Leadership and Key Advisors – Afecta Pharmaceuticals

Bruce W. Kovacs, MD

Chief Executive Officer & Chief Scientific Officer

Co-founder of Afecta, inventor on 11 issued U.S. patents for our core technologies, and a nationally recognized expert in human pharmacogenetics. Dr. Kovacs previously co-founded GenePrints, a company that pioneered the use of DNA for purposes of human identification and disease diagnosis. He has received board certification in several medical specialties, including Clinical Molecular Genetics and OB/GYN. Dr. Kovacs received his M.D. from the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California and was a Clinical Professor and Director of the Molecular & Cytogenetics Laboratory at USC for over 20 years.

Hal Lieberman, MHA

Chief Financial Officer

Former CEO of HemaCare Inc. with more than thirty years of experience in healthcare management, finance, and pharmaceutical development. Mr. Lieberman’s pharma management experience includes the development of an immune therapy for AIDS and partnerships with Squibb, Novartis and GlaxoSmithKline. He has served on the board of directors of HemaCare Corporation (Van Nuys, CA), Atopix Pharmaceuticals (Carlsbad, CA), BioDiscovery, Inc. (El Segundo, CA), ALine, Inc. (Rancho Dominguez, CA), and the Pacific Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (Los Angeles, CA). Mr. Lieberman earned a master’s degree in healthcare administration from The George Washington University, and is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives.

Ravi Achar, MBA

Chief Business Officer

With more than 30 years of experience in operations, business development, strategic international alliances, and finance, Mr. Achar oversees all business development activities at Afecta. Ravi is a global entrepreneur having conducted business in over 60 countries, establishing relationships in Europe, Asia, South America, Middle East and Africa. He previously co-founded SRC as part of Arnold A. Semler Inc., a leading pharmaceutical development CRO, and is also an investor in several pharma and biotech companies, serving on the BOD, as well as providing strategic advisory services.

Shep Bentley, RAC

Chief Regulatory Officer

With more than 30 years of experience in regulatory affairs, Mr. Bentley oversees all regulatory and clinical activities at Afecta. Shep has been responsible for regulatory strategies leading to FDA and foreign approvals for several biotech companies. He has achieved market entry for numerous innovative medical technologies and applications within the European Union, Canada, Brazil and across Asia. He is an active member of the American Society for Quality – Biomedical Section (ASQ), the Regulatory Affairs Professional Society (RAPS), and The Organization for Professional Regulatory Affairs (TOPRA).

Jonathan T. Megerian, MD, PhD

Chief Medical Officer - Neurology

Dr. Megerian is a board-certified pediatric neurologist specializing in autism spectrum and other neurodevelopmental disorders. He serves as the clinical director of the Thompson Autism and Neurodevelopmental Center at CHOC as well as medical director of neurodevelopmental medicine at CHOC. Previously, Dr. Megerian served as VP of Medical Affairs at Avanir Pharmaceuticals and Worldwide Director of Clinical Research and Medical Affairs at Johnson & Johnson.

Peter Pallai, PhD

Sr. VP of Medicinal Chemistry

Dr. Pallai oversees all drug discovery programs at Afecta with extensive experience as a scientific leader in medicinal chemistry. He previously co-founded and led BioBlocks Inc. in San Diego, CA, a drug discovery chemistry company that was acquired by the Genesis Biotechnology Group in 2021. Prior to BioBlocks, he held senior management and scientific roles at Arqule, Procept, and Boehringer Ingelheim. Dr. Pallai holds a Ph.D. in organic chemistry from the University of Szeged, Hungary, and has published numerous scientific papers and co-authored patents on compounds of therapeutic significance.

M.K. Raheja, PhD, MBA

Advisory Board

Dr. Raheja has brought to market approximately 70 new and innovative products over the past 35 years. His expertise extends to M&A and divestitures, covering deal sizes ranging from $1 million to $45+ billion. Formerly head of R&D at Johnson & Johnson Vision business unit, CTO at CIBA Vision (Novartis), Chief Operating Officer at Hill Top Research, and VP of R&D at Bausch & Lomb. Dr. Raheja holds a Ph.D. in polymer science/plastics engineering from University of Massachusetts Lowell and an executive MBA in strategy and general management from Boston University.