Dr. Tormenti is a neurosurgeon with a busy practice in New Jersey. He has treated patients with traumatic brain injury for over two decades. His frustration with the current state of TBI diagnosis and treatment led him to find his partners and help found Brainstorm with the hope of improving our understanding of TBI. In 2019, he received his MBA from The Wharton School of Business.

Dr. Smith is the leading voice in the conversation about traumatic brain injury, including concussion.   Holding an endowed chair of neurosurgery at the University of Pennsylvania (Penn), he is also the scientific director of the Big 10/ Ivy league Collaboration on Concussion and he serves as a member of the Scientific Advisory Boards of the US National Football League (NFL) and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) efforts on concussion. Dr. Smith’s group has established that selective damage to nerve fibers called “axons” represents the key pathological process underlying concussion symptoms.  In addition, his group has discovered mechanisms of concussion and more severe traumatic brain injury that lead to progressive neurodegeneration, including chronic traumatic encephalopathy and Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. Smith’s work attracted attention by the U.S. State Department who asked him to lead an investigation into neurological deficits induced in members of the embassy in Cuba, which led to a newly discovered disorder, “Havana Syndrome.”  His collective efforts are represented in over 250 published scientific reports that are the most highly cited in the field. Dr. Smith’s awards include the Dorothy Russell medal, the highest honor conveyed by the British Neuropathological Society, the William Osler Patient Oriented Research Award from the University of Pennsylvania, the Anthony B. Marmarou Memorial Neurotrauma Lecture Award from the American Association of Neurological Surgeons and Congress of Neurological Surgeons and the “Deal of the Year” award from Penn’s Center for Innovation for his success as an entrepreneur.

Dr. Grady’s distinguished career includes a 21 year tenure of Chair of the Department of Neurosurgery at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, as well as a leader in Penn Medicine. He is also a co-founder of Stereotaxis (NYSE: STXS). Outside of academic neurosurgery he is the father of six children, several of whom have been impacted by concussion and mild traumatic brain injury.

Jason Maidment is a fractional CFO leveraging 20+ years experience focused on supporting startups and small businesses primarily in the Medical Technology, Medical Device and Bio-Sciences industries.  He focuses on building solid financial infrastructure to understand the financial results of the business and support sound decision making.

Dr. Vnook is a CEO and Founder of multiple biopharmaceutical companies. She also serves as a Board member and Executive Advisor to numerous global companies with a wide range of clinical product portfolios.

Dr. Yi-Yen Chen has over 10 years of healthcare-related experience. Prior to joining PCI Ventures (Penn Center for Innovation), she oversaw the life sciences investment and portfolio management at Echo Investment Capital. She also worked in business development and drug licensing at Microbio Group in Taiwan. Dr. Chen was the R&D project head and led the development of the world’s biggest antibody portfolio for the zebrafish research community at GeneTex. She completed her PhD in developmental biology from Nobel Laureate Professor Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard’s lab at the Max-Planck Institute in Germany.