Board of Directors

Dr. Brun is currently President at Gold Mast Consulting, LLC, an advisory firm he founded to provide technical advice and strategic guidance related to biopharmaceutical research and development, pipeline portfolio management, commercialization of new therapeutics and strategic communications related to R&D activities. Dr. Brun is also a Senior Advisor to the business development team at Horizon Therapeutics plc (Nasdaq: HZNP), a Venture Partner at Abingworth LLP and a Senior Medical Advisor at Launch Therapeutics. Prior to his current roles, Dr. Brun had two decades of experience in various leadership roles at AbbVie, Inc., including 15 years at the predecessor company, Abbott Laboratories. He was most recently Vice President of Scientific Affairs and Head of AbbVie Ventures, a corporate venture fund responsible for investment opportunities within AbbVie’s R&D therapeutic areas as well as technology platforms of interest. Previously, Dr. Brun served as Vice President and Head of Pharmaceutical Development at AbbVie. Prior to joining AbbVie, Dr. Brun spent over 15 years at Abbott Laboratories, where he held positions of increasing leadership responsibility in drug development within the R&D organization. Dr. Brun is a member of the board of directors of Cabaletta Bio, Inc. (Nasdaq: CABA), a biopharmaceutical company. Dr. Brun is also a member of the board of directors of Axial Biotherapeutics, Inc. and Trishula Therapeutics, Inc., both private, clinical-stage biopharmaceutical companies. Dr. Brun received his B.S. in Biochemistry from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and earned his M.D. from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He completed his residency in ophthalmology at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Harvard Medical School. 

Dr. Doberstein is an expert in protein engineering with over 20 years of experience in the design and development of antibody, cytokine, and fusion protein drugs. After receiving a Ph.D. in Cell Biology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and postdoctoral training at UC Berkeley, Dr. Doberstein held positions at successful biotech companies including Director Cell Biology at Exelixis and was VP, Research at Xencor, FivePrime Therapeutics, and Xoma. He most recently served as Chief R&D Officer at Nektar Therapeutics. Dr. Doberstein sat on the Board of Directors of Dicerna prior to the company’s acquisition by Novo Nordisk, and is a member of the Biotechnology Advisory Board of the University of Delaware.

Dr. Eichenfield is chief of pediatric and adolescent dermatology at Rady Children's Hospital-San Diego, as well as vice chair of the Department of Dermatology and a professor of dermatology and pediatrics at UC San Diego School of Medicine. Dr. Eichenfield is past president of the Society for Pediatric Dermatology, has served on the board of the American Academy of Dermatology, and served as chair for the 69th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology. He is also a founding board member of the American Acne & Rosacea Society and is a founder and past co-chair of the Pediatric Dermatology Research Alliance, a collaborative research network. Dr. Eichenfield earned his medical degree from Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, was a pediatric resident and chief resident at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, and completed dermatology training at the hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. He is board certified in pediatrics, dermatology and pediatric dermatology. He has been honored as a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society during medical school, and as a recipient of the Benjamin Ritter Award at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and excellence in teaching awards from UC San Diego Pediatrics, UC San Diego Dermatology and Rady Children's Hospital-San Diego.

Dr. Finck has served as the acting Chief Medical Officer, Inc. of Coherus BioSciences since August 2019 and prior to that served as Coherus’s Chief Clinical Advisor form January 2019 to August 2019 and Chief Medical Officer from July 2012 to December 2018. Dr. Finck previously served as Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of NKT Therapeutics Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, from September 2010 to July 2012. Prior to that, from June 2007 to June 2010, Dr. Finck served as Senior Vice President of Research and Development and Chief Medical Officer at Osprey Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc., a biopharmaceutical company. Prior to that, Dr. Finck served as an executive for various biopharmaceutical companies. Dr. Finck has served as a member of the board of directors of Reform Biologics, a private biomedical technology company, since March 2021. Dr. Finck has a B.S. in Physiological Psychology from the University of California, Santa Barbara and received her M.D. and post-doctorate training in internal medicine and rheumatology from the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine. Dr. Finck is board certified in internal medicine

