President, CEO & Director
Jim Buck, President, CEO & Director, leveraging 30 years of experience successfully developing and commercializing innovative medical technologies. While holding a Board Director position at Medcura since 2018, Jim also served as the President and CEO of cancer imaging innovator ClearCut Medical. Prior to ClearCut, Jim was President and CEO of American Heart Association award-winning heart valve therapy developer, Mardil Medical. One particularly relevant experience Jim brings to Medcura is from Closure Medical, where he was VP of Marketing & Business Development at one of the biosurgical industry’s most successful new technology companies. There, Jim directed the product-mapping strategy and execution for a novel surgical sealant and adhesive technology that was acquired by global healthcare leader, Johnson & Johnson, for more than $370 million. He also served in multiple management and executive roles at cardiac medical device leader St. Jude Medical, Inc., for more than a decade after earning a master’s degree in business from Northwestern University, and an undergraduate degree from Indiana University.
Executive Chairman & Director
Larry Tiffany Executive Chairman and Director. Larry is a serial entrepreneur having led Medcura from early prototypes to successful commercialization after founding and selling the neuro-molecular testing company DioGenix. While at the helm of DioGenix, Larry raised venture capital while garnering ~$2M from the National MS Society and other philanthropists to support the clinical development and prospective validation of the first new diagnostic for Multiple Sclerosis since the late 50’s. Prior to DioGenix, Larry held positions in Sr. Management at Ore Pharmaceuticals (CBO), Gene Logic (SVP & GM, Genomics) and Genetraks (US President). He holds a JD from Franklin Pierce Law Center in Concord, New Hampshire (specializing in intellectual property and commercial law); a MS in Biotechnology from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland; and a BS in Biochemistry from Nazareth College in Rochester, New York.
Chief Scientific Officer & Director
Matthew Dowling, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer and Director. Matt completed his graduate work at the Fischell Department of Bioengineering at the University of Maryland (UMD), after completing his undergrad in Chemical Engineering from the University of Notre Dame. At UMD, he was awarded the Fischell Fellowship in Biomedical Engineering for his innovative ideas in drug delivery systems. Matt then co-created gel-e, a novel biomaterial platform, raising several initial grants to develop the technology and to launch Medcura as a corporate entity. Matt was the recipient of the Dean’s Doctoral Research Award from the UMD Clark School of Engineering for his work on chitosan-based self-assembled soft materials for use in wound treatment. He has been the Principal Investigator on $6.0 million in non-dilutive grant awards to Medcura; these have been used to achieve 5 FDA clearances, 8 issued patents, and 10+ peer-reviewed publications in high-impact journals. Matt’s work has been featured on several US and international media outlets including the BBC TV program, Brave New World with Stephen Hawking.
Dr. Abbas Ardehaliis a professor of surgery and medicine in the division of cardiothoracic surgery at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, has been selected a 2017 recipient of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor by the National Ethnic Coalition of Organizations. Ardehali will receive the award at ceremony on May 13 at historic Ellis Island in New York City.
Dr. Ardehali serves as director of the UCLA Heart and Lung Transplant program, which was ranked as the largest combined heart and lung transplant program in the United States in 2016 by the United Network of Organ Sharing. Ardehali and his colleagues have been leaders in implementing new technologies to advance the field of heart and lung transplantation and have the depth of experience to take many of the more complex cases that other transplant centers are unable to accept. His professional accomplishments include a role in developing an innovative technology for transporting human heart and lungs in a beating or breathing state. The technology could help to improve clinical outcomes and expand the donor pool of organs to help patients. He also developed and patented a new technology that will improve the care of patients with end-stage lung disease.
He has served as a volunteer on several committees for the United Network for Organ Sharing and several scientific organizations, with leadership positions in the International Society of Heart and Lung Transplantation, American Society of Transplant Surgeons, American Association of Thoracic Surgery and Society of Thoracic Surgeons.
Among his many honors and awards, Ardehali received a Resolution of Commendation by the California State Assembly and the the Breath of Life Award from the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
Ardehali has been a faculty member at UCLA since 1997. He also served as chief of cardiothoracic surgery at West Los Angeles Veterans Hospital from 1998 to 2012. He co-authored a textbook, “Khonsari’s Cardiac Surgery: Safeguards and Pitfalls in Operative Technique,” published in 2016. He has authored numerous book chapters and more than 100 peer-reviewed manuscripts and abstracts. Ardehali has been interviewed by ABC News, the Associated Press, CNN, Fox News, NBC News, CBS News, “The Doctor’s Show,” and Al Jazeera America.
He completed his fellowship in cardiothoracic surgery at UCLA and his internal medicine residency at UC San Francisco. He earned a master’s degree in public health at UC Berkeley; a medical degree at Emory University School of Medicine; and both a master’s degree in chemical and biochemical engineering and an undergraduate degree in biology and biochemistry, both from Rutgers University. Born in Tehran, Iran, Ardehali moved to the United States when he was in high school. He and his wife, Mitra, who is a practicing dentist, have two daughters, Leila and Sara, currently attending Barnard College and Columbia University.
Board Observer
Jacob Rodman Ford is the Chief Executive Officer for Raleigh Neurosurgical Clinic, Inc, a group that was established in 1954. Jacob has over 20 years of management experience encompassing leadership positions at every level. He is a past president and board member for the North Carolina Medical Group Managers Association (NCMGMA). Jacob has also served on several advisory committees and boards for United Healthcare of NC, BCBS of NC, the Town of Morrisville’s budget office, Medical Mutual Insurance Company, and Wake Monarch Academy. Jacob is currently President Elect for the Neurosurgery Executive Resource Value & Education Society (NERVES). Jacob is a board-certified medical practice executive by the American College of Medical Practice Executives (ACMPE). Jacob has presented both nationally and internationally on a variety of topics surrounding medical practice management and leadership.
