Ernest Mario, PhD
Director
Dr. Mario has been a member of our Board of Directors since December 2014. Since April 2014, Dr. Mario has served as chairman of Soleno Therapeutics, Inc. ((NASDAQ: SLNO), formerly Capnia, Inc.), a specialty pharmaceutical company in Palo Alto, CA. Dr. Mario joined Pappas Capital, LLC (formerly A. M. Pappas & Associates, LLC) as a member of their Scientific Advisory Board in September 2002 and has been a venture partner since December 2011.
Between August 2007 and February 2014, Dr. Mario served as the chief executive officer and chairman of Soleno Therapeutics, and between February 2014 and April 2014, Dr. Mario served as executive chairman. From April 2003 to August 2007, he was chairman and chief executive officer of Reliant Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a privately held pharmaceutical company (acquired by GlaxoSmithKline PLC (NYSE: GSK)).
Dr. Mario is currently a director of Amplitude Healthcare Acquisition Corporation (NASDAQ: AMHC), Soleno Therapeutics, Kindred Biosciences, Inc. (NASDAQ: KIN), Delpor Inc., TAXIS Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Silver Bullet Therapeutics, Inc., and Orbus Therapeutics, Inc. Dr. Mario previously served as a director of Boston Scientific Corporation (NYSE: BSX), VIVUS, Inc. (NASDAQ: VVUS), XenoPort, Inc. (NASDAQ: XNPT, until its acquisition by Arbor Pharmaceuticals, LLC), Maxygen Inc. (NASDAQ: MAXY), Chimerix, Inc. (NASDAQ: CMRX), Tonix Pharmaceuticals Holding Corp. (NASDAQ: TNXP) and Celgene Corporation (NYSE: CELG.RT).
Dr. Mario was the deputy chairman and chief executive officer of Glaxo Holdings plc from May 1989 to March 1993 and chairman and chief executive officer of ALZA Corporation from November 1997 to December 2001 and chief executive officer from August 1993 to November 1997. He serves as an advisor to The Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy at Rutgers University. In 2007,
Dr. Mario was awarded the Remington Medal by the American Pharmacists’ Association, pharmacy’s highest honor. Dr. Mario received a Ph.D. and an M.S. in physical sciences from the University of Rhode Island and a B.S. in pharmacy from Rutgers University.