Mr. Kornfeld currently serves as the co-managing partner of Castle Peak Partners LLC, a boutique investment firm that collaborates with entrepreneurs of early stage companies. Mr. Kornfeld was previously a Vice President, Portfolio Manager, Research Analyst and Health Care Sector Team Leader for Franklin Templeton Investments from 2001 until February 2020, and was a Co-Manager of the Franklin Biotechnology Discovery Fund since 2015. Mr. Kornfeld had previously served as a Lead and Co-Manager on several portfolios at Franklin including the Franklin Focused Core Equity Fund and a predecessor to the Franklin Growth Fund. Mr. Kornfeld received an M.B.A. from Northwestern University's Kellogg Graduate School of Management and a bachelor's degree from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. Mr. Kornfeld is a Charted Financial Analyst (CFA) charter holder.

Dr. Wagner founded Forte, has served as Chief Executive Officer of Forte since 2018, and has served as a member of Forte’s board of directors since 2017. In 2017, Dr. Wagner was the Head of Corporate Strategy and Development at CANBridge Life Sciences. From 2014 to 2017, Dr. Wagner was the Chief Financial Officer of Pfenex Inc., a biotechnology company. From 2006 to 2014, Dr. Wagner held the positions of Director and Portfolio Manager/Sr. Equity Analyst with Allianz Global Investors, an investment manager where he was responsible for biotechnology and pharmaceutical investments. Prior to that, Dr. Wagner was the Head of Development Licensing at PDL BioPharma, a biopharmaceutical company from 2005 until 2006. Prior to PDL BioPharma, Dr. Wagner held the position of Vice President at Lehman Brothers, a financial services firm, starting in 1999 until 2005. Dr. Wagner received a B.S. from the University of Wisconsin and a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the California Institute of Technology. Dr. Wagner is also a Charted Financial Analyst (CFA) charter holder.

Dr. Walker served as President and Chief Scientific Officer of Brickell Biotech, Inc. a pharmaceutical company, from June 2015 to November 2018. In addition, Dr. Walker previously served in multiple roles at Kythera Biopharmaceuticals, a biopharmaceutical company, from 2008 to 2015, including Chief Medical Officer, and in multiple roles at Allergan plc, a pharmaceutical company, from 1997 to 2004 and 2006 to 2007, including Executive Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer, and was Executive Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer at Inamed Corporation, a healthcare products manufacturer, from 2004 to 2006. Dr. Walker is currently a supervisory board member of Merz Pharma, a pharmaceutical company. Dr. Walker received a M.D. and Ph.D. from the University of Iowa College of Medicine and a B.S. from the University of Iowa.

Mr. Williams is joining the board of directors of the combined company upon the closing of the Merger. Mr. Williams is a veteran of the public accounting industry for over three decades, having spent 18 years as a Partner with Ernst & Young LLP, and seven years as a Partner with Grant Thornton LLP. Mr. Williams’ career focused on private and public companies in the technology and life sciences sectors. During his time at Grant Thornton from 2007 to 2014, he served as the national leader of Grant Thornton’s life sciences practice and the managing partner of the San Diego Office. He was the lead partner for both Ernst & Young and Grant Thornton on multiple initial public offerings, secondary offerings, private and public debt financings, as well as numerous mergers and acquisitions. From 2001 to 2014, Mr. Williams served on the Board of Directors and is past President and Chairman of the San Diego Venture Group. Mr. Williams also serves as a director of Alphatec Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATEC), Akari Therapeutics Plc (Nasdaq: ARTX), ImpediMed Ltd (ASX: IPD), and Leading Biosciences (private). Mr. Williams earned a B.S. degree from Southern Illinois University.