About Us | Board of Directors

Gerri Henwood
Ms. Henwood has been a director and CEO of Garnet Bio since November 2008. She is a consultant with Malvern Consulting Group. She was the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Auxilium Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: AUXL).  Prior to founding Auxilium, Ms. Henwood founded, in 1985, a contract research organization (CRO), IBAH, Inc. (which was traded on NASDAQ until purchased by Omnicare, Inc.).  Prior to founding IBAH, Ms. Henwood was employed by SmithKline Beecham in various capacities including senior medical,  regulatory and commercial positions. Ms. Henwood is a member of the Board of Directors of  Alkermes Inc., MAP Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and is the CEO and Director of Recro Pharma Inc. She is also a trustee of LaSalle Academy (an elementary school for urban at-risk youth) and Neumann College.

Gary Kurtzman, MD
Dr. Kurtzman is Managing Director in the Life Sciences Group at Safeguard Scientifics, Inc. (NYSE: SFE), a provider of growth capital for entrepreneurial and innovative life sciences and technology companies, where he is responsible for identifying and partnering with companies focused on molecular diagnostics, medical devices, regenerative medicine and specialty pharmaceuticals services. As part of Safeguard’s Life Sciences Group, Gary brings more than 17 years of experience in operations and investments, leveraging his expertise to enable businesses to grow their products and services, as well as to discover new partnering potential. Dr. Kurtzman currently serves on the board of directors for Safeguard Scientifics’ partner companies: Advanced BioHealing, Alverix, Avid Radiopharmaceutics, Garnet BioTherapeutics, Molecular Biometrics, NuPathe and Tengion. Gary was previously managing director of BioAdvance, an early stage life sciences investor, and held various positions at Pluvita Corporation, Genovo and Avigen, and Gilead Sciences. Gary is a board-certified internist with a hematology sub-specialty. He is the author of more than 40 peer reviewed scientific publications, reviews and book chapters and the inventor on 18 issued U.S. patents. He is currently a lecturer in Health Care Management at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania where he teaches bioentrepreneurship. Gary received his BS from Stanford University and his MD from Washington University and post-doctoral training at the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute and Stanford University.

Jim O'Connell
Mr. O’Connell is a Senior Associate and Kauffman Fellow in Safeguard's Life Sciences Group.  Mr. O’Connell  has eight years of operational, financial and entrepreneurial experience in the life sciences. During business school, Jim served as Summer Associate for Quaker BioVentures and Commons Capital, and also completed an internship at Liquidia Technologies in business development. Prior, he was in the Corporate Ventures/Business Development group of Becton Dickinson, a F500 medical technology firm. From 1998-2001, he held progressive positions in Sales, Marketing and Business Development at Chemdex, a pioneering startup that raised $450M in financing.  Mr. O’Connell started his career in R&D at Biosite and helped developed the firm’s blockbuster BNP panel diagnosing congestive heart failure ($600+M sales to date).  Mr. O’Connell received a BS in biochemistry from Virginia Tech and an MBA from the Wharton School.

Wayne B. Weisman
Mr. Weisman has been Managing Director and a member of the investment committee of Vitalife Life Sciences Fund since its inception, and has worked closely with Vitalife since SCP Partners became Vitalife’s U.S. sponsor in 2002. He has extensive experience in venture capital investing, particularly in the life sciences area, dating back to 1990. Mr. Weisman has been a Managing Director of SCP, a multistage venture capital manager, since its inception in 1996. He has led SCP’s efforts in the life sciences area, which include investments in Auxilium Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: AUXL), in which SCP was the first investor, and investments in Deep Breeze Ltd. and Trig Medical, both of which are also Vitalife portfolio companies. He has also led several other technology investments for SCP.  In 1990, Mr. Weisman joined Churchill Investment Partners, Inc. as a managing director, and later that year became vice president and a member of the board of directors of CIP Capital L.P., a Small Business Investment Company licensed by the SBA in 1991. Mr. Weisman led many of the successful life science investments made by CIP.  From 1992 to 1994, Mr. Weisman served as executive vice president of Affinity Biotech, Inc., a life science company with drug delivery and pharmaceutical formulation technology. At Affinity, he was responsible for strategic alliances, financial strategy, and mergers and acquisitions. Mr. Weisman completed several strategic partnerships for the company, and he ultimately oversaw its IPO and merger into the company that subsequently became IBAH, Inc., a leading clinical research organization, which was then successfully sold to Omnicare Inc.  From 1987 to 1990, Mr. Weisman operated a management and financial advisory firm focusing on the reorganization and turnaround of troubled companies. He began his career in 1982 at the Philadelphia law firm of Saul, Ewing, Remick & Saul.  Mr. Weisman is a director or chairman of several companies, including CinemaStar, Inc., Gigared S.A., Anystream, Inc., Deep Breeze, Ltd. and Trig Medical, Inc.  Mr. Weisman received his B.A. cum laude, from the University of Pennsylvania in 1978 and his J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School in 1982. He is a former board member of the Greater Philadelphia Venture Group, and he currently serves on the board of the Young Scholars Charter School.