The members of Omeros’ leadership team and board of directors bring a wealth of relevant knowledge and expertise, pragmatic judgment, vision and proven track records of success to all aspects of our scientific and corporate strategies.
Gregory A. Demopulos, MD, founded our company and has served as our president, chief executive officer, and chairman of the board of directors since June 1994. Prior to founding Omeros, Dr Demopulos completed his residency in orthopedic surgery at Stanford University and his fellowship training in hand and microvascular surgery at Duke University. In 2019, Dr Demopulos was a recipient of the Prix Galien Canada Research Award. He has authored more than 25 articles and reviews in peer-reviewed publications and is an inventor on 56 issued US patents and over 1000 issued and allowed foreign patents. Dr Demopulos currently serves on the board of trustees of the Smead Funds Trust, an open-end mutual fund company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940. Dr Demopulos received his MD from the Stanford University School of Medicine and his BS from Stanford University. David J. Borges joined Omeros in June 2020 and has served as our vice president, finance, chief accounting officer and treasurer since June 2024. Prior to joining Omeros, Mr Borges served as vice president, finance and administration, at Bulletproof 360, Inc., a health and wellness company, where he directed and managed all aspects of corporate finance, accounting, information technology, human resources, facilities, and legal from October 2014 until October 2019. From May 2009 to June 2014, Mr Borges served as chief financial officer and vice president of Advanced Refreshment LLC, a producer of private label bottled water and water-based beverages. From July 2001 to May 2009, Mr Borges served as finance and business integration director at Merck & Co., Inc. (“Merck”), a biopharmaceutical company, after Merck acquired Rosetta Inpharmatics, where Mr Borges had been serving as director of finance & administration/controller since 1998. Mr Borges is a certified public accountant and received his BS in Commerce in Accounting from Santa Clara University. Peter B. Cancelmo, JD, has served as our vice president, general counsel and secretary since June 2019. He joined Omeros in January 2019 as deputy general counsel. Prior to joining Omeros, Mr Cancelmo was a principal and shareholder with Garvey Schubert Barer, P.C., where he represented clients in the life sciences and other technology industries in mergers, acquisitions, strategic alliances, public and private securities offerings, and a range of other corporate, commercial, and financial transactions. He served as chair of the firm’s business practice group from 2016 until his departure in December 2018. Before Garvey Schubert Barer, Mr Cancelmo practiced corporate and transactional law at Davies, Ward, Phillips and Vineberg LLP, in New York, and Choate, Hall & Stewart LLP, in Boston. Mr Cancelmo received his JD from Boston University and his BA from Saint Michael’s College. Nadia Dac has served as our Chief Commercial Officer since January 2021. Ms Dac brings nearly three decades of international experience as a strategic commercial leader at large and small biopharmaceutical companies. Prior to joining Omeros, Ms Dac served as the chief commercial officer at Alder Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (acquired in 2019 by Lundbeck) from April 2019 until June 2020 and as vice president of global specialty commercial development at AbbVie, Inc. from December 2014 to March 2019. She previously served as vice president of marketing at Auxilium Pharmaceuticals, Inc. from May 2013 to September 2014, when the company was acquired by Endo International plc. From 2009 to 2013, Ms Dac held several roles of increasing responsibility at Novartis AG, including global vice president of neuroscience professional relations prior to her role as vice president of Novartis’ multiple sclerosis franchise, and at Biogen Inc., Johnson & Johnson, and Eli Lilly and Company. She holds a BS in Marketing from Rutgers University. Mariana N. Dimitrova, PhD, joined Omeros as our vice president chemistry, manufacturing, and controls (CMC) in October 2022. Prior to joining Omeros in this role, Dr Dimitrova had 20 years of pharmaceutical experience with CMC leadership spanning formulation development, drug product and device development, drug delivery and Human Factors engineering, analytical sciences, process development, and clinical manufacturing. In her career, Dr Dimitrova contributed to the development of a number of monoclonal antibodies, Fc-fusion proteins, PEG-proteins, bispecific molecules, cytokines, DNA, peptides, and small molecules at Amgen Inc., MedImmune (AstraZeneca), Biogen, and Jazz Pharmaceuticals. Dr Dimitrova contributed to the commercialization of nine patient-convenient drug/device combination products for the treatment of autoimmune, respiratory, neurodegenerative, hematology, and infectious diseases. Most recently Dr Dimitrova was Vice President of Product and Device Development at Akero Therapeutics, developing Fc-FGF21 fusion protein for treatment of NASH. Prior to her industry work, Dr Dimitrova spent five years in academia, including