Meet the Team
Randy Hubbell, President & CEO
Prior to Carmell Therapeutics, Randy was the Chief Commercial Officer for Cardiva Medical, a start-up medical device company focused on delivering technology to reduce the complications associated with vascular access. In this role, Randy successfully designed and implemented the commercial strategy and execution to drive the sales of Cardiva’s vascular closure device product line. Before Cardiva, Randy was with Johnson & Johnson for 13 years in various sales and marketing roles, his last role as a Worldwide Vice President at Ethicon Biosurgery. Before moving to Ethicon, Randy worked in the J&J pharmaceutical sector as the WWVP for Global Strategic Marketing (PGSM) for the pain and cardiovascular therapeutic areas. Prior to J&J PGSM, Randy was Executive Director of Strategic Alliances at Cordis Cardiology. Randy started at Cordis in 2001 as Director of Stent Marketing and had responsibility for the launch of CYPHER®, the first drug-eluting stent, in the US market in 2003. In 2000, Randy had responsibility for sales and marketing at Enmed, an Internet start-up with web-based technology for conducting clinical trials. From 1998 to 2000, Randy was Executive Director of Sales and Marketing for Vasca, a start-up medical device company. Prior to Vasca, Randy was in sales and marketing for Boston Scientific from 1993 to 1998 and prior to BSC, Randy was in sales for IBM from 1985 to 1993. Randy received his Masters in Business Administration from Loyola University and his Bachelors of Science from Tulane University.
Donna Godward, Chief Quality Officer
Donna Godward retired from Johnson & Johnson in 2016 where she served as Chief Quality Officer, Medical Devices & Diagnostics (MD&D) from 2010-2016. As Chief Quality Officer, Ms. Godward provided strategic direction and oversight for all areas of quality and regulatory compliance across the global MD&D business sector. She partnered with senior business leaders to assure end-to-end quality and regulatory compliance, from development through manufacturing, distribution and end-customer use. As a member of the Quality & Compliance Leadership Team, she was responsible for recommending policy and developing standards across Johnson & Johnson. Prior to this role, Ms. Godward served as Worldwide Vice President of Regulatory, Quality & Compliance for the Cordis franchise, with responsibility for quality assurance, regulatory affairs, regulatory compliance and healthcare compliance. During her tenure, Ms. Godward built strong partnerships with operations and R&D to improve effectiveness in new product development and launches, and strengthened the global capability of the function. A leader in quality leadership development, Ms. Godward also was instrumental in helping to create the Johnson & Johnson Executive Quality Leadership Development Program. She also served as co-chair of the Johnson & Johnson Global Quality Council and as a member of the Johnson & Johnson Supply Chain Council. Ms. Godward joined Johnson & Johnson in 2000 as Executive Director, Quality, Regulatory & Compliance, for Ortho-Clinical Diagnostics, Inc. (OCD). She later assumed the role of Worldwide Vice President of Quality, Regulatory & Compliance for OCD, with responsibility for quality systems, regulatory affairs and compliance for all manufacturing sites and products worldwide. Prior to joining Johnson & Johnson, Ms. Godward held positions in quality, regulatory and operations with Merck, Bristol Myers Squibb and Steris Corporation. She earned a B.A. in Biological Sciences from Indiana University and an MBA from Washington University.
James Hart, M.D., FACS, FACC, FACCP – Chief Medical Officer
Dr. Hart is an experienced cardiovascular and thoracic surgeon. His medical degree is from the Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine in Hershey, PA and he completed his Surgery and Thoracic Surgery residencies at the same institution at the M.S. Hershey Medical Center. He has been certified by the American Boards of Surgery and Thoracic Surgery and practiced Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery in Harrisburg, PA for 20 years. He attained Fellowship status in the American College of Surgeons, the American College of Cardiology, and the American College of Chest Physicians. He is a Member of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (retired) and is the author of numerous peer reviewed articles mostly centered around the topics of less invasive cardiac surgery.
