Team

Dr. Rubin is a clinician, researcher and educator with national expertise in systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune rheumatic conditions. He started two rheumatology fellowships – in Texas and in Michigan, devoting much of his career to educating trainees the next generation of successful clinical and academic rheumatologists.

Dr Rubin served on the ethics committee, professional meetings committee and annual planning committee for the American College of Rheumatology as well as the Rheumatology Research Foundation board. Past leadership positions include president, Detroit Medical Academy; board of managers, Tarrant County (Texas) Hospital District; and medical advisory board, Lupus Foundation. 

Dr. Rubin was most recently a Senior Medical Director at GSK, following his long academic career as Division Head of Rheumatology at Henry Ford Hospital and Clinical Professor of Medicine at Wayne State University School of Medicine; and Division Head of Rheumatology at University of North Texas Health Science Center in Fort Worth, Texas. He received his undergraduate degree from University of Illinois, and his medical degree from Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine. He completed his fellowship in rheumatology at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, and MPH from University of North Texas Health Science Center.

Eldon brings over 30 years of experience in biochemistry, toxicology and human genetics. He co-founded InterGenetics Inc., and served as its VP, CSO and COO and raised more than $30M in financing and grants over time. He led a team that developed OncoVue® – a proprietary test for breast cancer.

Eldon graduated magna cum laude from Texas A&M University with a BS in Biochemistry and an MS in Genetics. He holds a PhD in Biochemistry from Louisiana State University and completed Postdoctoral studies at the University of Cincinnati.

Jim has practiced for more than three decades in the fields of corporate, business, intellectual property, licensing, M&A and transactional law. He has represented clients ranging from startups to Fortune 100 companies, and currently focuses primarily on startup, early-stage and emerging companies in the medical diagnostics, biopharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device fields. He regularly serves as clients’ outside general counsel, as general/intellectual property counsel to executive management and boards of directors, and as a corporate board member.

Previously, Jim was in-house general counsel/chief legal officer for two public, multi-national health care companies, and led their legal teams in successful IPO and subsequent public stock offerings and private placement financings. Earlier in his career, as the managing licensing and intellectual property counsel for one of the world’s largest bio-pharmaceutical and diagnostics companies, he and his team successfully obtained many significant patents and completed numerous major in-licensing and acquisition transactions, creating an intellectual property portfolio which was instrumental in helping the company maintain its premier position in the industry.

Mr. Wilcox has a doctorate in law and is also a registered patent attorney, holding undergraduate degrees in chemistry and physics.

Georg Armstrong brings strong experience and expertise in social media management, content creation, and brand development. Over the years, he has worked with start-ups, brands, and international organizations, including the United Nations, to develop content and manage communications. He earned his Masters Degree in International Relations and Global Studies from Northeastern University.

Lizeth Santamaria is a National Board-Certified Health and Wellness Coach (NBC-HWC), is known as The Lupus Coach®, Certified Personal Trainer, Nutrition Coach, and Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT200), with over 15+ years of coaching and health education experience. She obtained her bachelor’s degree in Communications from the University of Central Florida as well as her master’s degree in Human Resources from Rollins College. Today, she is currently pursuing her PhD to further her studies in holistic and integrative health from Saybrook University in the Mind Body Medicine program.

Lizeth was diagnosed with lupus in 2006 which inspired her to become a lupus coach, advocate, and to help other lupus warriors like herself. She takes a holistic approach to help coach and empower others mind, body, and soul to improve their health, heal, live purposefully and authentically, and grow spiritually so they can transform their lives and create the life they want!

Dr. Melissa Munroe is an expert in basic and clinical immunology whose research has led to the development of novel strategies for measuring autoimmune disease activity.

Her work at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation (OMRF) as both the Director of Serum Analyte and Biomarker Core team and as a Research Associate Member has identified biomarkers for inflammation and autoantibodies in human autoimmunity by using custom assays and mathematical modeling. This work was highlighted during the American College of Rheumatology ACR/ARP Annual Meeting during the ACR 19 Spotlight Slide Deck program.

Prior to her time at OMRF, Dr. Munroe completed her postdoctoral training in the lab of Gail Bishop, Ph.D., at the University of Iowa where she identified new functions of TNF Superfamily members, including CD40 protein and its Epstein-Barr viral mimic, LMP1, and identified links between environmental exposures and the immune response as it relates to autoimmunity.

She holds both a M.D. and Ph.D. from Northwestern University - The Feinberg School of Medicine where her focus was immunology.

Sneha brings with her strong experience in HR, operations, and project management. Having led a team of business analysts in executing projects in the healthcare domain, over the years she has also worked as a research consultant with various clients in finance and healthcare. Sneha holds an MBA in Human Resource Management.

Daniele has over 12 years of experience as a Technologist and Lab Manager for CAP/COLA accredited CLIA laboratories and has been certified as a Technologist in Molecular Biology by the American Society of Clinical Pathology since 2008.

She began her professional career as a Research Assistant at Georgetown University in Washington, DC, in the Anatomy & Cell Biology Department and has held several positions in the United States amongst them the Molecular & Cytogenetics lab of Kapiolani Medical Center in Honolulu, HI and the R&D department of GFMD Immunoconcepts in Farmers Branch, TX. She then joined the R&D team at InterGenetics Inc. that developed the OncoVue® breast cancer risk test and her role in migrating this testing platform into the clinical lab marked her first experience in the CLIA setting.

Daniele has a BS and MS in Biology from the Karl Ruprecht University in Heidelberg, Germany.

For over two decades, Sandeep Nair has been at the forefront of leveraging cutting-edge technology to drive transformational change across various industries. As a visionary leader, his expertise lies in harnessing the power of data-driven decision-making and implementing innovative strategies to optimize technology-driven solutions, delivering unparalleled efficiencies and improved patient outcomes.

As the Chief Technology and Product Officer for Progentec Diagnostics Inc., he spearheads technology and digital strategies to revolutionize patient care and operational efficiency. His role involves leveraging sophisticated analytics to empower end-users with actionable business insights, facilitating strategic decisions that drive substantial financial gains.

Previously, as Head of Enterprise Transformation at Gerson Lehrman Group Inc., Sandeep focused on optimizing digital transformation, cloud adoption, and process automation, ensuring seamless project and program management, and maintaining rigorous internal audit and compliance standards. As a thought leader in the field, Sandeep is passionate about pushing the boundaries of what's possible in healthcare technology. By combining his technical expertise with a keen understanding of the unique challenges faced by healthcare organizations, he is committed to developing innovative solutions that improve patient outcomes, drive sustainable growth, and ultimately help people live healthier lives.