Cern Corporation

Our Team of Experts

Dr. Melanie Santos, MD

Chief Medical Officer

Urogynecology & Pelvic Reconstructive Surgery specialist with over 17 years of experience. Dr. Santos is Medical Director of Pelvic Health at Providence St. Jude Medical Center where she performs clinical work and serves on both executive and advisory boards for the Providence St Joseph Health Women & Children’s Institute. Dr. Santos has considerable experience working in the medical device and pharma area consulting to various entities and is a key-note speaker internal to Providence Health being responsible for communications with GYN related practitioners within the organization. Dr. Santos Education includes Albert Einstein College of Medicine at Yeshiva University, residency in obstetrics and gynecology at Stanford University with fellowship at Emory University.

Hyunsook Park, PhD

Director, Microbiology​

Dr. Park is Professor of Microbiology at California State University Los Angeles with over twenty years of research experience on fungal pathogenesis and is a first-generation, US immigrant female scientist, Dr. Park has focused her career in research with the goal of improving women’s health using C. Albicans as a model for fungal pathogen while recognizing host environmental changes may initiate infection as part of the normal microbiome. Dr. Park received her PhD in Microbiology from Ewha Women’s University in Seoul South Korea. Dr. Park conducted post doctoral research at Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center.

Joanne T. Rupprecht​ Esq.

Regulatory​

Seasoned legal and regulatory professional specialized in clinical trials, quality assurance, and FDA/international regulations. Her diverse certifications include RAC-U.S., RAC-Global, ACRP-CP, CCEP, and ACUE. With a robust background in FDA communication and compliance, she excels in guiding sponsors through regulatory processes. Joanne's expertise spans medical devices, IVDs, and combination products, demonstrated by successful submissions and clearances. She's been an adjunct professor, worked at Abbott Laboratories and Colorado State University, and is an active member of SCCE, RAPS, and ACRP. Holding a Juris Doctor and a Bachelor's in Agriculture/Animal Science/Biology, she's a notable authority in the field.

Todd Peterson, PhD

Chief Science Advisor​

Dr Todd Peterson has spent over 35 years in academic research and industrial R&D, spanning molecular genetics, genomics, cell biology and synthetic biology engineering, his experience encompasses biotechnology, clinical diagnostics, life science research tools, drug discovery and industrial biotechnology markets, products, and technologies. Prior to founding GenApex Bio, Dr Peterson was Chief Scientific Officer at the Allen Institute comprising foundational and applied for research programs across Brain Science, Cell Science, Immunology Institutes, and the Paul G. Allen Frontiers Group.

Todd Peterson, PhD

Chief Science Advisor​

Dr Todd Peterson has spent over 35 years in academic research and industrial R&D, spanning molecular genetics, genomics, cell biology and synthetic biology engineering, his experience encompasses biotechnology, clinical diagnostics, life science research tools, drug discovery and industrial biotechnology markets, products, and technologies. Prior to founding GenApex Bio, Dr Peterson was Chief Scientific Officer at the Allen Institute comprising foundational and applied for research programs across Brain Science, Cell Science, Immunology Institutes, and the Paul G. Allen Frontiers Group.

Dr. Allan Akerman, MD

Advisor

Certified Obstetrics and Gynecology specialist by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ABOG). He served as the Chair of the OBGYN Department at St. Joseph Hospital in Orange, CA from 2016 to 2019 and holds active privileges for surgeries and deliveries at various medical centers. He was honored as the Physician of Excellence by the Orange County Medical Association and has been recognized as one of the Top 3 Gynecologists in Orange, CA in 2021 and 2019. Dr. Akerman completed his residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology in New York and has gained a reputation for his surgical expertise and compassionate patient care. He is bilingual in English and Spanish and actively participates in medical missions globally. He founded AkermanMed in 2005 and continues to make significant contributions to women's health.

Dr. Jack Sobel , MD

Advisor

Dr. Sobel is a consulting Physician, Clinical Advisor, and one of the world’s foremost authorities on infectious diseases of the GYN tract. Dr. Sobel is a widely published and strongly funded physician-researcher. He has been involved in basic science, translational and clinical research since the inception of his Infectious Diseases Research Fellowship in 1976 at the NIH Laboratory of Clinical Investigation. He has served as a consultant for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s special committee for recommending guidelines for the treatment of sexually transmitted disease. He has served as President of the Michigan Infectious Diseases Society from 1997 to 1999, a Member of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, and the National State President’s Committee and the Infectious Diseases Society of America, Practice Guidelines Committee.

Dr. Vern Roohk, PhD

Advisor

Dr. Roohk has spent over 50 years in physiology associated with the development and testing of medical devices. He has clinical experience as an ECMO (Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation) team member and lab supervisor with the original NIH-funded life-support team at UCI. Dr. Roohk has served as lab director and/or IACUC chair for a number of both university and private pre-clinical testing facilities. Dr. Roohk co-founded American ImmunoTech, LLC, and Vestara in Costa Mesa, CA, which conducted sepsis research utilizing ultraviolet technology in an extracorporeal circuit. Dr Roohk is a recognized expert in Animal Physiology, and in vivo testing. Dr. Roohk received his Ph.D. in Physiology and Biochemistry from UC Davis in 1971 where he focused on bioengineering at USC and UCLA.

Cern Corporation

Our Board Of Directors

Annette M. Walker

Board of Directors

Annette’s current position is President, City of Hope Orange County and has also held past positions as President, Strategy at St. Joseph’s as well as CEO, St. Joseph’s Health. Annette is recognized as one of the “Top 100” people in US Healthcare and has been named one of America’s most influential health care leaders @modernhealthcare. Annette is now building a world-class cancer center for The City of Hope in Orange County CA. Annette is a solutions architect and nationally recognized strategist, thought leader and author/keynote speaker on transforming the health care industry. Annette also mentors hundreds of up-and-coming next-generation executives. Annette is a passionate team leader and Life-long advocate for female leaders and moms.

Gregg A. Klang

CEO, President and Founder

Gregg’s background is principally in business with most of his career in technical sales and marketing for a Fortune 50 organization. Gregg has senior management experience, an extensive background in global sales and account management, and extensive training through the Boston Consulting Group. His interest in life sciences has generated multiple patents in the medical device space. In the summer of 2019, Cern Corp. was nominated to participate in the LA-BioStart program for CEOs bringing novel and disruptive technologies within the life sciences vertical to market.

Dr. David C. Lagrew

Board of Directors | MD OB/GYN

David’s current position is Chief of Service, Maternal Fetal Medicine at Hoag Hospital, Newport Beach, CA. Prior to Hoag, David was Regional Executive Medical Director for Women's Services where he manages development of the Ministry's Centers of Excellence and regional Clinical Institute of Women's Health within St. Joseph’s/Providence Health. David’s background also includes extensive executive experience having held the position of Medical Director at Long Beach Memorial as well as Medical Director, Women’s Services at Saddleback Memorial Medical Center prior to his appointment as Executive Director, Women’s Services at St. Joseph’s. David has recently retired from over 35 years of clinical practice and is regarded as a thought leader within the industry.