Our Team
Anthony DiTonno
CEO
Mr. DiTonno is a highly accomplished chief executive with 25+ years of senior leadership experience spanning the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device industries. He was most recently CEO and Director of Tenax Therapeutics (TENX), as well as CEO of Avantis Medical Systems. Prior to that, Mr. DiTonno was President and CEO and Director of NeurogesX Inc. (NGSX), a biopharmaceutical company focused on treatments for neuropathic pain. Previously, he was Executive VP of Marketing and Sales at Enteric Medical Technologies, Inc., President and CEO of Lifesleep Systems, Inc., and VP and General Manager of Olcassen Pharmaceuticals. He has held a variety of positions at Rorer Group, Inc. (Rhône Poulenc Rorer) and Wyeth Laboratories. Mr. DiTonno received an MBA from Drexel University and a BS in Business Administration from St. Joseph’s University.
Karl Thor, Ph.D.
Chief Scientific Officer
Karl Thor, PhD is Chief Scientific Officer of Dignify Therapeutics. He was most recently Co-founder and VP of Research of Urogenix Inc., a subsidiary of Astellas Pharma. Prior to that, he was Founder and CSO of Dynogen Pharmaceuticals, Founder and CSO of PPD GenuPro, Co-Director of the Laboratory of NeuroUrology at Duke University Medical Center, and Research Scientist at Eli Lilly. Dr. Thor has served as a member of the FDA-PhRMA Industry Guidelines for Urinary Incontinence Trials, the NIH Urology Special Emphasis Study Section, and serves on the WHO’s International Consultation on Incontinence.
Ed Burgard, Ph.D.
President
Ed Burgard, PhD is President. He was Co-founder and Director of Cellular Pharmacology at Urogenix Inc. Prior to that he held positions of Director of In vitro Pharmacology at Dynogen Pharmaceuticals, and Research Investigator at Abbott Laboratories. Dr. Burgard received his PhD in Pharmacology from the Uniformed Services University School of Medicine and completed postdoctoral training at the University of Alabama, Birmingham and the University of Michigan.
Lesley Marson, Ph.D.
VP of Preclinical Research
Lesley Marson, PhD is VP of Preclinical Research of Dignify Therapeutics. Lesley was most recently Director of Sexual Health Research at Urogenix Inc. Prior to that she held the position of Professor in the Urology Division of the Department of Surgery, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Here she directed a successful NIHfunded a preclinical research program and served as Study Coordinator for several clinical trials. Prior to that Dr Marson was Assistant Professor at Northwestern University, Chicago and completed postdoctoral training at Washington University St Louis and University of Kentucky, Lexington. She is an internationally recognized expert in pelvic and sexual function.
Dan Ricca, Ph.D.
VP of Chemistry
Dan Ricca, PhD is VP of Chemistry. He began his professional career in medicinal chemistry at Glaxo. He subsequently co-founded SARCO, a combinatorial chemistry company, where he served as VP of Chemistry. Following a successful acquisition and exit, Dan assumed the role of VP of Chemistry for two small venture-backed drug discovery companies, Cogent Neuroscience and Dynogen Pharmaceuticals. Dan holds a PhD in Medicinal Chemistry from the University of Michigan and completed a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of California, Irvine.
Mary A Katofiasc, BA, LVT
Director of Operations
Mary A Katofiasc, BA, LVT is Director of Operations. Prior to joining Dignify Therapeutics, she was Co-founder and Manager of Research Operations at Urogenix, Quality Assurance Manager-Regulatory Affairs at Hemo bioscience, Manager of Operations at Dynogen Pharmaceuticals and Research Biologist at Eli Lilly. Ms. Katofiasc received her B.A. from Purdue University and her associate’s degree in veterinary technology from Michigan State University.
Dipa Pati, PhD
Senior Research Scientist
Dipa Pati, PhD is a Senior Research Scientist. Prior to joining Dignify Therapeutics, Dipa was a Senior Researcher at the Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Dr. Pati brings extensive research experience in CNS disorders mediated by G-protein coupled receptors, with a focus on chronic pain, substance use disorders, and mood disorders. Dipa earned a PhD in Pharmacology from the University of Florida and completed postdoctoral training at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Eric Green
Mr. Green is an accomplished biopharma and life sciences business attorney with a proven history of partnering with P&L Executives to create shareholder value. He is currently General Counsel & Chief Compliance Officer at Amplity Health and has 20+ years of in-depth biopharma legal, regulatory, compliance, and business development experience including clinical research, product commercialization, and healthcare informatics. Previously, Mr. Green was hands-on General Counsel at inVentiv Health, a Thomas H. Lee and Advent International portfolio company which provided clinical research and biopharma commercialization services totaling $2bn in annual revenue.
Howard Palefsky
Mr. Palefsky has a broad range of experience as a Board Member and Advisor in the healthcare and biomedical industries having served these industries as an Entrepreneur, CEO, Board Chair, Director and Investor. He has served on the Boards of more than 30 companies. Businesses in which Mr. Palefsky played a seminal role have achieved numerous product launches, financings, IPOs, M & A transactions and significant value creation. Mr. Palefsky also keeps an active schedule focused on governance and philanthropy in the arts and culture sectors.
