky since 2004.
Dr Mittal has spent his entire career in healthcare, practicing as a Nephrologist in Kentucky for the last 20 years. He received his Medical Education at University of Louisville in Louisville, Kentucky. Dr Mittal is board certified in both Internal Medicine and Nephrology. He is the Medical Director for three large Dialysis centers in Kentucky and Ohio and oversees a staff of 100. He is Chief of Staff at Gateway Rehab Hospital in Northern Kentucky. Dr Mittal has been involved multiple clinical trials.
Dr. Mittal has been an angel investor with several startups including Kurome Therapeutics, Blue Water Vaccines, and Foldax. Dr. Mittal is very passionate and takes a lot of pride in what he does. In his spare time, he is involved with his three children in several different activities. He is also involved in philanthropic activities especially with starting a rural hospital in KY to help the local community.
Dr. Geoffrey A. Answini is a board-certified cardiothoracic surgeon and one of the few cardiac surgeons in the Greater Cincinnati area who performs complex open and endovascular aortic surgery. His clinical specialty is minimally invasive surgery, including valves, LVADS, and endovascular surgery (including EVAR, TEVAR, and TAVR).
After graduating magna cum laude from Auburn University, AL, where he was an All-American swimmer, Dr. Answini earned his medical degree at Temple University School of Medicine (now known as the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University), Philadelphia, PA. He completed a surgical residency at Carolinas Medical Center (now known as Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center), Charlotte, NC, followed by a cardiothoracic surgery residency with extensive exposure to endovascular therapies at St. Louis University Hospital (now known as SSM Health St. Louis University Hospital), MO. He joined the Ohio Heart and Vascular Center at The Christ Hospital in 2003.
An active industry consultant and researcher, Dr. Answini has participated in more than 40 clinical trials and has authored several articles in peer-reviewed medical journals. He has presented his work at conferences and symposia including the annual meetings of the American College of Surgery and the World Surgical Congress of Endoscopic Surgery.A fellow of the American College of Surgeons, Dr. Answini is also a member of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons, the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons, the Academy of Medicine of Cincinnati, the Ohio State Medical Association, the Eastern Cardiothoracic Surgical Society, the Southern Thoracic Surgical Association, the American Medical Association, and the Christian Medical and Dental Associations.
Dr. Gitanjli Channan received her B.Sc. in biochemistry from the University of Calgary and then went on to receive her MD from the University of Alberta. She completed her residency in Family Medicine at the University of Toronto. Early in her career, Dr. Channan worked as an emergency room physician. She currently works as a primary care physician at The Christ Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio.
She is an investor and is on the advisory board of Global Health Impact Fund (GHIF), a venture capital fund focused on early stage healthcare technology companies. She is also an investor in Cincy Tech, a venture capital fund focused on life sciences and digital technology. Other investments include Enable Injections, Aria CV and real estate.
Joel Reginelli has seventeen years of experience as an interventional cardiologist in Cincinnati, Ohio. He studied Zoology at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, and then attended medical school at The Ohio State University. While at Ohio State, he served as president of his medical school class all four years, was elected into the academic honorary, Alpha Omega Alpha, and received the American College of Physicians award given to the graduate with the strongest academic record who is pursuing a career in Internal Medicine.
Following Ohio State, Joel completed a residency in Internal Medicine at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia. It was during this time that he developed an interest in clinical research, particularly in the field of cardiovascular medicine. He left the University of Virginia to pursue a cardiovascular fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio. While working as a fellow, Joel was actively involved in clinical research, and was chosen to serve as Chief Fellow for the program. He ultimately accepted an offer from the Cleveland Clinic to remain an additional two years to complete an advanced fellowship in coronary and peripheral vascular intervention. During those two years, he received extensive training in complex interventions, continued his clinical research, and served as the Chief Interventional Fellow. During his time at the Cleveland Clinic, he presented research at several national meetings, and published numerous abstracts, journal articles, and book chapters.
At the completion of his training in 2003, Joel chose to return home to Cincinnati to establish his cardiovascular practice. He remains involved in clinical research and has enjoyed working on program development at The Christ Hospital. He previously served as Medical Director for the Advanced Vascular Program at Christ Hospital, and was one of the initial physicians involved in building a program dedicated to the treatment of complex coronary artery disease. At the end of 2019, Joel retired from doing procedures in the cardiac catheterization lab and plans to spend the second half of his career focusing on clinical cardiology, medical student and resident education, and exploring opportunities in the application of artificial intelligence to medical practice.
