Robert Besthof, M.I.M.

Interim CEO, Head of Operations & Chief Commercial Officer

Mr. Besthof is a global biopharmaceutical executive with a 25+ year career leading global pipeline & country operational marketing & sales roles. He has managed numerous specialty disease areas, from small to billion-dollar brands in Ophthalmology, Neuroscience, Pain, and Pulmonary Vascular Disease. His teams have played key roles in translating new science into investable commercial paths, reshaping markets, launching breakthrough products, and closing numerous licensing deals. Mr. Besthof has worked for Eli Lilly, Wyeth, and most recently Pfizer, as Vice President of Commercial Development for Neuroscience & Pain. Earlier in his career Mr. Besthof worked for Deutsche Bank and for various consulting firms. He holds a B.A. from Case Western Reserve University and a Master’s Degree in International Management from the Thunderbird School of Global Management.

Ira Strassberg

Chief Financial Officer & Treasurer

Ira Strassberg brings with him more than 30 years of finance and accounting experience. He has held numerous senior level finance positions including Deputy Chief Financial Officer at Cantor Fitzgerald, L.P. and Chief Financial Officer at Cantor Commercial Real Estate Company, Berkeley Point Capital, Walker & Dunlop and Fannie Mae’s multifamily business division. He also held senior roles in both audit and consulting at KPMG, where he had direct experience in complex commercial transactions. Mr. Strassberg also served on the Board of Directors of Continental Building Products, Inc. Mr. Strassberg, who earned his B.S. in Accounting from Georgetown University, is a Certified Public Accountant, a Certified Management Accountant, and a Chartered Global Management Accountant.

Alessandra Daigneault

Chief Corporate Officer, General Counsel & Secretary

Mrs. Daigneault joined NRx as its Corporate Secretary in September 2020. Prior to joining NRx, she was co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of Quantum Governance LLC, where she continues to serve as a director. She also served as Vice President and Chief Legal Counsel for Teligent, Inc. and its successor companies, First Avenue Networks and FiberTower Corporation, all publicly traded telecommunications companies, from October 2000 to May 2008. Ms. Daigneault began her legal career with Milbank LLP and was a Partner at the Washington, D.C. law firm of Tucker, Flyer & Lewis (now Venable LLP) where she represented clients on various corporate and commercial transactions. Ms. Daigneault holds a Bachelor of Science, Magna Cum Laude, from Georgetown University and a Juris Doctor from Georgetown University Law Center.

Randy Guggenheimer

Chief Business Officer

Randy brings more than 30 years of investment banking experience dedicated to advising biopharmaceutical companies worldwide. He has advised on numerous corporate M&A, partnering transactions and public and private financings. Most recently, Randy was a Managing Director at Young & Partners, a boutique investment banking firm serving the life sciences and chemical industries. Prior to Young & Partners, Randy was Head of Health Care Investment Banking for the Americas at Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein and worked for more than 15 years at Lehman Brothers as Managing Director in the Healthcare Group, Managing Director in the Mergers and Acquisitions Group and as Co-Head of Healthcare Mergers & Acquisitions. Randy received an AB degree in Economics at Harvard College and earned an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Rick Panicucci

CMC & Technical Operations Advisor

Rick is currently the SVP of CMC at BridgeBio Pharma. Prior to joining BridgeBio, Rick served as VP of Pharmaceutical Development Services at WuXi STA, where he provided scientific leadership in formulation development and GMP manufacturing. From 2004 to 2015, Rick served as Global Head of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Profiling (CPP) at Novartis. His responsibilities included all small molecule therapeutics across the Novartis portfolio. He also led and developed novel drug delivery technologies for small molecules and biologics. Rick has also led R&D groups at Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Symbollon Pharmaceuticals, Biogen, and Bausch & Lomb. Rick earned a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Toronto and did a Post-Doctoral Fellowship at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Philip T. Lavin, Ph.D.

Chief Methodologist

Dr. Lavin is a highly respected biostatistician with more than 30 years experience supporting the design and analysis of clinical trials. Previously, he was a member of the biostatistics faculty at the Harvard School of Public Health, and a member of the Department of Surgery at Harvard Medical School where he was affiliated for more than 25 years. He co-founded Boston Biostatistics in 1983, a company known as Aptiv Solutions. During his career, Dr. Lavin has served as lead biostatistician for 50 US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approvals, including 38 PMAs, more to date than any other biostatistician. He has also served as a Special Government Employee for 30 years advising the FDA on complex statistical and policy issues.

Dennis K. McBride, Ph.D.

Chief Strategy Officer & Senior Scientist

Dr. McBride has led numerous national and international initiatives in neuroscience and its interface with information technology, national security, and medical technology/drug development within the federal government, three of which are now multi-billion dollar enterprises. Dr. McBride began his career as a medical scientist in Naval Aviation and ergonomics and served in eight nationally prominent laboratories, including the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), Naval Aerospace Medical Research Lab, Naval Research Lab, the Office of Naval Research, and the Naval Medical Research Institute. Upon retiring as a highly decorated senior officer (O-6), he assumed leadership of the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies, where he continues to serve as President Emeritus. Following his ten-year term, he was recruited back to the National Defense University to lead the Center for Technology and National Security Policy, culminating his government career as a Senior Executive-4 (Civilian equivalent to Rear Admiral/Vice Admiral). Dr. McBride has served as an adviser to Cabinet Secretaries, US Congressional Committees, and to corporate C-Suite executives. His educational background includes formal enrollment at the University of Georgia, Naval Aerospace Medical Institute (flight surgeon school), the University of Southern California, the London School of Economics, and Harvard Business School, earning a Ph.D. in experimental psychology, four master’s degrees, and an additional postdoctoral education in aviation medicine, systems engineering science, and strategic disruption. He has published widely and was elected by faculty in 1999 to full professor. Dr. McBride has served at multiple universities in colleges of Arts & Sciences, Engineering, Public Policy, and Medicine. For the past 12 years, Dr. McBride has served as an adjunct Professor at Georgetown University School of Medicine and co-Director of Georgetown’s Regulatory Science Program.

Molly Cogan

Senior Director, Global Communications

Molly Cogan brings more than 20 years’ experience in international communications and digital strategy, media relations public and government affairs and has served in both the public and private sectors. She helped to lead the Wireless Life Sciences Alliance as its Executive Director to foster a movement toward digital health technology discovery and adoption in the health and consumer sectors. She has advised C-level leaders and corporate management teams in healthcare including digital and population health, technology, marine, aviation, and real estate development. In federal and state government, Molly has served in appointed roles and advised elected officials at the highest levels in communications, media relations, and external and political affairs.

Jonathan C. Javitt, M.D., M.P.H.

Founder & Chief Scientist

Dr. Javitt has played leadership roles in seven successful healthcare IT and biopharma startups with public exits. He has additionally led drug-development engagements for Merck, Allergan, Pharmacia, Novartis, and Pfizer. He was appointed to healthcare leadership roles under Presidents Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Clinton, and George W. Bush. In the latter role he was commissioned to lead the White House policy for universal adoption of Health IT and establishment of the Office of the National Coordinator. He is a graduate of Princeton University, Cornell University Medical College, Harvard School of Public Health, the Wills Eye Hospital, and Johns Hopkins Medical School. Dr. Javitt has published more than 200 scientific works in the areas of health outcomes and Pharmacoeconomics that have been cited by more than 16,000 people. In his role as Chief Scientist of NRx Pharmaceuticals he continues to support NRx on Scientific matters to advance and expand our pipeline.