Meet the People Pioneering Innovative Advanced Therapies

Arnaud is co-founder, CEO and chief scientific officer at Aurion. Before Aurion, Arnaud spent 12 years at Novartis where he directed cell and gene therapy programs and built iPSC, CAR-T and ophthalmology cell therapy platforms.

At Novartis, Arnaud and his team were responsible for advancing clinical candidates from early discovery to clinical stages. Prior to Novartis, Arnaud was the director of Rockefeller University’s stem cell facility, and co-founder and chief scientific officer of Inseron, which developed genetic biomarkers for drug discovery and pathway profiling.

Arnaud holds an MBA from Boston University, a PhD in Life Sciences from the Université Pierre et Marie Curie (Paris VI), and an undergraduate degree from the University of Bordeaux.

Andrew Torres leads all things CMC at Aurion Biotech. Andrew has a deep background in process, analytical, formulation, CMC regulatory strategy and operations, quality control, supply chain and GMP manufacturing. Before joining Aurion Biotech, Andrew held leadership roles at Molecular Templates, Neoleukin Therapeutics, Regeneron, and GE Global Research, where as a lead scientist he supported numerous projects for both government and industry.

Andrew holds more than 30 patents and has authored numerous scientific articles. Andrew obtained a PhD in chemistry and biochemistry from Northwestern University.

Eris Jordan is responsible for clinical trial strategy, development and execution. In addition, she manages relationships with Aurion Biotech’s medical advisors, KOLs and clinical trial investigators. She provides strategic and tactical support to the company’s scientific, clinical and regulatory teams, as well as medical counsel for communications and publications.

As a seasoned practicing clinician, her insights and perspectives on patients’ needs are critical to Aurion Biotech’s mission and strategy. Before Aurion Biotech, Eris served as Senior Director of Medical Affairs at CorneaGen. Previously, she was a clinical team lead and surgeon educator at AcuFocus, Inc., and tasked with delivering both clinical and strategic success. Before AcuFocus, Eris was an executive clinical outcomes specialist in Bausch & Lomb’s surgical division. Before transitioning to the ophthalmic industry, she spent a decade providing direct patient care and serving as a clinic director for a cornea and anterior segment surgical practice.

Eris completed her post-graduate training at Bascom Palmer Eye Care Institute, the #1 US ranked multi-specialty eye care institute. She earned her Doctor of Optometry and Bachelors of Optical Sciences degrees in a fast-tracked program from Pennsylvania College of Optometry/Salus University, and graduated with highest clinical honors.

Sterling manages worldwide global regulatory affairs and quality for Aurion Biotech. He has more than 19 years of pharmaceutical Regulatory Affairs experience, encompassing a broad range of functions including Regulatory Affairs, Quality Assurance, Pharmacovigilance, Medical Writing and Publications. In addition, he has worked on the successful submission and approval of multiple INDs, NDAs and sBLAs in the US, EU, Canada and Japan. Before joining Aurion Biotech, Sterling held regulatory leadership roles at Neolukin Therapeutics, Molecular Templates, Immatics, US, Seattle Genetics, Astellas Pharmaceuticals, Takeda Pharmaceuticals and Abbott Laboratories.

Sterling holds a BA in Political Science and a BS in Biology from the University of Michigan, and a Regulatory and Quality Assurance certificate from Purdue University.

Sherita is responsible for leading the execution of the clinical strategy alongside the clinical and medical teams. Prior to joining Aurion, Sherita led Clinical Operations before transitioning to leading the Program Management Office at Ocular Therapeutix. Sherita has held various clinical operations and quality roles at Radius Health, Spinal Motion, Baxter Healthcare, and Otsuka and led the team assigned to Wet AMD at Regenxbio.

For more than 20 years, Sherita has gained valuable experience collaborating with cross-functional teams consistently meeting timeline and budgetary milestones. Sherita holds a BA in Psychology from American University, and an MA in Human Services Counseling and PhD in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from Liberty University.

Matt brings to Aurion a deep, varied operating and strategy track record in finance, GAAP accounting, financial analysis and financial reporting for public and private hyper-growth companies. He has held numerous senior leadership roles, most recently as CFO at POSaBIT, as SVP Finance and Accounting at AuthenticID, and as VP of Finance at Phytelligence. Previously, Matt held corporate controller roles at Rhapsody International and Ominto and was a partner and co-founder of Strata Partners, a boutique investment banking firm.

Matt holds an MBA from Gonzaga University, and both a graduate accounting certificate and BA in Economics from the University of Washington.

