About Us

Dr. Javier Szwarcberg is an accomplished physician executive with over 18 years of leadership experience in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. He has an exceptionally rich skill set in clinical research and drug development, leading more than 22 clinical trials for a variety of drugs – including small molecules, peptides and biologics – with a proven track record of 4 successful drug approvals. Most recently, Dr. Szwarcberg served as the Group Vice President and Head of Program and Portfolio Development for BioMarin Pharmaceuticals. Previously, he held positions as Senior Vice President, Head of Program and Portfolio Management at Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical and Vice President of R&D and Business Development at Horizon Pharma. He is currently a scientific advisor to Abalone Bio. Dr. Szwarcberg received his MPH from the Harvard School of Public Health and his M.D. from Universidad de Buenos Aires School of Medicine.

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Samir Gharib has served as our Chief Financial Officer since May 2020 and President since January 2022. Mr. Gharib is a proven and experienced leader in the global biopharmaceutical arena who has demonstrated success in strategy and execution of transformative capital raises, strategic transactions, and support of commercial product launches. Over the course of his career, Samir has raised nearly $1 Billion from the private and public capital markets, including two IPOs, to fund late-stage clinical development, pipeline expansion and commercialization. From September 2019 to May 2020, Mr. Gharib provided consulting services to various companies with Benchmark Financial Partners (“Benchmark”), a strategic financial advisory firm. From October 2018 to September 2019, Mr. Gharib was the Chief Financial Officer of Stemedica Cell Technologies, Inc., a global pharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of cell therapeutics for underserved medical conditions. From September 2017 to October 2018, Mr. Gharib served as Managing Director of Benchmark. From October 2013 to September 2017, Mr. Gharib held executive positions of increasing responsibility at Revance Therapeutics, Inc., a commercial-stage biotechnology company, including Vice President of Finance and Administration. From January 2011 to September 2013, Mr. Gharib was the Corporate Controller, Director of Finance for Talon Therapeutics, Inc. Mr. Gharib has been an advisor to Berkeley SkyDeck since January 2020. Mr. Gharib received a Bachelor of Science and M.B.A. from the Haas School of Business at the University of California at Berkeley, and is an active Certified Public Accountant licensed in the State of California.

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Rosh brings more than 20 years of experience in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries across multiple geographies, working to commercialize medicines for patients across multiple therapeutic areas, including the achievement of blockbuster status for several medicines. Rosh joins Spruce most recently from Indivior, where he was the Chief Medical Officer for the past year. Prior to Indivior, Rosh has had long tenures at both Amgen and Novartis. At Amgen, he was Vice President of Global Scientific Affairs, leading global scientific affairs spanning Amgen’s entire product portfolio and Vice President, Head of Global Medical and Scientific affairs at Onyx. Prior to Onyx, Rosh spent a decade in various roles for Novartis, including senior Clinical Development and Medical Affairs roles in both the US and Australia, where he led a variety of clinical development and medical affairs efforts with a focus on oncology, hematology, and rare diseases. Rosh holds a Medical Doctor degree from Charing Cross and Westminster Medical School in the UK, and is a Member of the Royal College of Physicians through postgraduate qualification in Internal Medicine.

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Chris joined Spruce with over 15 years of drug development experience. Prior to joining Spruce, Chris served in various leadership roles across Biometrics, Project Leadership and Alliance Management at Theravance Biopharma US, most recently as Senior Director, Biostatistics, and Project Team Leader. Prior to Theravance, Chris held positions of increasing responsibility at Innoviva Inc., formerly Theravance Inc. Previously, Chris held positions at Santen Inc. and Gilead Sciences. During his career, Chris has contributed to the development and approval of several products for high-risk populations including Vibativ® in MRSA-associated pneumonia and Yupelri® inhalation solution for severe COPD as well as products for larger populations such as the Ellipta family of respiratory products (BREO, ANORO and TRELEGY). In addition, Dr. Barnes is an author in over 30 journal articles covering the fields of pulmonology, gastroenterology, endocrinology, clinical pharmacology and statistics. Chris earned his Ph.D. in Biostatistics from the University of Louisville School of Public Health and Information Sciences.

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Pam joins Spruce with more than 30 years of drug development experience across biotechnology, pharmaceutical, and CRO industries. This experience includes leadership of cross-functional project teams, direction of multinational clinical development programs and contribution to product development strategies. Prior to joining Spruce, Pam served as the Senior Vice President of Clinical Operations at Amplyx Pharmaceuticals, a clinical‐stage company acquired by Pfizer in 2021, that was dedicated to the development of therapies for rare, life-threatening diseases affecting patients with compromised immune systems. During her career, Pam has played key leadership roles in the advancement of global clinical trials in rare diseases, including pediatric studies in cholestatic liver disease which ultimately led to the approval of LivmarliTM (Mirum Pharmaceuticals). Additional prior experience includes senior leadership positions at Shire, Lumena Pharmaceuticals (acquired by Shire), BrainCells, and Ancile Pharmaceuticals. Pam holds a BS in Biology from San Diego State University.

