Advisory Board

Arboretum's advisory board includes world-renowned medical device and pharmaceutical CEOs with extensive experience in developing companies that significantly impact patient care. The companies they have lead include Medtronic, Guidant Corporation and several early stage companies, including Esperion Therapeutics and NeuroVista. Collectively they have generated superior returns to their investors, both private and public.

Ronald W. Dollens Ronald W. Dollens is the retired president and CEO of Guidant Corporation, a Fortune 500 company acquired in 2006 for $27 billion by Boston Scientific. Mr. Dollens assumed the post as president and CEO of Guidant in 1994 when the company was formed as a result of a spin-out of Eli Lilly and Company, where he was the president of the Medical Devices and Diagnostic division. Mr. Dollens is currently the non-executive chairman of the board of Kinetic Concepts Inc. and a director of ABIOMED Corporation. Mr. Dollens received a BS in Pharmacy and Pharmacal Sciences from Purdue University and an MBA from Indiana University.

John F. Harris John F. Harris is currently the president and CEO of NeuroVista and is a veteran medical device entrepreneur. Previously, Mr. Harris founded two highly successful companies, novel defibrillator firm Heartstream (acquired by Hewlett Packard in 1998) and electrical stimulation company Northstar Neuroscience (went public in May 2006). Mr. Harris has also been an Executive in Residence (EIR) at Versant Ventures, a healthcare-focused venture capital firm. Mr. Harris received a bachelor's degree in industrial engineering from Stanford and an MBA from Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management.

William A. Hawkins William A. Hawkins is the president and CEO of Medtronic, Inc. Mr. Hawkins joined Medtronic in January 2002 as Senior Vice President and President of the Vascular Division. Previously, he was president and CEO of Novoste Corporation. Mr. Hawkins serves on the board of directors of Medtronic and Deluxe Corporation, the board of trustees of the University of Virginia Darden School of Business and the board of visitors for the Duke University School of Engineering. Mr. Hawkins holds a BS from Duke University and an MBA from the University of Virginia.

Roger Newton, Ph.D. Roger Newton, Ph.D., is the former president and CEO of Esperion Therapeutics. In February 2004, Pfizer acquired Esperion for $1.3 billion. Prior to co-founding Esperion, Dr. Newton was a Distinguished Research Fellow in Vascular and Cardiac Diseases at Parke-Davis where he was a co-developer of Lipitor®, the largest selling pharmaceutical in the world. Dr. Newton holds a Ph.D. from the University of California, Davis.

Gil Omenn, M.D., Ph.D. Gil Omenn, M.D., Ph.D., is a Professor of Internal Medicine, Human Genetics and Public Health at the University of Michigan. He was formerly Executive Vice President of Medical Affairs at the University of Michigan, where he oversaw the medical school and the UM Health System. He serves on a variety of scientific and corporate boards, including Amgen and Rohm and Haas. Dr. Omenn holds an M.D. from Harvard Medical School and a Ph.D. from the University of Washington.

Alan Sokolow, M.D. Alan Sokolow, M.D., specializes in the management of complex managed healthcare organizations. He is currently the Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer for Blue Shield of California. Previously, he was Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield in New York. Prior to joining Empire, he was Chief Medical Officer for IntelliClaim, an Application Services Provider specializing in claim auditing and adjudication management. In addition, he served as a Medical Director and Officer of Oxford Health Plans from 1986 until 1998. Dr. Sokolow is a graduate of Pomona College and the UCLA School of Medicine.

Alison Taunton-Rigby, Ph.D. Alison Taunton-Rigby, Ph.D., is the founder and CEO of RiboNovix, Inc., a private biotechnology company. From 2001 to 2003, she served as the chief executive officer of CMT, Inc., a private medical device company. From 1995 to 2000, Dr. Taunton-Rigby served as the chief executive officer of Aquila Biopharmaceuticals, Inc., (Cambridge Biotech Corporation) a publicly-traded biotechnology company. She serves on the boards of directors of Healthways, Abt Associates and Idera Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Dr. Taunton-Rigby also serves on the board of The Children's Hospital, Boston.