Sara Rosetti joins Aurion with deep experience in leading human resources teams in emerging growth life sciences, financial and insurance companies. She has implemented successful programs for talent and performance management, leadership and management development, organizational assessment, coaching, employee relations, compensation and benefits, and global strategy development. Before joining Aurion, Sara had executive HR roles at argenx, Compass Therapeutics, Sobi, and Takeda Oncology. In addition, she is an adjunct professor of psychology at Endicott College.

Sara holds an MA and PhD in Psychology from Emory University and a BA in Psychology from SUNY Buffalo.

For over 20 years, Judith has held marketing and communications leadership roles and consulted to leading tech and biotech companies, including Adaptive Biotechnologies, Hyperion Therapeutics, Trius Therapeutics, CoTherix, Novacea, Identity Digital (formerly Donuts, Inc.), Avalara, and many others.

Her expertise is in marketing and brand strategy, demand generation, field sales enablement and stakeholder communications. As founder and principal of Keen Consulting, Judith provided strategic counsel to over 70 companies in preparation for the IPO road show and she helped hundreds of others in preparing their private fundraising presentations. Judith holds an MBA from the Amos Tuck School at Dartmouth College and a BA from Middlebury College.

Professor Shigeru Kinoshita, MD, PhD, graduated from Osaka University Medical School in 1974. In 1992, he was appointed professor and chair of the department of ophthalmology at Kyoto Prefecture University of Medicine (KPUM). Since 2015, he has held the title of professor and chair in the department of frontier medical science and technology for ophthalmology at KPUM.

In the early 1980s at Harvard University’s Schepens Eye Research Institute, he (in collaboration with Dr. Richard A. Thoft) established the concept of centripetal movement of the corneal epithelium, and his groundbreaking work has shed new light on the importance of the limbal epithelium. His series of findings has had an enormous impact on this subject, ultimately contributing to the development of the corneal endothelial cell theory.

Dr. Kinoshita is a recipient of the 1999 Alcon Research Institute Award and the 2008 Castroviejo Medal Lecturer of the Cornea Society. He served as an ARVO Program Committee Member in the Cornea Section between 1996 and 1999, and was Vice President of ARVO in 2011. Dr. Kinoshita has also served as Associate Editor of Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science, and as an Editorial Board Member of Experimental Eye Research and Cornea.

Dr. Edward Holland is the director of Cornea Services at Cincinnati Eye Institute and professor of ophthalmology at the University of Cincinnati. He attended the Loyola Medical School in Chicago and trained in ophthalmology at the University of Minnesota. He completed a fellowship in cornea and external disease at the University of Iowa, and then a second fellowship in ocular immunology at the National Eye Institute. Prior to his current position, Dr. Holland served as director of the cornea service at the University of Minnesota and was promoted to the position of professor and was granted the Lyon Chair in ophthalmology.

Dr. Holland was a former member of the Board of Trustees for the American Academy of Ophthalmology and received both the Senior Achievement Award and Life Achievement Honor Award from the AAO. He also served as the president of American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery and presently serves as the program chair. He received the ASCRS top award, the Binkhorst Medal, in 2008.

Dr. Holland has served as the chair of the Eye Bank Association and was the former chair of their Medical Advisory Board. He was a recipient of the 2002 Paton Society Award given by the EBAA. Dr. Holland is a past president of the Cornea Society and previously served on its Board of Directors for over 20 years. He was awarded the Castroviejo Award from the Cornea Society in 2013.

Dr. Holland has a national and international reputation for his knowledge and expertise in the field of cornea and external disease. He is frequently invited to attend lectures both nationally and internationally. Dr. Holland is the author of over 250 articles in peer-reviewed journals and has co-edited 5 editions of Cornea, the most widely read textbook on corneal disease and surgery.

Dr. John Berdahl specializes in advanced cataract, corneal and glaucoma surgery at Vance Thompson Vision in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. He earned his medical doctorate, graduating with honors from Mayo Medical School in Rochester, Minnesota, and finished his internship at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona. He completed an ophthalmology residency at Duke University where his published work, research, teaching and care of patients brought him many honors, including best resident and national recognition as first-place winner of the Resident Writers Award. Dr. Berdahl pursued additional advanced surgical training at one of the most coveted cornea and glaucoma fellowships in the country at Minnesota Eye Consultants. As a fellow he received the Claes Dohlman Award from Harvard University, which is given to the top cornea fellow in the country.

Dr. Berdahl has published numerous book chapters and peer-reviewed articles, and his extensive research has been presented nationally and internationally. His commitment to those in need is demonstrated by his leadership role in EyeCare America and the numerous surgical mission trips he continues to participate in worldwide. Dr. Berdahl was recently selected as one of the top 40 ophthalmologists under 40 years old in the world and the top young physician in South Dakota.

