At MindLab, we believe every discovery begins with what came before.

Dr. Marco Pappagallo is Clinical Professor of Anesthesiology at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and a leading authority in pain medicine. He directed chronic pain programs at Johns Hopkins University, Hospital for Joint Diseases (NYU), and Beth Israel Medical Center, and has served as Chief Medical Officer at multiple biotechnology companies including Relmada Therapeutics and CerSci Therapeutics. He holds five U.S. and international patents for novel non-opioid analgesic treatments and has authored four textbooks and over 150 peer-reviewed publications. As principal investigator on multiple NIH and industry grants, he brings proven expertise in clinical trial design, regulatory strategy, and drug development—positioning him to lead MindLab’s pain medicine programs with scientific rigor and commercial execution.

Dr. Shtilbans is a board-certified neurologist and Assistant Professor of Neurology at Weill Cornell Medical College. He leads NIH-funded clinical trials as principal investigator, including a $3.2 million R01 grant on iron mapping in Parkinson’s disease. With expertise in study design, patient recruitment, and data analysis across neurological indications, he has published extensively and earned recognition from the American Academy of Neurology. Prior to clinical practice, he worked in biotech and pharma business development, conducting in- and out-licensing activities—positioning him to advance MindLab’s research strategy with scientific rigor and translational expertise.

Dr. Jeffrey Bettinger is a board-certified pain management clinical pharmacist and Adjunct Faculty at Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. He serves on FDA and American Academy of Pain Medicine Foundation consulting panels and has published extensively in Pain Medicine, Journal of Pain Research, and peer-reviewed pain journals. With expertise in analgesic pharmacology, neuropathic pain therapeutics, and clinical evidence synthesis, he has trained pain specialists, developed clinical guidelines, and served as scientific advisor to pharmaceutical companies. His experience in medical education, KOL engagement, regulatory advisory work, and scientific communications positions him to lead MindLab’s Medical Affairs strategy.

Andrew Hinton served as Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer at Google for over thirteen years, leading global ethics and compliance programs to identify and mitigate regulatory risk across the organization. Prior to Google, he was Chief Compliance Officer at GE Capital, served as Assistant U.S. Attorney in New York prosecuting white-collar crime, and practiced commercial litigation and criminal defense at Cravath, Swaine & Moore. He currently sits on advisory boards for #NotMe (workplace misconduct reporting platform) and The Social Engineering Project, and previously served on the board of the Ethics and Compliance Initiative. With expertise in corporate governance, regulatory compliance, commercial litigation, and pharmaceutical industry standards, he provides MindLab with legal strategy, FDA compliance frameworks, risk mitigation, and governance leadership as the company advances clinical development programs and prepares for commercial operations.

Dr. David Heal is Executive Director and co-founder of DevelRx Ltd, a leading consultancy supporting pharmaceutical and biotech companies in CNS drug discovery and development. He is internationally recognized for his expertise in psychiatric and neurological disorders, drug abuse evaluation, and regulatory strategy, having contributed to the successful registration of 16 novel drugs for ADHD, binge-eating disorder, substance use disorders, Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy, obesity, and schizophrenia with the FDA, EMA, and regulatory agencies in Canada and Japan. He was awarded a DSc by Kings College, University of London for his substantial contributions to pharmacological research and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, Honorary Fellow of the British Pharmacological Society, and Fellow of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology. With over 200 peer-reviewed publications and decades of experience spanning academic research at Oxford University, pharmaceutical R&D leadership at Boots and BASF Pharma, and co-founding the global CRO RenaSci Ltd, he brings deep strategic, regulatory, and scientific expertise—positioning him to guide MindLab’s CNS drug development programs with proven drug registration success and regulatory insight.

Dr. Nathaniel Katz is considered a leading global expert in pain clinical trial design and chronic pain therapeutics. He is Adjunct Associate Professor of Anesthesia at Tufts School of Medicine, Chief Science Officer at WCG Analgesic Solutions (which he founded as Analgesic Solutions), and specializes in post-herpetic neuralgia, neuropathic pain, and complex pain disorders. He served as Chair of the FDA’s Advisory Committee for Anesthesia, Critical Care, and Addiction Products (2000-2004) and completed a Master of Science in Biostatistics at Columbia University. Dr. Katz established the Pain Trials Center at Brigham & Women’s Hospital and the Pain & Symptom Management Program at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, where he continues to conduct industry-initiated and investigator-initiated clinical trials of pharmaceuticals, non-pharmaceutical analgesics, and medical devices.

Dr. Katz has published over 60 peer-reviewed papers on pain therapeutics, opioid therapy, and trial methodology, and has served as Associate Editor for the Clinical Journal of Pain. His expertise in clinical trial design, regulatory strategy, patient recruitment, and pain outcome measurement—combined with his deep knowledge of FDA requirements and evolving pain therapeutic options—positions him to guide MindLab’s clinical development programs for acute pain, cancer pain, sickle cell pain, and restless legs syndrome with scientific rigor and regulatory acumen.

Michael McFadden brings over 30 years of biopharmaceutical commercialization and operational leadership, having launched more than a dozen therapies in neurology, psychiatry, endocrinology, and urology. He served as Chief Operating Officer and Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Avanir Pharmaceuticals, where he built the commercial organization, launched Nuedexta (the first FDA-approved treatment for pseudobulbar affect), scaled the product from $0 to peak annual revenues exceeding $300 million, and led the company’s successful sale to Otsuka Pharmaceuticals for $3.5 billion. He subsequently held Chief Commercial Officer roles at Urovant Sciences (acquired by Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma) and MPower Health before becoming CEO of Alpha Cognition, a CNS biopharmaceutical company where he is leading the commercial launch of a novel Alzheimer’s therapy.
Earlier in his career, Michael held leadership positions at Amylin Pharmaceuticals (launching two first-in-class diabetes products) and Pharmacia. His expertise spans commercial strategy, sales force development, managed markets, M&A execution, product lifecycle management, and biotech operational excellence. As Strategic Advisor to MindLab, Michael commercial strategy guidance, market access planning, and operational leadership expertise—drawing on his proven track record of building commercial organizations, successfully bringing CNS therapies to market, and executing transformative transactions.