Mr. Morgan currently serves as the Chief Investment Officer of Velan Capital Investment Management LP, a healthcare-dedicated investment firm based in Alpharetta, Georgia. Mr. Morgan also currently serves on the board of directors of Alimera Sciences, Inc., where he serves as a director and member of the company's Compensation Committee, and Health Outlook Corporation, a privately-held developer of predictive healthcare technology and service based in New York, New York, where he serves as a director and chair of the company's audit committee. Previously, Mr. Morgan served as Senior Analyst at Broadfin Capital, LLC, a healthcare dedicated investment firm based in New York, New York, where he covered the Biotech and Pharmaceutical sectors, from February 2018 to June 2020. Prior to that, Mr. Morgan served as Senior Analyst at Iguana Healthcare Partners LLC, a healthcare-dedicated investment firm based in New York, New York, where he covered Medical Devices and Specialty Pharmaceuticals, from 2015 to January 2018. Mr. Morgan also served as an Analyst at Pura Vida Investments, LLC, a healthcare-focused investment firm, where he covered global Medical Devices, from 2014 to 2015. Earlier in his career, Mr. Morgan served as a Research Associate at Cowen and Company (a subsidiary of Cowen Inc.), a financial services company, on the firm's Medical Supplies and Devices team, from January 2014 to June 2014. Mr. Morgan received his B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Minnesota and his MBA from the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota.
Mr. Collard most recently served as the Chief Executive Officer of Veloxis Pharmaceutics A/S (now Veloxis Pharmaceuticals Inc., “Veloxis”) before it was acquired by Asahi Kasei Corp, a transplant focused pharmaceutical company with its principal office in Cary, North Carolina, from 2015 to December 2021. Prior to joining Veloxis, Mr. Collard served as the Chief Executive Officer and the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Cornerstone Therapeutics, Inc., a pharmaceutical company (“Cornerstone”), from 2011 until it was acquired by Chiesi Farmaceutici S.p.A. in 2014. Mr. Collard also served as Cornerstone’s Interim Chief Financial Officer, from 2010 to 2011, and as its President, from 2008 to 2011. Mr. Collard served as the Founder, President and Chief Executive Officer of Cornerstone BioPharma Inc. (formerly Cornerstone BioPharma Holdings, Ltd.), a pharmaceutical company, and as a member of its board of directors, from 2004 to 2008. Prior to that, Mr. Collard served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Carolina Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company that he founded in 2003. From 2002 to 2003, Mr. Collard served as Vice President of Sales for Verum Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company. Mr. Collard currently serves on the board of directors of Opiant Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company in Santa Monica, California developing therapies to treat substance use disorders and drug overdoses, since October 2018 and as Chairman, since January 2021. Mr. Collard has also served on the board of directors of TerrAscend Corp., a North American cannabis operator based in Mississauga, Canada, since December 2018. Mr. Collard previously served as a member of the board of directors of Sierra Oncology, Inc., a San Mateo, California-based late-stage biopharmaceutical company acquired by GlaxoSmithKline plc, from May 2020 to July 2022. Mr. Collard holds a B.S. in Engineering from the Southern College of Technology (now Southern Polytechnic State University).
Sharmila Dissanaike, M.D., FACS, FCCM has served as a director of Heron since September 2021. Dr. Dissanaike has been University Distinguished Professor and Peter C. Canizaro Chair of the Department of Surgery at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) since 2016. In addition, from 2015 to 2018, Dr. Dissanaike served as Interim Director of the Timothy J. Harnar Burn Center at University Medical Center in Lubbock, Texas (UMC). From 2014 to 2017, Dr. Dissanaike served as Trauma Medical Director of the John A. Griswold Level 1 Trauma Center at UMC. In January 2021, she was appointed to the Texas Medical Board by Governor Greg Abbott.
Dr. Dissanaike is a clinically active trauma, burn and acute care surgeon who has won over 50 awards for clinical, academic and research excellence and service during her career. Dr. Dissanaike has published over 100 peer-reviewed scientific articles, in addition to numerous book chapters, peer-reviewed presentations and national and international invited lectureships. Dr. Dissanaike holds multiple national leadership and quality assurance roles including Chair of the American Burn Association Verification Committee, member of the American College of Surgeons Trauma Verification Committee and Committee on Trauma, and on the Boards of the American Burn Association and Southwestern Surgical Congress. She serves the American College of Surgeons as Governor and on the Committee for Ethics, the Advisory Council of Rural Surgery and Program Committee, highlighting her wide array of interests and longstanding dedication to advancing all aspects of surgical care.