After retiring from his clinical practice, Dr. Hart accepted a position with Johnson & Johnson, serving 12 years in multiple roles of increasing responsibility, being named VP Medical Operations in 2006, Worldwide VP, Evidence Based Medicine and Chief Medical Officer for Ethicon in 2011 and, finally, Chief Medical Officer and VP Medical Affairs for J&J’s Global Surgery Group in 2012. Dr. Hart was very active with the regulatory, clinical and evidence-based medicine strategies and execution for Ethicon Biosurgery, including new and novel BLA (Biologic License Application) technologies approved by CBER (Center for Biologics Evaluation & Research). He received the prestigious Johnson Award in 2012 for his pioneering work in biologics.
Janet M. Vargo, Ph.D., Vice President, Clinical Sciences
Throughout her 17-year career in the medical products industry, Dr. Vargo has advised companies and negotiated with regulatory bodies on clinical trial designs and regulatory strategies for innovative, state-of-the-art devices, diagnostics, biomarkers, biologics, and combination products. She has managed global clinical and regulatory operations both through internal teams and outsourced models. Dr. Vargo has planned and executed major organizational changes resulting from mergers, acquisitions, or outsourcing. In addition to designing and executing pivotal clinical studies, she evaluates early phase clinical and non-clinical data to help inform pivotal study designs, and evaluates new business opportunities from clinical, regulatory, and key stakeholder adoption perspectives. In addition to her role at Carmell Therapeutics, Dr. Vargo serves as a Strategic Advisor of Clinical Development & Regulatory Affairs in the Medical Device Practice of YourEncore™, a leading provider of resource and consulting services in the Life Sciences space. From 2012 to 2015 Dr. Vargo was Board Member and Head of Clinical and Regulatory Affairs for Mentor, LLC, a Johnson & Johnson Company. Prior to her work at Mentor she advised on clinical trial design, device and biologics safety analyses, due diligence efforts, and regulatory strategy for new-to-the-world products for the entire Johnson & Johnson Medical Device and Diagnostic sector from 2011 to 2015. In her corporate Johnson & Johnson position, Janet originated and led a Johnson & Johnson enterprise-wide program to leverage the company’s vast internal expertise to benefit higher-risk, novel product development efforts. This Independent Review Program helped to develop Johnson & Johnson’s talent and improved the probability of success for business-critical development programs. Janet obtained her doctorate in Behavioral Neuroscience at Miami University of Ohio, with emphases in mechanisms of recovery of function after brain injury, statistics, and experimental design.
Board of Directors
Randy Hubbell, President & Chief Executive Officer, Chairman
Randy Hubbell, formerly Chief Commercial Officer for Cardiva Medical, a start-up medical device company focused on delivering technology to reduce the complications associated with vascular access. In this role, Randy’s responsibility was to design, install and validate the successful commercial model and go-to-market strategy. Before Cardiva, Randy was with Johnson & Johnson for 13 years in various sales and marketing roles, most recently as VP of Global Strategic Marketing at Ethicon Biosurgery. Before moving to Ethicon, Randy worked in the J&J pharmaceutical sector as the WWVP for Global Strategic Marketing (PGSM) for the pain and cardiovascular therapeutic areas. Prior to J&J PGSM, Randy was Executive Director of Strategic Alliances at Cordis Cardiology. Randy started at Cordis in 2001 as Director of Stent Marketing and had responsibility for the launch of CYPHER in the US market in 2003. In 2000, Randy had responsibility for sales and marketing at Enmed, an Internet start-up with web-based technology for conducting clinical trials. From 1998 to 2000, Randy was Executive Director of Sales and Marketing for Vasca a start-up medical device company. Prior to Vasca, Randy was in sales and marketing for Boston Scientific from 1993 to 1998 and prior to BSC; Randy was in sales for IBM from 1985 to 1993. Randy received his Master’s in Business Administration from Loyola University and his Bachelors of Science from Tulane University.
Richard Upton, Board Member
Richard Upton is a General Partner at Harbor Light Capital Partners, a private investment firm seeking to invest in early stage companies. Previously, he was the founder and President of Upton Advisors, LLC, a boutique investment bank serving middle market and emerging healthcare companies throughout the United States. Mr. Upton has been advising companies since 1992 both as a senior healthcare investment banker for Salomon Brothers and later as an independent adviser. Mr. Upton has completed engagements representing aggregate transaction values in excess of $5 billion. Mr. Upton currently serves on the Boards of Alcyone Lifesciences, Courtagen Life Sciences and Carmell Therapeutics, and previously served on the Board of Home Diagnostics, Inc. (NASDAQ: HDIX – acquired by Nipro Corporation) as well as numerous other private companies. Mr. Upton is a member of the Investment Committee of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, and is the former Chairman of The Pine Hill Waldorf School. Mr. Upton is a founding member of Northeast Angels, an early stage angel investing group. He has also been a youth hockey coach since 2001. Mr. Upton received his MBA degree from The Darden School at the University of Virginia and a dual BA degree in Economics and English from Amherst College.
