Our team leaders include:
Jim Taylor
President and Chief Executive Officer
Jim Taylor brings to Oraya Therapeutics over 25 years of experience and leadership in the medical device industry. He previously served as president/CEO at sector leading companies including Carl Zeiss Meditec, Inc. (CZMI), Coherent Medical and Ohmeda Medical Systems. At Coherent and subsequently at CZM, he was responsible for leading the introduction of several landmark technologies in eye care, including photo dynamic therapy (PDT) lasers and optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging systems for AMD treatment and diagnosis, as well as an array of other technologies for glaucoma, refractive and cataract applications. During his tenure at CZMI, the company grew to become one of the most well-recognized and respected leaders in the ophthalmic industry. Taylor received his Bachelor of Science degree with honors from the United States Naval Academy and holds a master’s degree in administrative science from Johns Hopkins University.
Michael Gertner, M.D.
Founder/Board Member
Michael Gertner, M.D., Dr. Gertner is the inventor of the Oraya
technology and founded the company in 2007. He holds a Bachelor of
Science from Columbia University, a Master of Science in mechanical
engineering from MIT and a Doctor of Medicine from Cornell
University. He is a board-certified general surgeon, consulting
trauma surgeon at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center and adjunct professor at Stanford School of Medicine. Dr. Gertner is
the primary author of over 50 issued and pending patents in a variety of fields. In 2003, he was named one of the "Top 100 innovators
Under 35" by the MIT Technology Review.
Steven Hansen
Vice President of Research & Development
Mr. Hansen joined as a founding member of Oraya Therapeutics after
serving as vice president of research & development for Xoft, Inc.,
where he led the development of a novel electronic brachytherapy
device from initial concept through 510(k) clearance. Previously,
Mr. Hansen was employed for 15 years at GE Healthcare, where he held
various roles in technical and organizational leadership, initiating
and developing R & D teams in the United States, Europe and India.
Mr. Hansen holds a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in
Engineering from the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, and holds 8
U.S. patents related to X-ray source technologies.
Denis O’Shaughnessy, Ph.D.
Vice President of Clinical Affairs
Denis O’Shaughnessy joined the pharmaceutical industry as a clinical research manager in 1984 with American Cyanmid’s European Regional office in London and then took on increasingly responsible positions with a number of companies including Sandoz (Novartis), Xoma and Celltech, where he headed up it’s Clinical Research Department. His entry into ophthalmology came when working as a Clinical Leader for Hoffmann La Roche’s oncology group in Strasbourg, France in 1992, when he set up the first ever pharmaceutical clinical research program in the retinal field. At that time he and his team initiated global studies investigating the potential of alpha interferon for the treatment of neovascular AMD. Denis was then a founding member of Eyetech Pharmaceuticals in 2000 and was responsible for overseeing the development program of Macugen which resulted in the completion and successful marketing approval of Macugen in just under four years. Denis joins Oraya Therapeutics most recently from his position as Senior VP of Clinical Development at OPKO Inc.
Denis received a B.Sc. in Physiology and Biochemistry from Queen Elizabeth College and an Ph.D. in Physiology from the Royal Postgraduate Medical School.
Erik Chell, Ph.D.
Principal Scientist
Dr. Chell’s focus at Oraya Therapeutics is on the implementation and
dosimetry of the X-ray subsystem. Prior to joining the Oraya team,
he demonstrated a strong track record of scientific and technical
leadership at a number of medical imaging and radiotherapy companies
including Imatron, GE Healthcare, Xoft, and Varian Medical Systems.
Dr. Chell is a graduate of Macalester College and holds a Ph.D. in
Particle Physics from the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
E. Mark Shusterman, M.D.
Medical Director
Dr. Shusterman joined the Oraya team in mid 2007 to establish the pre-clinical and clinical investigational programs, after serving as Vice President of Medical Affairs and Product Development at Cantimer, Inc., where he was a founding member. He attained a Baccalaureate Cum Laude in Psychology, a Certificate in Asian Studies, and a Doctorate in Medicine at the University of Rochester, receiving numerous competitive fellowships and awards. Dr. Shusterman’s post-graduate training in general, burn and plastic surgery led to a passion for medical technology. Prior to joining Oraya, he worked with start-up companies in physiological monitoring, resorbable surgical fixation, bone regeneration, and soft tissue augmentation.