Dr. Clara Chan is a specialist in cornea, cataract and refractive surgery. She is currently a Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of Toronto and the President of the Canadian Cornea, External Disease and Refractive Surgery Society. She teaches fellows as part of the Cornea fellowship program at the Toronto Western Hospital and is the Medical Director of the Eye Bank of Canada, Ontario Division.

Dr. Chan has published more than 140 peer-reviewed papers, and has taught courses and lectured at international meetings. She received the American Academy of Ophthalmology Achievement Award in 2015, serves on the Cornea Clinical Committee of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons, and is a Cornea Section Editor for the Canadian Journal of Ophthalmology and the Cornea Editor Emeritus for Eyeworld magazine. Most recently, Dr. Chan was included in The 2021 Ophthalmologist Power List, recognizing the top 100 most influential figures in ophthalmology, internationally.

Deepinder K. Dhaliwal, MD, L.Ac, is professor of Ophthalmology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, chief of Refractive Surgery, and vice chair of the Department of Ophthalmology for Wellness and Communications. Dr. Dhaliwal also serves as the director of the UPMC Vision Institute’s Laser Vision Center, the associate medical director of the Campbell Ophthalmic Microbiology Laboratory and the Clinical co-director of the Corneal Regeneration Laboratory at the University of Pittsburgh.

Dr. Dhaliwal earned her medical degree from Northwestern University in the Honors Program in Medical Education where she was selected to be a member of the prestigious Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society. She completed her residency in ophthalmology at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and was selected as chief resident her final year. She then pursued fellowship training in cornea and refractive surgery at the University of Utah. She became a licensed acupuncturist in 2006 and founded the Center for Integrative Eye Care at the University of Pittsburgh to research integrative treatments for eye disease.

Dr. Dhaliwal holds leadership positions in the Cornea Society, the International Society of Refractive Surgery, and the Eye and Contact Lens Association/CLAO. Dr. Dhaliwal is a recognized expert in her field and teaches corneal, cataract, and refractive surgical techniques to other ophthalmologists globally. In addition to teaching and research activities, she has authored several book chapters, numerous journal articles, and serves on the editorial board of several ophthalmology journals. In recognition of her clinical and surgical skills, she has been selected as a “Top Doctor” by her peers every year since 2006. She has been selected to be on the ​Power List 100 in The Ophthalmologist (“Top 100 most influential people in the world of ophthalmology”), and received the ​International Society of Refractive Surgery Casebeer Award for “outstanding contribution to research and development of refractive surgery”, and the ISRS Founders Award for “extraordinary contributions to the growth and advancement of the Society and its mission”. In addition, she has received the Senior Achievement Award from the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

Dr. Eric Donnenfeld is a founding partner of Ophthalmic Consultants of Long Island and Connecticut. He graduated magna cum laude from Dartmouth College in 1977 and first in his class at Dartmouth Medical School in 1980. He was a resident and Chief Resident at Manhattan Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital and he completed a Cornea Fellowship at Wills Eye Hospital in 1985. He is a trustee of Dartmouth Medical School and a clinical professor of Ophthalmology at NYU.

Dr. Donnenfeld has served as resident instructor at Manhattan Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital and as program director at North Shore University Hospital. He is a national medical director of TLC and surgical director of the Lions Eye Bank for Long Island. Dr. Donnenfeld served as president of many professional societies including the Nassau Surgical Society, cornea section of ASCRS, the ophthalmology division of the Nassau Academy of Medicine, and the International Ocular Microbiology and Immunology Group. He is the past president of ASCRS and is in the presidential succession line for the International Intraocular Implant Society. Dr. Donnenfeld is the editor-in-chief of EyeWorld and the editor-in-chief emeritus of Cataract and Refractive Surgery Today.

He has written over 200 peer review papers on cornea, external disease, cataract and refractive surgery, and 30 book chapters and books. He is on the editorial board of 9 journals and has participated in over 60 FDA studies. He was a primary investigator of both the excimer laser and femtosecond laser for cataract surgery. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and has received its Honor Award, Senior Honor Award, Lifetime Achievement Award, and Secretariat Award.

Dr. Marjan Farid is director of the cornea, cataract, and refractive surgery and vice chair of ophthalmic faculty at the Gavin Herbert Eye Institute at the University of California Irvine. Dr. Farid graduated summa cum laude from UCLA with a degree in Biology. She earned her medical degree at UC San Diego in 2002. She then came to UC Irvine where she went on to complete her residency and fellowship training in cornea under the mentorship of Dr. Roger Steinert.

