Our leadership

“What motivates me at electroCore is the possibility to disrupt healthcare with therapeutic options that are as effective as medications but have unprecedented safety for improving a patient's quality of life for difficult-to-treat medical conditions.” 

As Chief Executive Officer, Frank is responsible for setting and carrying out the vision for electroCore. Prior to joining the company in 2012, Frank spent 22 years in the pharmaceutical industry, most recently at Merck, where he served as Vice President of the Specialty Commercial Operations Group within Global Human Health. Frank has extensive commercial experience in healthcare, serving previously as Executive Director, Global Business Operations at Schering-Plough; Business Unit Lead, Oncology at Ligand Pharmaceuticals; National Sales Director, Specialty Managed Markets at Pfizer Inc.; and National Sales Director, Hospitals at Pharmacia Corporation.  Frank started his career with The Upjohn Company as a sales representative in New York City.  Prior to joining the pharmaceutical industry, he was an infantry medic in the 82nd Airborne Division within the US Army. 

Frank received a Master of Business Administration from Pepperdine University, Graziadio School of Management and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from St. John’s University. 

"We are on the cutting edge of understanding how the brain works, and how the brain controls things like metabolism and inflammation, that a decade ago, nobody thought were controlled in the central nervous system. The brain is the most amazing, complicated, and efficient machine in the universe, and we get to come to work every day with a goal of figuring out how it does some of what it does. To do that, and help people along the way, is simply the best job in the world."

JP co-founded electroCore in 2005 with the goal to expand the use of neuromodulation, a form of therapy that is safe and effective for many conditions. Through prior work he had done with early pioneers of deep brain stimulation, he became fascinated with therapy that could have a profound effect, targeted benefits with rapid onset of benefit, and virtually no serious side effects. The opportunity to deliver that same level of efficacy and safety with a non-invasive device was a compelling goal that captivated him from the beginning.

An accomplished inventor, JP received his undergraduate degree in aeronautical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and worked at the Air Force National Laboratory, Lincoln Laboratories. He holds both law and mechanical/materials engineering graduate degrees from Duke University.

JP trained as a patent attorney in New York and is the author of a treatise on international intellectual property law. Through ongoing collaboration with investing partners, JP, along with fellow investor and board member Thomas J. Errico, MD, previously founded and sold or took public numerous med-tech ventures, including Fastenetix, K2 Medical Systems, AD4-Pharma, E2, and SpineCore. Products conceived by these start-up companies have generated more than $15 billion in sales to date and delivered over $500 million in liquidity events to their investors. He also served as the CEO of SpineCore from the inception of the company through its sale to Stryker in July 2004. 

JP is a named inventor on more than 125 issued US patents and is a named inventor on more than 230 pending US applications. Additional patents and patent applications outside the US on which he is a named inventor number greater than 250. In addition to his current role as Chief Science & Strategy Officer, JP continues to make significant inventive contributions in all aspects of electroCore’s key patent portfolios, along with the clinical and market validations of the company’s products and their indications. 

“I enjoy being part of a team committed to bringing innovative medical treatments to patients who need better ways of dealing with their medical conditions. It is very fulfilling to work with creative and smart people on new products/inventions and technical/business challenges. It's great to be part of a fun start-up culture and achieve important milestones so quickly.”

Steve, one of electroCore’s co-founders, is a Research and Development executive with nearly 3 decades of experience driving all phases of a product’s life cycle, from concept/patents and design to manufacturing and sales/field support. Previously Vice President of Development with the EBI division of Biomet, Inc, Steve was responsible for electronic, bracing, and soft-good products in addition to overseeing the development of external and implantable electrical/thermal therapy medical devices. He also established and managed electronic production/test/repair departments at EBI and previous employers. Steve is a named inventor on more than 30 patents and over 30 patent applications.

Steve obtained a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering and Bachelor of Arts in Biology from Lehigh University. 

“The science and physiology of the vagus nerve, and our ability to stimulate it non-invasively, provides an opportunity to understand disease and to transform medicine across numerous disciplines. It is one of the great opportunities in medicine today.”

Dr. Staats, a co-founder of electroCore, has been on the board of electroCore since its inception.  He was the founder of the Division of Pain Medicine at Johns Hopkins University, where he was the director for 10 years. Dr. Staats is internationally recognized for his work in developing and implementing minimally invasive procedures for chronic pain, and his patents have led to the use of novel pharmacologic agents (Qutenza patch).