David W. Anderson, Board Member
David Anderson has been a successful entrepreneur in the orthopedic medical device field for over 25 years. He has led five orthopedic organizations; Orteq Sports Medicine (CEO); Osteotech (Executive VP), Bionx Implants (CEO), Replication Medical (Founder and Director), and Gentis (CEO). Mr. Anderson was a founder of Osteotech and was the founder and CEO of Bionx Implants which he grew through over 60 product approvals to over $20 million in sales in less than three years. He was also part of the team that created Integra LifeSciences and is an active member of the Board of Directors of Aperion Biologics. He has raised over $250 million in venture capital, taken a company through the IPO route onto NASDAQ, and has been a part of multiple M&A transactions.
Orthopedics Advisors
Samir Mehta
Dr. Samir Mehta is Chief, Division of Orthopedic Trauma and Assistant Professor of Orthopedic Surgery at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. A graduate of Northwestern University and Temple University School of Medicine, he completed his internship and orthopedic surgery residency at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, followed by research fellowship at University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and orthopedic trauma fellowship at Harborview Medical Center, University of Washington. Dr. Mehta has been recognized by the Best Doctors in America, 2009-2010 and 2011-2012. Dr. Mehta conducts research in several domains, having published more than 100 papers ranging on topics from fracture healing, nonunions, health policy, education, clinical care, and quality improvement. Over the years, he has also been awarded numerous grants, including industry grants and two grants from the Department of Defense. Dr. Mehta holds numerous honors and awards, including DeForest Willard Award for Best Graduating Resident, University of Pennsylvania Department of Orthopedic Surgery and ASIA/Synthes Research Award.
Aesthetics Advisors
Christopher Hubbell, MD, FAAD
With over thirty years Dermatologic and Aesthetic Medical Skin Care experience, Dr. Christopher R. Hubbell, MD, FAAD, gives you the advantage of advanced medical knowledge, years of experience, the greatest safety and the most advanced and innovative non-surgical techniques in crafting natural-looking results for your unique anatomy.
As an accomplished Board Certified Skin Expert, founder and medical director of Hubbell Dermatology & Aesthetics, he and his team provide the latest techniques in cosmetic enhancements and Medi-Spa Therapies.
Dr. Chris Hubbell graduated from Louisiana State University Medical School in New Orleans, LA in 1986. After completion of a one year internship in Internal Medicine he began his residency in Dermatology at LSU Medical Center and was selected in his fourth year as Chief Resident, completing the program in 1991. He began his career in Baton Rouge at Calais Dermatology.
In 1994 he established his office in New Iberia, a private practice specializing in medical, surgical, laser and aesthetic dermatology, and in 1997 expanded his offices to Lafayette. In 2006, Dr. Hubbell consolidated his offices into Lafayette to foster his passion of helping people look and feel their best.
He is a Board Certified by the American Board of Dermatology since 1991 and completes his re-certification every 10 years. He is committed to continued development of his medical and cosmetic practices by actively pursuing the latest in training and education. Dr. Hubbell has occasion to educate and share his expertise with physicians from the US and from around the globe.
Dr. Amelia K. Hausauer
Dr. Amelia K. Hausauer is the Director of Dermatology and Minimally Invasive Aesthetics for Aesthetx, a hybrid plastic surgery and dermatology practice located in the heart of Silicon Valley. After receiving her bachelor’s degree with the highest honors from Stanford University and medical doctorate from University of California San Francisco (UCSF), Dr. Hausauer completed residency by New York University (NYU), the oldest dermatology training program in the United States, followed by an American Society for Dermatologic Surgery (ASDS) cosmetic surgery fellowship in Beverly Hills.