Dr. Farid’s clinical practice is divided between patient care, teaching, and research. She serves on the Residency Education Committee and is the director of the cornea fellowship program at the Gavin Herbert Eye Institute. She performs all forms of corneal transplantation – including femtosecond-enabled and lamellar keratoplasty (DSEK and DALK). Additionally, Dr. Farid serves as an associate medical director for SightLife. She also serves as an editorial board member of Ophthalmology, the leading journal in the field.

Dr. Nicole Fram is a nationally recognized ophthalmologist in refractive and complex cataract surgery, corneal transplantation, and external disease. She is the managing partner of Advanced Vision Care and a clinical instructor of ophthalmology at the Stein Eye Institute, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). She completed her residency at the prestigious Wills Eye Hospital and served as the co-chief resident, followed by a fellowship in cornea and external disease at Francis I. Proctor Foundation, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF).

She has authored numerous peer-reviewed articles and textbook chapters in the areas of cataract and corneal disease. She serves as the chair of the cataract subcommittee of the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO), the editor of the cataract consultation section of the Journal of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (JCRS) and is an active member of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons (ASCRS) cataract committee.

Dr. Fram is passionate about being an early adopter and implementing innovative medical and surgical techniques to advance the field of ophthalmology. She participates in multiple clinical trials and investigator-initiated research in the areas of cataract and corneal disease. Dr. Fram lectures both nationally and internationally and enjoys teaching innovative surgical techniques to colleagues, residents and fellows.

Dr. Matthew Giegengack is currently an associate professor at Wake Forest University Eye Center and the co-director of the Wake Forest cornea fellowship program. Dr. Giegengack received his undergraduate degree from Yale University and completed medical school at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, followed by an ophthalmology residency and fellowship at the Casey Eye Institute in Portland, OR. He joined the faculty at Wake Forest University School of Medicine in 2007 and has become one of the busiest cornea transplant surgeons in North Carolina, performing DSEK surgery for the entirety of his career, and DMEK for appropriate cases since 2014.

Dr. Giegengack has been a medical director for SightLife Eye Bank, and has been involved in SightLife’s global outreach, teaching and performing cornea surgery in India, Nepal, Honduras, and Ethiopia. He currently serves as co-medical director for CorneaGen, Inc.

Dr. Jose L. Güell is the director of the cornea and refractive surgery unit at the Instituto de Microcirugia Ocular de Barcelona (IMO). He studied Medicine and Surgery at the Universitat de Barcelona (UB). Dr. Guell completed his residency at UAB Vall d’Hebrón and a clinical fellowship in cornea and refractive surgery at Emory University. Prior to IMO, Dr. Guell was the director of cornea and refractive surgery in the ophthalmology department of the Vall d’Hebrón Hospital.

Dr. Güell’s areas of interest are full and partial thickness corneal transplantation (Deep Anterior lamellar keratoplasty and endothelial keratoplasty), complex cataract and anterior segment reconstructive procedures, including permanent keratoprothesis surgery (artificial cornea). He has lectured nationally and internationally on these topics. Dr. Güell has given 700 talks at global meetings and conferences, and he has published 250 articles in peer-reviewed journals, as well as several book chapters. Dr. Güell is the former president of the IMO Foundation, and he is a member of the Catalan Academy of Medicine and director of the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons (ESCRS). He is scientific coordinator and professor of the cornea and refractive surgery module, ESASO, European School for Advanced Studies in Ophthalmology in Lugano, Switzerland.

Dr. Terry Kim, professor of ophthalmology at Duke University Eye Center, received his medical degree from Duke University School of Medicine and completed his residency and chief residency in ophthalmology at Emory Eye Center. He continued with his fellowship training in cornea, external disease and refractive surgery at Wills Eye Hospital, and was then recruited to Duke University Eye Center, where he serves as principal and co-investigator on many research grants. Dr. Kim has published more than 300 peer-reviewed journal articles, textbook chapters, and scientific abstracts. He has earned honors and grants from the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO), National Institutes of Health, Fight for Sight/Research to Prevent Blindness, the Heed Ophthalmic Foundation, Alcon Laboratories and Allergan.

Dr. Kim serves on the Executive Committee of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS), the Annual Program Committee of the AAO, and the Executive Committee and Board of Directors of the Cornea Society. He also serves as consultant to the ophthalmic devices panel of the FDA and to numerous ophthalmic companies.