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Dasharatha (Dash) joined Spruce with over 25 years of experience in the pharmaceutical development of small molecules from discovery to commercialization. Prior to joining Spruce, Dash served as Head of Chemistry, Manufacturing, and Controls (CMC) at Landos Biopharma. Before Landos, Dash was responsible for leading pharmaceutical development and manufacturing operations at Reviva Pharmaceuticals, with a focus on products for the treatment of central nervous system disorders. Dash previously led the development of products leading to the approval of a New Drug Application under the 505(b)2 pathway at Teikoku Pharma USA. In earlier roles, Dash contributed to the development and approval of small molecules to treat a variety of diseases at Spectrum Pharmaceuticals, Relypsa, and Horizon Therapeutics. Dash earned his Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from the Indian Institute of Science and performed post-doctoral research at Northwestern University.

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Mike Grey has 40 years of experience in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries and has served as Executive Chairman of the Spruce Board since 2017. He has founded several biotechnology companies and is currently chairman or executive chair of Mirum Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Plexium, Inc. and Reneo Pharmaceuticals, Inc. He also serves as venture partner at Pappas Capital. Previously, Mr. Grey founded and was President and Chief Executive Officer at Lumena Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a company developing treatments for pediatric and adult orphan diseases, until its acquisition by Shire Plc. Mr. Grey has held senior positions at a number of companies, including President and Chief Executive Officer of Auspex Pharmaceuticals, Inc., President and Chief Executive Officer of SGX Pharmaceuticals, Inc., which was acquired by Eli Lilly in 2008, President and Chief Executive Officer of Trega Biosciences, Inc., which was acquired by Lion Bioscience in 2001, and President of BioChem Therapeutic Inc. For approximately 20 years, Mr. Grey served in various roles with Glaxo, Inc. and Glaxo Holdings plc, culminating in his position as Vice President, Corporate Development and Head of International Licensing. Mr. Grey serves on the board of directors of Horizon Therapeutics plc.

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Dr. Javier Szwarcberg is an accomplished physician executive with over 18 years of leadership experience in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. He has an exceptionally rich skill set in clinical research and drug development, leading more than 22 clinical trials for a variety of drugs – including small molecules, peptides and biologics – with a proven track record of 4 successful drug approvals. Most recently, Dr. Szwarcberg served as the Group Vice President and Head of Program and Portfolio Development for BioMarin Pharmaceuticals. Previously, he held positions as Senior Vice President, Head of Program and Portfolio Management at Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical and Vice President of R&D and Business Development at Horizon Pharma. He is currently a scientific advisor to Abalone Bio. Dr. Szwarcberg received his MPH from the Harvard School of Public Health and his M.D. from Universidad de Buenos Aires School of Medicine.

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Tiba has served as a director on the Spruce Biosciences board since 2016. Tiba was most recently a senior partner at Novo Ventures (US) Inc., joining the company in 2010. Tiba’s experience spans research, banking, and venture investing in life sciences across various therapeutic areas and technology platforms. Tiba serves on the boards of MAllievex, Avalyn Biosciences, Nkarta Therapeutics, Arcellx Inc, MDLive, and Aristea Therapeutics. Tiba previously served as a board member for Mirum Pharmaceuticals, AnaptysBio, iRhtyhm Technologies, and Cianna Medical. Prior to joining Novo A/S, Tiba was a Director with Burrill & Company, where she completed regional and cross-border M&A, licensing, and financing transactions for biotech and large pharmaceutical companies. Tiba is also a published author of scientific articles and book chapters in the area of rational drug design. Tiba received her Ph.D. in biophysics at the University of California, San Francisco where her research involved developing computational methods for drug discovery. Tiba has a B.S. in physics from the University of California, Irvine.

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Dina is a Partner with NeoMed Management and Advisor to Omega Funds. Dina has been investing in the private equity and venture capital healthcare industry in Europe and the U.S. since 2001. Previously at 3i plc in London and Index Ventures in Geneva, Dina’s successful investments include Endosense, EUSA Pharma, Novexel and Wilson Therapeutics. Dina serves on the Board of Directors of Imago BioSciences, Oxular and TopiVert and is a member of the Venture Capital Platform Council of Invest Europe. Dina is a CFA charter holder and holds a Ph.D. degree in molecular and cellular biology from Paris VI University, France and carried out postdoctoral research at Brown University and at the Fox Chase Cancer Centre in Philadelphia.