at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute at NIH and the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) in Japan. Dr Dimitrova holds a PhD in Biophysics and Biological Sciences from the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences and the AIST, and a MS in Chemistry from Kliment Ohridski University in Bulgaria. George A. Gaitanaris, MD, PhD, joined Omeros as our vice president, science in August 2006 and has served as our chief scientific officer since January 2012. From August 2003 to our acquisition of nura, inc. in August 2006, Dr Gaitanaris served as the chief scientific officer of nura, a company that he co-founded and that developed treatments for central nervous system disorders. From 2000 to 2003, he served as president and chief scientific officer of Primal, Inc., a biotechnology company that was acquired by nura in 2003. Prior to co-founding Primal, he served as staff scientist at the National Cancer Institute. Dr Gaitanaris received his PhD in cellular, molecular, and biophysical studies, and his MPh and MA from Columbia University, and his MD from the Aristotelian University of Greece. Andreas Grauer, MD, joined Omeros as our chief medical officer in October 2023. Prior to joining Omeros, Dr Grauer served as chief medical officer at Federation Bio from October 2021, where he led all clinical activities with a focus on hyperoxaluria and immuno-oncology. From March 2019 to August 2021, Dr Grauer was chief medical officer at Corcept Therapeutics, leading its global development organization in the design and execution of clinical programs directed to oncology, neurology, endocrinology, and metabolism indications. From December 2007 to December 2018, Dr Grauer held several roles of increasing responsibility at Amgen, most recently serving as vice president of global development, therapeutic area head, and co-chair of the franchise steering committee for bone, nephrology, and inflammation. Earlier in his career, Dr Grauer was at Proctor and Gamble Pharmaceuticals where he held roles as global executive medical director for bone and for new technology development. Dr Grauer received his MD from the University of Heidelberg Medical School, Germany, where he also completed his clinical training in internal medicine and endocrinology. He did research in molecular and cellular endocrinology both there and during a post-doctoral fellowship at Baylor College of Medicine. He holds an active associate professorship of medicine at the University of Heidelberg Medical School. Catherine A. Melfi, PhD, joined Omeros as our vice president, regulatory affairs and quality systems in October 2012 and has served as our chief regulatory officer since April 2016. Dr Melfi previously served from 1996 to 2012 at Eli Lilly and Company, where she held technical and leadership roles of increasing scope and responsibility, including as senior director and scientific director in global health outcomes and regulatory affairs, respectively. Prior to joining Lilly, Dr Melfi held various faculty and research positions at Indiana University, including appointments in its Economics Department, School of Public and Environmental Affairs, and School of Medicine. Dr Melfi received her PhD in economics from the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill and BS in Economics from John Carroll University. J. Steven Whitaker, MD, JD, has served as our vice president, clinical development since joining Omeros in March 2010 and served as our chief medical officer from March 2010 through August 2018 and from November 2019 through October 2023. From May 2008 to March 2010, Dr Whitaker served as the chief medical officer, vice president of clinical development at Allon Therapeutics, Inc., a biotechnology company focused on developing drugs for neurodegenerative diseases. From August 2007 to May 2008, he served as a medical consultant to Accelerator Corporation, a biotechnology-company investor and incubator. From May 1994 to May 2007, Dr Whitaker served at ICOS Corporation, which was acquired by Eli Lilly & Company in 2007. At ICOS, he held roles of increasing responsibility in clinical research and medical affairs, most recently as divisional vice president, clinical research as well as medical director of the CIALIS® global product team. Dr Whitaker received his MD from the Indiana University School of Medicine, his JD from the University of Washington, and his BS from Butler University. Peter W. Williams joined Omeros in June 2020 as our vice president of human resources. Mr Williams brings over 20 years of experience in leading HR teams and programs. Before joining Omeros, Mr Williams served as the senior vice president of human resources at Redbox from 2016 to 2019 where he led the HR and internal communications functions. From 2009 to 2016, Mr Williams worked at Outerwall (fka Coinstar) in a series of positions of increasing responsibility, including the role of vice president of HR operations. Prior to 2009, Mr Williams held HR leadership roles at various technology and consumer focused companies, including Washington Mutual, Sterling Commerce, Expedia, and Verio. Mr Williams holds undergraduate degrees in Business Administration and English from the University of Washington.