Dr. Joseph Choo has been a practicing interventional cardiologist for 19 years and currently serves as medical director of The Christ Hospital Structural Heart Division and as co-director of the Valve Center in Cincinnati, OH.
After graduating from Harvard College, he received his medical degree with highest honors from Yale University School of Medicine. He completed his internal medicine residency at Harvard-affiliated Brigham & Women's Hospital in Boston. MA. He was chief resident in internal medicine at the West Roxbury VA Medical Center. Fellowship training in General Cardiology and Interventional Cardiology were then completed at Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital. Honors include AOA (National Medical Honor Society) and Richard Farr Scholar.
He has been a site principal investigator and/or sub-investigator in over 100 national/international clinical trials through the Carl & Edyth Lindner Research Center at the Christ Hospital, Cincinnati.
Dr. Manish Bhandari has spent his entire career in healthcare, including over 15 years as a practicing medical oncologist. He is also a successful early-stage investor and entrepreneur. He is a Managing Partner of the Angel Physicians Fund, LLC.
Dr. Bhandari received his medical education at Harvard Medical School, Boston and Oncology training at UCLA and University of Michigan-Ann Arbor. He has been an Echoing Green fellow, an Albert Schweitzer fellow, as well as received awards from American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) as well as investigation awards from American Association for Cancer Research (AACR). He has an executive MBA working with McKinsey & Company as a health care strategy consultant. He subsequently was also SVP at CVS/Pharmacy, a fortune 100 company in their healthcare services division. His love for patient care and advancing the science of cancer care brought him out of corporate world into clinical practice a decade ago. He has experience in general medical oncology and hematology and has been a principal investigator in over 20 clinical trials in oncology and has that many publications. He has been an angel investor in over dozen startups including Enable Injections, Blue Water Vaccines, Tocient, Inc., Red Hill Therapy, Foldax, Aria CV, BlinkPad and Zen Space. He is on the board and helps guide a cancer therapeutic resistance startup backed by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and Cincinnati Children's Hospital - Kurome Therapeutics; he is also serving on the Board of Directors of Foldax, MuReva, Panther Therapeutics and Torque-3. In his spare time, he is involved in philanthropic activities of running a family cancer center, as well as helping fundraise for rural hospitals in India and Africa.
Dr. Pradeep Bekal is a Board-Certified Gastroenterologist who practices at Ohio
Gastroenterology & Liver Institute (Ohio GI), where he currently serves as its President. He is an accomplished physician who is well-known within the local medical community and the national GI community for his proficiency with advanced endoscopic procedures and for his leadership roles. Dr. Bekal is the Director of Endoscopy at The Christ Hospital. He teaches medical students and Christ Hospital residents and also serves as a preceptor for undergraduate students at Miami University (Ohio). He is a Fellow of both the American College of Gastroenterology and the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy. Dr. Bekal was named to the board of the Port of Greater Cincinnati Development Authority and serves as one of its Directors. Dr. Bekal served on the executive committee of the national Digestive Health Physicians Association and currently is a board member. He graduated from Madras Medical College in Chennai, India, and completed his Residency, Fellowship and Advanced Fellowship training at New York - Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital, The Brooklyn Hospital Center, Brooklyn, New York and Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh.
In addition to patient care, Dr. Bekal is also a principal investigator on numerous clinical trials at Ohio GI. His trials investigate the efficacy and safety of new drugs to treat IBD, IBS, GERD and various other gastrointestinal disorders. He is a Co-Founder of eMerge Health Solutions (a healthcare IT solutions company). Dr. Bekal is an active early-stage investor who is married with two children and is an avid world traveler.
Dr. Rajbir Minhas is a prominent Pain Physician practicing in Cincinnati, Ohio. He has been in medical practice for over 30 years. Dr. Minhas received his medical degree and post-graduation in Ophthalmology from India and then completed his residency in Internal Medicine from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. All throughout these three decades, Dr. Minhas has been involved in all aspects of patient care from administration to research and teaching. In addition to a busy medical practice, Dr. Minhas has been actively involved in organized medicine at the local and statewide level. As a strategist and accessible leader, his accomplishments include being former president of the Academy of Medicine of Cincinnati, Treasurer of the Doctor's Foundation of Greater Cincinnati, Trustee of Cincinnati State Technical and Community college, Vice President of the Academy of Medicine Foundation, former president of the Association of Indian Physicians of Ohio, Member of the Drug Abuse Task Force of Ohio State Medical Association, Treasurer of the Tristate Pain Society, Board Member of the Association of Indian Physicians of Ohio, Member of the Hamilton County Heroin Task Force, Vice President of the Asian Indian Alliance, and Member of the Recovery Ohio Minority Health Working Group.