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Bali is a partner at Abingworth LLP. Bali has 15 years professional experience in healthcare across a range of functions including venture investing, R&D and clinical practice. Prior to joining Abingworth, Bali was a senior partner at MVM Partners LLP where he sat on a number of boards, public and private. In 2018, Bali was named among Financial News’ Rising Stars in Private Equity, which celebrated 25 men and women under the age of 40 standing out in the European private equity industry. Before MVM, Bali was a member of Bain Capital’s healthcare deal team. Bali obtained a degree in clinical medicine from the University of Oxford and practiced general surgery at the John Radcliffe and Addenbrooke’s Hospitals in Oxford and Cambridge, respectively. Bali has a Ph.D. in translational cancer research from the MRC Cancer Cell Unit, University of Cambridge, and has published over a dozen peer reviewed papers. Mr. Muralidhar was also a Bye-Fellow in Medical Sciences at Downing College, Cambridge where he taught pathology, surgery and medicine.

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Niall has served as a Director of the Spruce Biosciences board since 2016.  Niall is a partner at RiverVest Venture Partners, joining as a Kauffman Fellow in 2006.  Niall is a board member of Mirum Pharmaceuticals, Amplyx Pharmaceuticals, Curzion Pharmaceuticals, and Avalyn Pharma, and a co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Reneo Pharmaceuticals. Niall was previously a board member and adviser to Lumena Pharmaceuticals (acquired by Shire), Excaliard Pharmaceuticals (acquired by Pfizer) and Ziarco Group Limited (acquired by Novartis).  Prior to joining RiverVest, Niall was in drug development at Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research and Development. Niall earned his Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University of Dundee, and an MA in natural sciences from Pembroke College, Oxford. Niall also earned an M.B.A. from the Rady School of Management at the University of California, San Diego.

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Camilla has served as a director of the Spruce Biosciences board since 2017. Camilla has 24+ years in the life sciences industry. Camilla has significant experience in global drug development and registration, due diligence and M&A plus leadership of globally based teams, talent and change management. Camilla is currently Managing Member and President of Rare Strategic, LLC where she provides strategic advice to private rare disease and gene therapy companies. Previously, Camilla was Senior Vice President and Head of Product Portfolio Development at BioMarin, where she was responsible for Corporate and R&D Governance, Program Leadership, Project Management, Competitive Intelligence, Portfolio Strategy and Business Analytics. Prior to leading Product Portfolio Development, Camilla led BioMarin’s Global Regulatory Affairs group. Previously, Camilla spent 12 years at Shire Pharmaceuticals, where after multiple roles of increasing responsibility, held the position of Vice President, Regulatory Affairs and Early Development and Business Development. Before Shire, Camilla spent seven years at Abbott Laboratories. Camilla holds a BS.c. from University College Galway, Ireland, BS.c Hons from Kingston University, U.K. and an MSc with distinction from the University of London.

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Dan is an accomplished executive with extensive commercial, financial and strategic leadership experience during an extensive career in the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on rare diseases. Dan previously served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of BioMarin. Prior to BioMarin, he served as a consultant to provide strategic financial management support to a portfolio of public and private life science companies. Prior to his consultancy, Dan served as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of CV Therapeutics. Prior to CV Therapeutics, he served in various roles at Genentech, most recently as Treasurer. Dan currently serves on the boards of directors for Myriad Genetics, Recardia Therapeutics and Tizona Therapeutics. He received a B.A. from Stanford University and an M.B.A. from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

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Kirk Ways, M.D., Ph.D. has served as a director of the Spruce Biosciences board since June 2021. Dr. Ways is an experienced endocrinologist who brings more than 30 years of extensive pharmaceutical drug discovery and development experience to Spruce’s board of directors. Until January 2021, Dr. Ways served as Chief Medical Officer of Nuvelution Pharma. Prior to joining Nuvelution, Dr. Ways headed several drug development units at Johnson & Johnson’s Pharmaceutical Research and Development group, with focus on metabolic disease, women’s health, cardiovascular disease, gastrointestinal disease and internal medicine. Prior to joining Johnson & Johnson, Dr. Ways served in leadership capacities at BioStratum Incorporated as Vice President and Chief Development Officer, Aventis as Senior Global Medical Leader and Project Team Leader and Lilly Research Laboratories as a Research Fellow with responsibilities for the preclinical and clinical development for agents treating the chronic complications of diabetes. Prior to joining the pharmaceutical industry, Dr. Ways served as Director of the Diabetes Center, Vice Chairman for the Department of Internal Medicine, Endocrinology Section Head and Professor of Medicine at East Carolina School of Medicine. An accomplished researcher, Dr. Ways has authored more than one hundred publications in the fields of diabetes and cancer.

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