Gregory A. Demopulos, MD, founded our company and has served as our president, chief executive officer, and chairman of the board of directors since June 1994. Prior to founding Omeros, Dr Demopulos completed his residency in orthopedic surgery at Stanford University and his fellowship training in hand and microvascular surgery at Duke University. In 2019, Dr Demopulos was a recipient of the Prix Galien Canada Research Award. He has authored more than 25 articles and reviews in peer-reviewed publications and is an inventor on 56 issued US patents and over 1000 issued and allowed foreign patents. Dr Demopulos currently serves on the board of trustees of the Smead Funds Trust, an open-end mutual fund company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940. Dr Demopulos received his MD from the Stanford University School of Medicine and his BS from Stanford University. Dr Bumol has served on our board of directors since February 2019. He served as Executive Vice President of the Allen Institute for Immunology in Seattle, Washington, from March 2018 until August 2022, and is a former longtime senior executive at Eli Lilly and Company. Prior to joining the Allen Institute, Dr Bumol was the senior vice president of biotechnology and immunology research and the site head of Lilly’s Biotechnology Center in San Diego. While at Lilly, Dr Bumol’s teams and collaborators advanced over 100 molecules into clinical development, including TRULICITY® (dulaglutide), TALTZ® (ixekizumab), EMGALITY® (galcanezumab), and mirikizumab. Through strategic alliances, he and his teams also helped develop and support REOPRO® (abciximab) with Centocor as well as OLUMIANT® (baricitinib) with Incyte. Dr Bumol has over 50 publications and reviews and eight issued US patents. Dr Bumol serves on the University of Michigan Technology Transfer National Advisory Board and as an advisor to Lilly Ventures. He is a member of the Board of Directors of Tentarix Biotherapeutics LP, a private biotechnology company, and serves as a scientific advisor to a number of biotechnology and immunology companies. Dr Bumol earned his BS degree in microbiology from the University of Michigan and his PhD in microbiology-immunology from the University of Minnesota. He completed postdoctoral studies through a fellowship in the Department of Molecular Immunology at Scripps Research in La Jolla, California. Thomas J. Cable has served on our board of directors since January 1995 and as our Lead Independent Director since 2010. Mr Cable is the vice chairman of the board of the Washington Research Foundation, a technology transfer and early-stage venture capital organization affiliated with the University of Washington, which he cofounded in 1980. He also founded Cable & Howse Ventures, a venture capital firm, and Cable, Howse & Ragen, an investment banking firm, and co-founded Montgomery Securities, an investment banking firm acquired by Bank of America. A former US Navy submarine officer, Mr Cable received his MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business and his BA from Harvard University. Arnold C. Hanish has served on our board of directors since September 2012. From 1994 until his retirement in December 2012, Mr Hanish served as vice president and chief accounting officer at Eli Lilly and Company. Prior to his appointment as chief accounting officer, Mr Hanish held a number of senior financial positions at Eli Lilly. Before Eli Lilly, he held various positions at Arthur Young & Company (currently Ernst & Young) for nearly 14 years. Mr Hanish currently serves as a member of the board of directors of Salarius Pharmaceuticals and was a member of the Deloitte and Touche Audit Quality Review Council from 2013 through December 2023. Mr Hanish was a member of the Standing Advisory Group of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board from 2004 through 2008 and from 2011 through 2012. In addition, he served from 2007 to 2010 as the chairperson of Financial Executives International’s Committee on Corporate Reporting. Mr Hanish was inducted into the Financial Executives International Hall of Fame in 2016. He is a Certified Public Accountant and earned his BA in accounting from the University of Cincinnati. Leroy E. Hood, MD, PhD, has served on our board of directors since