Dr. Richard Lindstrom is the founder and attending surgeon at Minnesota Eye Consultants, Adjunct Clinic Professor Emeritus at the University of Minnesota Department of Ophthalmology and visiting professor at the UC Irvine Gavin Herbert Eye Institute. Dr. Lindstrom is a board-certified ophthalmologist and internationally recognized leader in corneal, cataract, refractive, glaucoma and laser surgery. He has been at the forefront of ophthalmology’s evolutionary changes throughout his career, as a recognized researcher, teacher, inventor, writer, lecturer and highly acclaimed physician and surgeon.

After graduating magna cum laude from the College of Liberal Arts at the University of Minnesota, Dr. Lindstrom completed his doctorate degree in medicine in 1972. He has been awarded over 40 patents in ophthalmology and has developed a number of corneal preservation solutions, intraocular lenses and instruments that are used in clinical practices globally. He has co-edited 7 books, and published over 350 peer-reviewed journals and 60 book chapters.

He is the recipient of numerous awards for distinguished service by national and international ophthalmology associations, including the LANS, Barraquer and the first lifetime achievement award from the International Society of Refractive Surgery.

Dr. Elizabeth Yeu earned her medical degree through an accelerated program at the University of Florida College of Medicine that combined undergraduate education and medical school. She completed her ophthalmology residency at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, where she served as chief resident. Dr. Yeu continued to the Cullen Eye Institute, Baylor College of Medicine, to complete a fellowship in cornea, anterior segment and refractive surgery, where she was an assistant professor after her fellowship training. Dr. Yeu joined Virginia Eye Consultants in 2013, and also continues her commitment to residency training in ophthalmology as an assistant professor at the Eastern Virginia Medical School.

Dr. Yeu provides guidance and governance across several national medical boards and committees, including as an examiner for the American Board of Ophthalmology, current Chair of the Young Eye Surgeons (YES) Committee of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS), and as a Communications Secretariat for the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO).

Dr. Yeu has authored numerous articles and is a frequent lecturer in the areas of refractive cataract surgery, anterior segment reconstruction, ocular surface disease management and surgical management of astigmatism. She is the incoming editor-in-chief of US Ophthalmic Review and serves as the medical editor of the digital journal, Millennial Eye. Dr. Yeu was awarded The Ophthalmologist’s global Top 40 Under 40 honors in 2015, and more recently recognized as Top 40 Under 40 through Virginia’s Inside Business journal.

Thomas Hudnall is Vice President – Corporate Legal and Assistant Corporate Secretary at Alcon, a global leader in ophthalmology.  He has served at Alcon in various legal roles since 2008.  He has broad expertise in corporate finance, governance, securities, M&A, licensing and other strategic corporate transactions.  Before joining Alcon, Tom served as Assistant Vice President, Corporate and Securities Counsel at D.R. Horton, Inc., a national homebuilder.  Before that, he was a corporate attorney at the law firm of Winstead P.C., focused on corporate finance, securities and M&A.  Tom holds a B.S. in Economics from Texas A&M University and a J.D. with Honors from the University of Texas School of Law.

Dr. Joe Rappon serves as the Vice President and Head of Alcon’s R&D Pharma Platform, leading the pharmaceutical research and development organization and technical capabilities. Having held leadership positions at SightGlass Vision and Alcon (Novartis), he has extensive experience in clinical and technical development, medical affairs, and program management. His mission is to help patients see better by developing and launching innovative ophthalmic products.

Dr. Rappon received his Doctor of Optometry and Master of Science degrees from SUNY College of Optometry and completed the American Course on Drug Development and Regulatory Sciences at UC San Francisco.

Christine McCauley is Corporate Vice President, Global Human Resources, for Edwards Lifesciences. Christine has served in this role since 2012 and has over 30 years of experience working in all the functional disciplines of Human Resources. Christine leads the network of more than 300 global HR professionals who provide programs and services for approximately 13,000 Edwards employees in over 40 countries, of which more than 4,000 are located in Orange County.

Christine’s leadership is fueled by a passion for Edwards’ patient-focused mission and fostering an inclusive culture where all employees engage, grow, and thrive. Christine’s broad expertise in HR and leadership, as well as her strategic mindset for developing and mobilizing talent, have contributed to the success of the global corporate strategy since the inception of Edwards in 2000. Her authentic and caring leadership style is one she generously offers not only within Edwards but also in the community, where she serves as a member on several boards.

Before joining Edwards Lifesciences in 1999, Christine held a variety of HR positions at Texas Instruments, Loral (Ford) Aerospace, and Bally’s Health and Tennis. She earned a dual bachelor’s degree in business administration and organizational effectiveness at The College at Brockport State University of New York and a master’s degree in human resource management from Chapman University.