Dr. Staats received his medical degree from the University of Michigan Medical School in Ann Arbor and completed his residency and fellowship training at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He is a past President of the North American Neuromodulation Society, American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians, New Jersey Society of Interventional Pain Physicians, and the Southern Pain Society. He is currently Chairman of the Board of Examination of the World Institute of Pain and continues to serve as Chief Medical Officer for National Spine and Pain Centers, the largest pain practice in the United States.

Dr. Staats has written or co-edited 10 books and over 300 articles, abstracts, monographs, and book chapters on pain medicine in publications that include the Journal of the American Medicine Association, Pain, Anesthesiology, and the Journal of Clinical Oncology. His work has been highlighted on Good Morning America, CBS Evening News, Newsweek, and CNN. He has lectured extensively nationally and internationally. He has received numerous awards including physician of the year from the New York, New Jersey, and West Virginia branches of the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians; Best Doctors in America, Top Doctors, and New Jersey Top Doctor; and the Raj Award for Excellence from the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians.

“My inspiration and motivation stem from being responsible for the operational platform for the Management Team that is poised to deliver a novel technology to treat potentially debilitating medical conditions.”

Glenn has been an executive officer in the healthcare sector for over 14 years. Previously, he was the Chief Financial Officer of G&W Laboratories, a mid-cap specialty pharmaceutical company, where he executed the company’s growth strategy by acquiring 2 companies and over 35 products. Prior to that, he was the President of Aprecia Pharmaceuticals, a technology-enabled three-dimensional printing pharmaceutical company, developing the company’s commercial strategy and raising significant capital. From 2003 to 2011, Glenn was the Chief Financial Officer and Head of Strategic Planning for Prasco Laboratories, the fastest growing generic pharmaceutical company in the US for 3 consecutive years. He also spent time as an Executive Vice President for GE Capital and subsequently founded Preceptus, a boutique consulting firm focused on driving efficient and scalable growth for small and mid-market companies in the healthcare and technology sectors.

Glenn holds an Electronic Engineering Technology degree and a Managerial Master of Business Administration in Finance from the Rutgers University Center for Management Development.

“Every day at electroCore we are looking for safer, faster, and more effective ways to treat disease. My passion is to change the way we currently think of ‘medicine’ by bringing novel non-drug treatment options to millions of people.”

Dan has served in senior sales and marketing roles for more than 20 years. Prior to joining electroCore, Dan was Vice President for Business Development with Touchpoint Solutions, preceded by SVP Client Services and Business Development for VMS BioMarketing, and followed by Amylin Pharmaceuticals where, as Senior Director of Sales and Marketing, he developed, recruited, and led diabetes-specialty sales teams accountable for the successful commercial launches of BYDUREON^®, BYETTA^®, and SYMLIN^®. Dan has also held leadership roles with Novartis, Pharmacia Corporation, and Schering-Plough.

Dan received his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Finance, from California State University, Northridge. 

“Research is to see what everybody else has seen, and to think what nobody else has thought.” Albert Szent-Gyorgyi

Bruce has broad expertise in research, having spent the last 16 years prior to joining electroCore as Senior Director of Research at the EBI division of Biomet, Inc, where he directed research on the effects of electric and electromagnetic fields on bone, cartilage, and soft tissue repair. He has more than 60 peer-reviewed publications and 50 issued or pending patents.

Bruce obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a PhD in Physiology and Biophysics from the University of Iowa. After completing his PhD, he spent several years as a Research Assistant Professor at the University of Maryland and then as an Assistant Professor at the University of Texas. His research focused on various aspects of electrophysiology, including excitation-contraction coupling in muscle and biophysical modeling. 

“What motivates me? After 40+ years in the medical device industry, I love the idea of being involved with the development of products that are not ‘me too’ or copycat products. The idea of providing a unique therapy, without many of the side effects associated with pharmaceutical products, for as many indications as we have identified and continue to develop makes for an exciting place to be. I still get goose bumps thinking about what we do and the benefits it provides to the end user.”

Mike is a Quality Assurance and Regulatory Compliance executive with over 40 years of experience in the medical device industry, including manufacturing, design and development, and quality management. Mike has led the successful development and deployment of quality management systems established to meet FDA, as well as international, regulatory requirements for several organizations. Prior to joining electroCore, Mike served as the Director of Quality Assurance and Regulatory Compliance at Blackstone Medical, Inc, where he was responsible for product quality control, quality engineering, supplier management, and product complaint handling, as well as the management of field actions and recalls. 