March 2001. Dr Hood is chief strategy officer and professor at the Institute for Systems Biology, a nonprofit research institute dedicated to the study and application of systems biology. Dr Hood co-founded the Institute for Systems Biology in 2000 and served as its president through December 2017. He is the founding chief executive officer of Phenome Health, a non-profit organization dedicated to the development of phenomics as a tool for assessing and optimizing individual health. Previously, Dr Hood served as senior vice president and chief science officer of Providence St Joseph Health, a multi-state, not-for-profit health system, from 2016 to 2021. Dr Hood was founder and chairman of the Department of Molecular Biotechnology at the University of Washington School of Medicine. Dr Hood also co-founded Amgen, Inc., Applied Biosystems, Inc., Darwin Molecular Technologies, Inc., Rosetta Inpharmatics, Inc., and SyStemix, Inc. Dr Hood is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, and the National Academy of Medicine. He has published more than 850 peer-reviewed articles, holds over 30 patents and is the recipient of numerous national and international awards, including the National Medal of Science, the Lasker Award, and the Kyoto Prize. Dr Hood received his PhD and BS from the California Institute of Technology and his MD from The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Diana T. Perkinson, MD, has served on our board of directors since May 2023. Dr Perkinson is a physician at MD2 International LLC, a premier national concierge medicine network, where she has practiced since 2009. She holds dual board certifications in nephrology and internal medicine. From 1987 to 2009, Dr Perkinson practiced nephrology and internal medicine at Minor & James Medical, in Seattle. She previously served as a clinical assistant professor in the division of nephrology at the University of Washington, from 1987 until 2009, and as medical director, transplantation, at Swedish Hospital, from 1996 until 2007. Dr Perkinson also served as a major in the United States Air Force and as director of the dialysis unit at Wilford Hall Medical Center at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas from 1984 until 1987. Dr Perkinson received her MD from the University of Alabama and her BS from Birmingham Southern College. She completed her fellowship in nephrology at the University of Washington. Rajiv Shah, MD has served on our board of directors since June 2015. Dr Shah has served as the president of the Rockefeller Foundation since February 2017. From March 2015 to February 2017, Dr Shah was the managing partner of Latitude Capital, an emerging markets private equity firm that he founded. Dr Shah served as administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) from January 2010 to February 2015. Prior to his appointment at USAID, Dr Shah served as undersecretary and chief scientist at the US Department of Agriculture, during which time he created the National Institute for Food and Agriculture. Prior to working in government, he worked in senior roles at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, where he led efforts in global health, agriculture, and financial services. Dr Shah also serves on the boards of trustees of the Rockefeller Foundation and the National Geographic Society. He is a member of the Defense Policy Board. Dr Shah serves on the boards of directors of several private biotechnology companies, including Altos Labs and Mobius Scientific. Dr Shah holds a BS from the University of Michigan, an MS in health economics from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, and an MD from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.
Leadership
Leadership Team
Gregory A. Demopulos, MD
David J. Borges
Peter B. Cancelmo, JD
General Counsel and SecretaryNadia Dac
Mariana N. Dimitrova, PhD
Chemistry, Manufacturing, and ControlsGeorge A. Gaitanaris, MD, PhD
Andreas Grauer, MD
Catherine A. Melfi, PhD
J. Steven Whitaker, MD, JD
Clinical DevelopmentPeter W. Williams
Human ResourcesBoard of Directors
Gregory A. Demopulos, MD
Thomas F. Bumol, PhD
Thomas J. Cable
Peter A. Demopulos, MD
Arnold C. Hanish
Leroy E. Hood, MD, PhD
Diana T. Perkinson, MD
Rajiv Shah, MD
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