Dr. Dissanaike received her medical degree from the University of Sydney, Australia and her undergraduate degree from Methodist College in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Dr. Dissanaike completed her postgraduate medical training at the University of Washington at Harborview Medical Center, the Department of Surgery at TTUHSC, the Department of Surgery at Albert Einstein College of Medicine at Beth Israel Medical Center and the Department of Medicine at Inverclyde Hospital, National Health Service. The Board has concluded that Dr. Dissanaike should serve as a director based on her experience and achievements in surgical medicine.
Craig Johnson has served as a director of Heron since 2014. Mr. Johnson has more than 25 years of experience serving in senior financial management roles and governing corporations, primarily in the biotechnology industry. Since 2017, he has served as a director of Odonate Therapeutics, Inc. Since 2013, Mr. Johnson has served as a director of La Jolla Pharmaceutical Company and a director of Mirati Therapeutics, Inc. He served as a director of GenomeDx Biosciences, Inc. from 2015 to 2018, a director of Adamis Pharmaceuticals Corporation from 2011 to 2014 and a director of Ardea Biosciences, Inc. from 2008 until its acquisition by AstraZeneca PLC in 2012. From 2011 to 2012, he served as Chief Financial Officer of PURE Bioscience, Inc., and from 2010 to 2011, Mr. Johnson served as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of NovaDel Pharma Inc. From 2004 through its acquisition by Raptor Pharmaceuticals Corp. in 2009, he served as Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of TorreyPines Therapeutics, Inc. and, from 2009 to 2010, as Vice President of a wholly-owned subsidiary of Raptor Pharmaceuticals Corp. From 1994 to 2004, Mr. Johnson held various positions at MitoKor, Inc., ultimately serving as Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President of Operations. He practiced as a Certified Public Accountant with Price Waterhouse, and received a B.B.A. degree in accounting from the University of Michigan-Dearborn. The Board has concluded that Mr. Johnson should serve as a director based on his experience serving as a director of biotechnology companies and his expertise in financial management.
Ms. Rodriguez has more than 30 years of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry, serving across a broad range of executive leadership roles. Most recently, Ms. Rodriguez served as Chief Commercial Officer of Ardelyx, Inc. from May 2020 to May 2024 where she led the launches of first in class therapies across the gastroenterology and nephrology market spaces, advancing Ardelyx from a discovery and development company to a commercially facing company. From 2014 to 2019, Ms. Rodriguez served as the Chief Executive Officer of Tolmar Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a specialty oncology company, where she established the US commercial entity for the global, family-owned pharmaceutical company, achieving a market leading position for their primary oncology asset, advancing their pipeline, and successfully launching a new product in rare disease. Upon the formation of the global Tolmar entity in 2019, Ms. Rodriguez was named President of the branded pharmaceutical division. From 1990 to 2014, Ms. Rodriguez held various leadership positions at Abbott Laboratories (NYSE: ABT), most recently as Divisional Vice President of Global Marketing, where she led the global marketing and portfolio strategy function for an international portfolio of Abbott products from 2002 to 2006. Prior to this role, Ms. Rodriguez served as the Vice President and General Manager of the Abbott Renal Franchise from 1998 to 2002, where she established a market leading position for Abbott in the injectable vitamin D market with the launch of an innovative next generation therapy. Prior to this, Ms. Rodriguez held a broad range of commercial leadership roles across the neuroscience, cardiovascular, urology, gastroenterology and anti-infective therapeutic areas in the pharmaceutical division as well as at the Abbott – Takeda joint venture – TAP. Prior to joining Abbott, she held sales and marketing roles at Merck, and served as a client manager for a pharmaceutical market research consulting firm. Ms. Rodriguez serves on the board of directors for Veradigm Inc. and Heron Therapeutics. Ms. Rodriguez received an M.S. and B.S. in psychology from the University of Pennsylvania.
Christian Waage has served as a director of Heron since 2016. Mr. Waage has more than 15 years of regulatory, legal and financial transaction experience primarily in the biotechnology industry. Since 2017, he has served as Executive Vice President and General Counsel of Gossamer Bio, Inc., a publicly traded biotechnology company. From 2013 to 2016, Mr. Waage held various positions at Receptos, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Celgene Corporation, most recently serving as Managing Director. Prior to its acquisition by Celgene Corporation in 2015, he served as Senior Vice President and General Counsel of Receptos, Inc. From 2012 through its acquisition by Vista Equity Partners Management, LLC in 2013, Mr. Waage served as Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary at Websense, Inc. From 2008 through its acquisition by AstraZeneca PLC in 2012, he served as Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of Ardea Biosciences, Inc. Prior to 2008, Mr. Waage served as a partner at DLA Piper LLP. He received a J.D. from the University of San Diego School of Law and a B.A. degree in economics from the University of California, San Diego. The Board has concluded that Mr. Waage should serve as a director based on his experience in regulatory, legal and finance matters.