She is committed to advancing research and innovation, serving as chief editor for the textbook Platelet rich plasma and Microneedling in Aesthetic Medicine, and publishing numerous journal articles and book chapters on fillers, neuromodulators and platelet-based therapies. Dr. Hausauer is on the editorial board for the Dermatologic Surgery Journal and is an active reviewer for over half a dozen other peer reviewed periodicals. She speaks nationally and internationally on these subjects with an active focus on education and commitment to elevating the field of aesthetics.In addition to chairing ASDS work groups that promote patient and physician education, research and industry relations, Dr. Hausauer is a key opinion leader and strategic advisor for continuing medical education, early pipeline innovation, and product research and development for multiple injectable and regenerative companies. Dr. Hausauer has served as investigator and sub-investigator for FDA and independent clinical trials, bringing products to market or validating them with the highest level of evidence.
Stemming from 2 decades as a ballet dancer, Dr. Hausauer is renowned for her integrated approach to health and beauty. She is recognized for her expertise and interest are in all forms of injectables -- fillers to neuromodulators to PRP and regenerative medicine -- helping patients incorporate these procedures into a broader plan that achieves nuanced yet highly impactful results to enhance, not obscure, their aesthetic personality.
Grant Stevens, MD, FACS
Grant Stevens, MD, FACS, is the founder and medical director of Marina Plastic Surgery and the Marina Med Spa in Marina Del Rey, California. He is a Clinical Professor of Plastic Surgery at the University of Southern California, Chairman of the USC-Marina Aesthetic Surgery Fellowship and the Director of the USC Division of Aesthetic Surgery. He is a board certified Diplomate of the American Board of Plastic Surgery and a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and the International College of Surgeons.
Dr. Stevens is past president of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) and chairman of the ASAPS Board of Trustees. He is third Vice President of the board of directors of the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ISAPS). Dr. Stevens is an ASAPS and ISAPS Traveling Professor and an invited visiting professor at numerous U.S. and international universities.
In 2020, he received the coveted Aesthetic Industry Leadership Award presented by the Aesthetic Industry Association. Dr. Stevens has authored more than 90 articles and chapters on aesthetic plastic surgery. He is a member of many medical societies, including ASAPS, ISAPS, American Society of Plastic Surgeons, International College of Surgeons, American College of Surgeons and American Society for Laser Medicine & Surgery.
Suneel Chilukuri, M.D., F.A.A.D., F.A.C.M.S.
Suneel Chilukuri, M.D., F.A.A.D., F.A.C.M.S. Director of Cosmetic Surgery, Refresh Dermatology. Chief of Dermatology & Dermatologic Surgery. A board certified, internationally recognized expert on cosmetic and reconstructive surgery. For over 20 years, Dr. Chilukuri has been perfecting techniques for non-surgical facelifts and advancing how cosmetic dermatology can help patients achieve their skincare goals. He has been published in over 30 medical journals and has over 160 abstracts and presentations around the world. Dr. Chilukuri believes strongly in sharing his knowledge and is an international trainer for numerous cosmetic dermatologic products and procedures.
Locally, Dr. Chilukuri is the Director of Cosmetic Surgery at Refresh Dermatology in Houston, Texas. He has been recognized multiple years as a “Texas Super Doc” and “Houston Top Doc.” He currently serves on the Board of Directors for DASIL, an international group of cosmetic surgeons and dermatologists, and Blade and Light, a charity surgical organization. He is the Scientific Program Director for the upcoming DASIL meeting in Shanghai, China, where he will also serve as the Shanghai, China, Congress President. He is the past President of the Houston Dermatologic Society.
Dental Advisors
James L. Rutkowski D.M.D., PhD.
James L. Rutkowski D.M.D., PhD. is a Pharmacist, Dentist, and has a PhD. in Pharmacology. Dr. Rutkowski’s PhD dissertation was on the use of autogenous platelet concentrates for the development of de novo bone for use in dental implant procedures. He continued his Platelet Concentrate Research as CEO of the Clarion Research Group (CRG) for use in both dental bone grafting and orthopedic spinal fusion surgeries. Dr. Rutkowski has authored multiple publications in peer-reviewed journals and textbook chapters. Jim currently is Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Oral Implantology, a Diplomate/Past-President of the American Board of Oral Implantology/Implant Dentistry (ABOI/ID) and Honored Fellow of the American Academy of Implant Dentistry (AAID). He lectures nationally and internationally on bone grafting materials and techniques. Dr. Rutkowski has been bestowed the Gershkoff-Goldberg Award for service in the field of Implant Dentistry and the Isaih Lew Memorial Research Award for contributions to research in the field of Implant Dentistry.