Neil Kurtz, MD
Dr. Kurtz is a physician with over 40 years of experience in healthcare, holding Senior Executive positions in the pharmaceutical, contract research, post acute care and medical diagnostic verticals. He is currently the CEO of Svlketal, a company focused on treating NASh/MASH and a Senior Advisor to Rarecells, a company focused on developing liquid biopsies for the early detection of cancer. Dr. Kurtz has been the CEO of both public and private companies and has founded three companies, including Medidata Systems and Worldwide Clinical Trials, which has created over 8 billion dollars of value to investors upon their respective sales. He has served on multiple Boards of both public and private healthcare companies and has published over forty articles and books related to various healthcare-related topics.
Marcalee Alexander, MD
Marcalee Alexander, MD
Marcalee Alexander, MD is currently Clinical Professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of Alabama School of Medicine in Birmingham, Alabama. Dr. Alexander co-authored the International Standards to document remaining Autonomic Functions after Spinal Cord Injury (ISAFSCI). She is a consultant with the Spalding-Harvard Spinal Cord Injury Model System and has conducted a substantial body of research documenting the effects of spinal cord injury on sexual response in women and men.
Dr. Alexander is on the editorial boards of Spinal Cord, Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy and Sexuality and Disability. She is Past President of the American Spinal Injury Association and also Past Vice President representing North America for the International Spinal Cord Society.
Kristy M. Borawski, M
Kristy M. Borawski, MD
Kristy M. Borawski, MD is currently Assistant Professor in the
Urology Department at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Dr. Borawski is committed to providing comprehensive, quality of life driven and compassionate care to her patients and specializes in female urology, urodynamics, neurourology, and female/male incontinence. Dr Borowaski received her Medical Degree from Albany Medical College and completed her Urologic Residency at Duke University. Dr. Borawski remained at Duke University to complete a Fellowship in Reconstructive Urology, Neurourology and Urodynamics. Dr Borowski received a Meaningful Use Stage 1 Certification from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services in 2012 and is a Fellow (FACS) American College of Surgeons.
Michael Camilleri, M.D.
Michael Camilleri, M.D.
Michael Camilleri, M.D. is currently Professor of Medicine and Physiology at the Mayo Clinic School of Medicine in Rochester, Minn. and also serves as a consultant in gastroenterology and hepatology.
Dr. Camilleri is a past president of the American Gastroenterological Association. Dr. Camilleri’s research is focused on improving patient care through the development and clinical testing of novel medications and medical technologies for the treatment of gastrointestinal motility disorders. Dr. Camilleri is particularly interested in diabetic gastroparesis, obesity, irritable bowel syndrome and chronic constipation, bile acid diarrhea, as well as the factors that determine people’s appetites.
Michael J. Kennelly, MD, FACS
Michael J. Kennelly, MD, FACS
Michael J. Kennelly, MD, FACS is currently Director of Urology – Carolinas Rehabilitation, Clinical Professor in the Department of Surgery, Division of Urology at University of North Carolina, Medical Director of the Charlotte Continence Center and Co-Director of the Women’s Center for Pelvic Health – Carolinas Medical Center.
Dr. Kennelly is a recognized authority in neurourology, female urology, urodynamics, and pelvic reconstruction. He is the Past President of the American Spinal Injury Association, current Vice President of the American Paraplegic Society, and Board of Director member of Academy of Spinal Cord Injury Professionals. Dr. Kennelly’s clinical, educational, and academic research expertise is in voiding dysfunction, neurogenic bladder, and complex lower urinary tract and pelvic floor reconstruction, and he has been principal investigator in several clinical trials on these topics.
Bradley P. Kropp, MD
Bradley P. Kropp, MD
Bradley P. Kropp, MD is a professor of pediatric urology in the OU Department of Urology and Chief of the Pediatric Urology Service at the Children’s Hospital of Oklahoma. He obtained his MD from the Medical College of Ohio in Toledo; served his urology residency at the Indiana University Department of Urology; and was accepted for the Pediatric Urology Fellowship at James Whitcomb Riley Children’s Hospital at Indiana University. He completed this fellowship training in June, 1996. He is certified by the Board of Urology and has a CAQ in Pediatric Urology.
Dr. Kropp has published numerous articles in refereed journals and presented at many national meetings. He was President of the Society of Fetal Urology in 2003-2004. Dr. Kropp has a complete basic science research laboratory that is highly involved in tissue engineering and the use of bio materials in regenerative bladder augmentation research. His major clinic focus is in the reconstruction of exstrophy and neurogenic bladders. Dr. Kropp was president of the American Association of Pediatric Urology from 2013-2014. He is a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Society for Pediatric Urology.
Alexander “Sasha” Rabchevsky, PhD
Alexander “Sasha” Rabchevsky, PhD
Dr. Rabchevsky is currently a Professor of Physiology and an inaugural faculty member of the Spinal Cord & Brain Injury Research Center at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, KY. Sasha also served as President of the Board of Directors of Unite to Fight Paralysis and has received numerous awards and honors for his research in the field of spinal injury pathophysiology. Dr. Rabchevsky’s research has focused on molecular and subcellular repair of the spinal cord following injury, yet his unique expertise extends to improving the overall well-being of individuals after experiencing neurological trauma….