When Dr. Minhas is not engulfed in one of the above projects, he seeks solace by working in the garden, relaxing with his family, travelling for fun and adventure sports.
Dr. Minhas truly believes in "Stay focused but take time to enjoy the simple things in life."
Dr. Ravi Berry has worked in the field of mental health services where he has provided services such as psychotherapy and pharmacological treatments. He has worked in the areas of individual therapy, marital therapy, interpersonal conflict resolution, retirement related issues, and industrial worker vs. management issues. He has worked with patients with major illnesses including depression, bipolar/manic depressive illness, schizophrenia, anxiety disorders, obsessive compulsive disorder, and drug and alcohol dependency.
Dr. Berry has held academic positions and medical directorship positions located within Cincinnati area hospitals. He is also an advocate for political change and has had articles published regarding such.
Dr. Robert Pelberg is new to entrepreneurship and early-stage investing. He a managing partner of Cardioventure Partners LLC and is an angel investor in Foldax Inc. and Atria CV Inc.
Dr. Pelberg has been a practicing cardiologist for 18 years. He completed his undergraduate education at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania where he was a Benjamin Franklin Scholar and earned his medical degree from Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, where he was a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha medical honor society. He served as an internal medicine intern and resident at the University of Texas, Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas and as a clinical and research cardiovascular fellow at the University of Virginia Health Sciences Center in Charlottesville, Virginia. Dr. Pelberg is a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology, the American Heart Association, the American Society of Echocardiography, the American Society of Nuclear Cardiology and the Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography. In addition, he is active in clinical research, having served as a primary site investigator for clinical trials in cardiac CT angiography and currently serves on the Data and Safety Monitoring Committee for the PRECISE Trial in cardiac CT angiography. He has authored and co-authored several books including The Cardiac CT Angiography Manual first and second editions, the Vascular CT Angiography Manual and the Cardiac CT Atlas of Adult Congenital Heart Disease. He has also authored many research papers in the field of cardiac CT and in several other cardiovascular disease areas.
Dr. Pelberg "enjoys the satisfaction of working with patients to help them live longer and better lives." In his spare time, he spends time with his wife and 3 children, plays softball and chess, and enjoys movies and theater.
Dr. Shilpa Dias has a private acupuncture practice in Northern Kentucky. She completed her medical school in Mumbai, India and practiced medicine in Mumbai for two years before moving to the US in 1997. She completed her Masters in Acupuncture from the New York College of Health Professions in Long Island, New York in 2001. Dr. Dias is Board certified with the National Certification Commission of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. She then completed a fellowship with the American Board of Oriental Reproductive Medicine and has been practicing in the Northern Kentucky/ Cincinnati Area since 2004.
Job Titles:
- Cardiologist
- Vanshipal Puri
Dr. Vansh Puri is a cardiologist in Cincinnati, Ohio specializing in interventional cardiology. He has 14 years of clinical experience with a focus on cardiac critical care medicine and acute myocardial infarction management.
He enrolled into NEOMED's combined BS/MD program out of high school, completing his undergraduate work at the University of Akron. He moved to Cincinnati in 1999 for residency and fellowship training at the University of Cincinnati. He returned to Northeast Ohio for his interventional fellowship at Case Western Reserve/University Hospitals Health system.
Vansh completed an MBA program at the University of Cincinnati Linder College of Business. With his management training, Vansh participates in many leadership roles and currently serves on the Executive Council for his practice.
Besides his clinical work, Vansh is a small business owner and venture capitalist. He hopes to expand his non-clinical experience through partnerships with other like minded colleagues.
Job Titles:
- Interventional Pain Specialist
Dr. Vic Manocha is an Interventional Pain Specialist practicing in the Dayton and Cincinnati area. Dr. Manocha is fellowship trained and has achieved all the important certifications in the field of Interventional Pain Management. He is certified by the American Board of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation in Pain Management. He is a diplomat of the American Board of Interventional Pain Physicians. This is acknowledged to be the highest level of credentialing for the field of interventional pain management. He is also a Fellow of Interventional Pain Practice, a certificate given by the World Institute of Pain.