Dr. Rutkowski maintained a dental practice in Pittsburgh and Clarion, Pennsylvania with a concentration on bone grafting, dental implant placement, and treating apprehensive/medically compromised patients 44 years.
Scientific Advisors
Stephen Badylak, D.V.M., Ph.D., M.D.
Stephen is a Research Professor in the Department of Surgery and Director of Tissue Engineering at the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Badylak is a pioneer in tissue engineering and holds more than 40 US patents, has authored more than 130 scientific publications and six book chapters, and has been a member of several scientific committees. He has either chaired or been a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of several major medical device companies including DePuy Inc. of Warsaw, IN, Cook Biotech of West Lafayette, IN, Genesis Orthopedics of Cambridge, MA , Sentron Medical Ventures of Cincinnati, OH and ACell, Inc. of Jessup, MD. He is a charter member and one of three United States member governors of the Tissue Engineering Society International. He is also a member of the Society for Biomaterials and the Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Biology Society. For his contributions to his field, he has been featured in several publications and has been the recipient of multiple awards, including most recently the Sigma Xi Scientific Society 2002 Research Award.
Israel Nur, Ph.D., MSc.
Dr. Israel Nur has over four decades of research and development (R&D) in biological experience, with a strong focus in plasma and serum derived product industry, in both the public and private sectors. He has proven expertise in developing biosurgical combination products. Most recently, Israel Nur was a senior director at Ethicon, leading the Manufacturing Scientific Team. Before that, he was managing the Ethicon Biosurgery R&D research and innovation team. Prior to the acquisition of Omrix biopharmaceuticals Inc. by JNJ, Dr. Nur was VP, R&D and one of the founders of Omrix. He also developed a line of plasma derived products, including the Intravenous immunoglobulin (OmriGam). During the early 2000s, under his leadership and with the collaboration of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Israel Defense Forces (IDF), the US Army and the Ministry of Defense, Omrix developed and manufactured a line of biodefense and bioterrorism products. Before joining the industry, Dr. Nur was a Visiting Fellow, Laboratory of Biochemical Pharmacology, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), NIH, in Bethesda, Maryland. He started his career in NIH as a research fellow in National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) in Fort Dietrich, Frederick MD. Dr. Nur is an author of 53 publications in peer review journals and an inventor of more than 40 patents. He earned a Doctor of Philosophy in Biochemistry and a Master of Science in Microbiology from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Israel.
Commercial Advisors
Sebby Borriello, Commercial Advisor
Sebby began his career at Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical, a Johnson & Johnson (J&J) company, holding various commercial positions in both the pharmaceutical and medical device segments. Therapeutic areas include Neurology, Wound Care, Aesthetics, Anti-Infectives/Infection Prevention, Biosurgery and Women’s Health. After 25 years of driving business results and developing people at numerous J&J companies, Sebby joined Cempra Pharmaceutical as Vice President, Market Development, leading all pre-commercial efforts, including KOL development, commercial advisory boards and launch strategies.
In September 2016, Sebby joined SK life science as Vice President, Chief Commercial Officer, to evolve the company from an Clinical/R&D-only entity to build out a commercial organization. As Vice President and CCO, he created a “best in class” high-performing commercial team and was responsible for developing the launch strategy. SK lifescience successfully launched the company’s first product, XCOPRI®, in May 2020 in the U.S. Sebby also played an instrumental role in one of the largest biotech IPOs in South Korea ($880 million raise) during the summer of 2020.
Sebby earned his BA in political science and public administration from St. John’s University, where he was captain of the baseball team and later drafted by the Minnesota Twins. He earned a master’s degree in organizational dynamics in 2001 from the University of Pennsylvania. “Off the field,” He is a board member for the Family Resource Network , a New-Jersey based organization that serves approximately 30,000 individuals each year impacted by epilepsy, autism, and other chronic illness. He also serves as a board member of Seton Hall’s Customer Experience Certificate Program.