Insights

Dr. Roy Freeman, one of CND Life Sciences’ three founders and a senior scientific advisor, is Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School and director of the Center for Autonomic and Peripheral Nerve Disorders in the Department of Neurology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts. Dr. Freeman is former chairman of the World Federation of Neurology research group on the autonomic nervous system, former president of the American Autonomic Society, and former chairman of the Autonomic Section of the American Academy of Neurology.  He serves on the Executive Committee and the Steering Committee of the Analgesic, Anesthetic, and Addiction Clinical Trial Translations, Innovations, Opportunities, and Networks (ACTTION), a public-private partnership with the FDA. His research and clinical interests are the physiology and pathophysiology of the small nerve fibers and the autonomic nervous system. He has a special interest in biomarker development in neurodegenerative disease. He is the principal investigator on National Institutes of Health-funded studies on the neurological complications of diabetes, the neurobiology of stress, and biomarker development in alpha-synucleinopathies. He is Editor-in-Chief of Autonomic Neuroscience: Basic and Clinical and on the editorial boards of The Clinical Journal of Pain, Pain: Clinical Updates, and Clinical Autonomic Research.

Dr. Gibbons, one of CND Life Sciences’ three founders and a senior scientific advisor, has played an integral role in translating key science in the field to help develop the company’s core diagnostic technology. Dr. Gibbons is a clinician-scientist involved in the investigation, evaluation, and treatment of patients with autonomic and peripheral nerve disorders. Dr. Gibbons’ clinical expertise extends to the investigation and treatment of autonomic and peripheral neuropathies. He has served as Chair of the Clinical Affairs Committee for the American Autonomic Society, and Chair of the Autonomic Section of the American Academy of Neurology, President of the American Autonomic Society and is currently Chair of the International Diabetes Neuropathy Consortium. Dr. Gibbons has established the neurocutaneous skin biopsy lab at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), where he oversees all clinical testing. He has also received several grants to study cutaneous α-synuclein expression in nerves within the skin.

Dr. Gibbons attended Dartmouth College, completed his medical training at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and his residency in Neurology at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Dr. Gibbons also received a Master in Medical Science degree through a combined Harvard and MIT training program. Dr. Gibbons is an Associate Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School and on staff at BIDMC and Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston, Massachusetts.

Karina joined CND Life Sciences in 2019 and helped implement the company’s laboratory infrastructure, quality standards, day-to-day processes, and CLIA certification. She also helps oversee CND’s medical billing and reimbursement activities and works with the technical team to ensure continuous quality improvement across operations. Karina received her Bachelor’s degree in Public Health and Bio-Education from the University of California at Long Beach. As CND’s Laboratory Director, Karina utilizes her experience in histology, medical devices, immunohistochemistry (IHC), In Situ Hybridization (ISH), microdissection, and molecular and epidemiology research to develop and optimize laboratory workflows for the company. Prior to joining CND, Karina spent over a decade with other prominent laboratory companies including Genzyme Genetics, LabCorp, and Agendia where she successfully managed a large staff and assisted in laboratory set up, accreditation, and optimization. She has also trained employees to improve precision microtomy to provide high-quality sections to improve testing for FDA-approved molecular testing.

Bailey joined CND Life Sciences in 2018 and serves in a number of key operational and research roles for the company.  He is part of the technical team that helps ensure the highest quality specimen testing, helps manage diagnostic testing development, and coordinates research activities in collaboration with the company’s scientific leaders and external collaborators. Prior to joining CND, Bailey attended the University of Arizona where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in biomedical engineering and received multiple academic and professional awards. He also worked for Tech Launch Arizona, specializing in commercialization of intellectual property assessment and developed and validated a system that mimicked human lung function on a chip for application in personalized medicine and pharmacology.

Rick joined CND Life Sciences as CEO in early 2020 and brings 25 years of experience with health and life sciences companies, serving in senior executive roles globally for medical device, digital health, and diagnostics firms. Prior to joining CND as CEO, Rick was the Global President of Life Sciences at Aptus Health, a former subsidiary of Merck, Inc. (acquired by WebMD) and CEO of Plasma Surgical, an innovative medical device company with technology used in open and laparoscopic procedures around the world. Rick began his career in strategy consulting, rising to Partner at Mercer Management Consulting where he helped build the Health & Life Sciences Practice and managed large biopharma and diagnostics clients. A Kellogg MBA and graduate of the University of Virginia, Rick also founded and helped grow three nonprofit organizations that have raised nearly $100 million in the last decade to fulfill health and social impact missions including Family Reach Foundation, which was included in the Obama White House’s Cancer Moonshot in 2016.

Dr. Levine is one of the three founders of CND Life Sciences and serves as its Medical Director, playing a key role in the delivery of diagnostic services and ongoing technology development. Dr. Levine has over 20 years of experience as a clinical neurologist with a sub-specialty in disorders of the peripheral nervous system. In 2010, he founded his first medical diagnostics company called Corinthian Reference Lab (CRL). CRL is based in Fort Worth, Texas and has processed over 50,000 skin biopsies, receiving specimens from over 4,000 different neurologists across the US and Canada. Dr. Levine has served as CEO of CRL as well as Medical Director and Chief of Pathology. He received his medical degree from Duke University and did his residency and fellowship at Washington University in St Louis. He has served as the Chairman of the Neuromuscular Division of the American Academy of Neurology and is currently the Medical Director of Neurology for Honor Health in Phoenix, AZ.