Currently, he is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Surgery at Wright State University Medical School. He has also been recognized as one of America's Top Doctors in Pain Management for 2014 and was the winner of the "Patient's Choice Award" for the past five years - an award given to only the top 1% of physicians in the United States.
Dr. Manocha serves on the editorial board of the Pain Physician journal as well as the Pain Medicine Case Reports. He has also served on the advisory board of Boston Scientific Neuromodulation Corporation as a consultant. He is currently a principal investigator for a clinical trial involving implantable therapy for post amputation pain.
Job Titles:
- Member and Fellow of Both the American College of Surgeons
Mahendra K. Matta, M.D., is a Colon & Rectal surgeon in Cincinnati, Ohio and has been in private practice for over 40 years. He is certified by the American Board of Colon & Rectal Surgery. Dr. Matta received his medical education from Maulana Azad Medical College in New Delhi, India. He completed his General Surgery residency and Fellowship in Colon & Rectal Surgery from Allentown, Pennsylvania.
Dr. Matta is a member and Fellow of both the American College of Surgeons and the American College of Colon & Rectal Surgeons. He also served as a past president of the Ohio Valley Society of Colon & Rectal Surgeons.
Dr. Matta is very passionate about advancing healthcare through advanced technology. He has been an angel investor in startups, including Foldax and Aria CV.
Matthew Sampsel has spent the entirety of his career in special education, including over 10 years working in moderate to intense special education. He works with the Angel Physicians Fund to facilitate meetings, collaboration with investors, and a variety of clerical work.
Matthew Sampsel received his undergraduate degree from Ohio University and has continued his education through the completion of a number of graduate degree programs and certifications from Georgetown College, The University of Cincinnati, and The University of Kansas. He has received several accolades in the field of education including being the recipient of the James Bruckman Scholarship, presenting at the national OCALI (Ohio Center for Autism & Low Incidence) conference, numerous regional presentations, and has presented a number of behavior consultations to local school districts.
Matthew enjoys spending time reading and reviewing research to areas that are of interest to him including: Autism, exercise physiology, and personal finance.
Mr. Dan Walker has worked in the healthcare industry for over 34 years, serving as the Chief Operating Officer of Ohio Gastroenterology and Liver Institute (Ohio GI). Ohio GI is a nationally recognized independent medical practice known for its entrepreneurial spirit. In his roles with Ohio GI, Mr. Walker has developed and launched "first-to-market" and "early-to-market" initiatives and businesses such as Ambulatory Endoscopy Centers, Infusion Centers, Pathology Laboratories, Anesthesia Services and Pharmacy Services in non-hospital settings. Additionally, he was a Co-Founder of a healthcare IT solutions company which developed end-to-end workflow solutions (including intra-operative procedural documentation) for Ambulatory Endoscopy Centers and he serves as Chief Executive Officer for an innovative HyGIeaCare Center (one of only a few in the United States) which provides same-day preparation services prior to colonoscopy. Mr. Walker has served in a variety of roles with national organizations such as Digestive Health Physicians Association, American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, Medical Group Management Association and The Independent Physicians Collaborative of Greater Cincinnati.
Mr. Walker is an active early-stage investor. His Accounting and Operational experience enable him to effectively analyze early- and mid-stage investment opportunities.
Pratish H. Shah, MD, MBA is a radiation oncologist practicing in Northern Kentucky. He completed his undergraduate studies at Penn State University and his medical degree and Master of Business Administration at the University of Kentucky. After a General Surgery internship, he completed his residency training in Radiation Oncology. He sees patient care as a privilege and employs advanced radiotherapeutic techniques in his clinical practice.
Dr. Shah has a keen interest in emerging technologies, particularly in the medical sciences. With his business background, he has previously served as a consultant to biotechnology startup firms seeking assistance in developing business plans and financial documents in their early phases of growth.
Before starting his medical career, Dr. Shah had developed a deep appreciation of medical research and the basic sciences through his experience at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research studying and optimizing platelet preservation techniques. He subsequently spent time at Merck & Co. and leveraged advanced robotics to support diabetes drug development using an ultra-high throughput screening system. He has found strong multidisciplinary collaboration to be vital to not only bringing new technologies to market, but also, improving patient care.