“Happiness…Health…how do you shift the balance from the drugs people often fear to treatments that people control? nVNS could be the very best solution for today’s ever-complicated world…allowing your vagal nerve to help you feel better…without the common drug-like side effects…when and where you need it. Changing the way people treat disease isn’t easy…something worthwhile rarely is."

Eric brings more than 20 years of neurological industry and association experience to electroCore. In 2009, he co-founded Nautilus Neurosciences, a neurology-focused specialty pharmaceutical company focused on identifying and developing drugs benefiting those affected by neurological disorders, and brought to market Cambia^® for the treatment of acute migraine. At Nautilus, Eric was involved in all facets of the company’s organization and early success, including initial funding, product commercialization, and sales and marketing. 

Eric has held leadership positions at Elan, Amarin, Enzon Pharmaceuticals, Questcor Pharmaceuticals, and Pharmacopeia. He founded Nisola LLC, an advocacy and business strategy consulting firm focused on serving clients in the field of neurology, and sat on the Board of Trustees of the American Academy of Neurology Foundation (now the American Brain Foundation) for more than a decade. Eric began his career at Athena Neurosciences, a pioneer in the development of neurology drugs, after graduating with honors from Tufts University. 

An accomplished inventor, JP received his undergraduate degree in aeronautical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and worked at the Air Force National Laboratory, Lincoln Laboratories. He holds both law and mechanical/materials engineering graduate degrees from Duke University.

JP trained as a patent attorney in New York and is the author of a treatise on international intellectual property law. Through ongoing collaboration with investing partners, JP, along with fellow investor and board member Thomas J. Errico, MD, previously founded and sold or took public numerous med-tech ventures, including Fastenetix, K2 Medical Systems, AD4-Pharma, E2, and SpineCore. Products conceived by these start-up companies have generated more than $15 billion in sales to date and delivered over $500 million in liquidity events to their investors. He also served as the CEO of SpineCore from the inception of the company through its sale to Stryker in July 2004. 

JP is a named inventor on more than 125 issued US patents and is a named inventor on more than 230 pending US applications. Additional patents and patent applications outside the US on which he is a named inventor number greater than 250. In addition to his current role as Chief Science & Strategy Officer, JP continues to make significant inventive contributions in all aspects of electroCore’s key patent portfolios, along with the clinical and market validations of the company’s products and their indications.

Dr. Errico is Chief of the Division of Spine Surgery in the Department of Orthopedics at NYU Langone Medical Center and NYU Langone Orthopedic Hospital. He is also a tenured Professor of Orthopedic and Neurological Surgery at NYU School of Medicine. His undergraduate degree was completed at Rutgers University. He then went on to graduate and complete an internship from what was then known as the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. After completing a residency in Orthopedics at NYU School of Medicine, he completed a yearlong fellowship in spinal surgery at the University of Toronto under the direction of Dr. John Kostuik. Among others, Dr. Errico helped found K2M Group Holdings, Inc, which is now a public-traded company selling spinal implants. Dr. Errico has served as President of both the North American Spine Society (NASS) and the International Society for the Advancement of Spine Surgery (ISASS).

Along with JP Errico, Dr. Errico founded several medical device companies. According to the Medicine Lodge 2001 Spinal Implant Intellectual Property Report, he is the most prolific inventor in the field of spinal implants. According to Becker's Orthopedic & Spine Review, Dr. Errico has been listed as one of 8 spinal surgeons to know in the field of scoliosis. He was also listed as one of the 10 best orthopedic surgeons in the US Health Articles 101. Dr. Errico also served on the Board of Directors of SpineCore, a company he co-founded, from inception to sale. 

Peter is an Adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine and the Department of Oncology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore. He was the founder of the Division of Pain Medicine at Johns Hopkins University, where he was the director for 10 years.

Peter is internationally recognized for his work in developing and implementing minimally invasive procedures for chronic pain. Peter received his medical degree from the University of Michigan Medical School in Ann Arbor and completed his residency and fellowship training at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He is certified by the National Board of Medical Examiners, the American Board of Pain Medicine, and the American Board of Anesthesiology, and is a fellow of the World Institute of Pain and the North American Neuromodulation Society. 

Peter has written or co-edited 10 books and close to 300 articles, abstracts, monographs, and book chapters on pain medicine in publications that include the Journal of the American Medicine Association, Pain, Anesthesiology, and the Journal of Clinical Oncology. His work has been highlighted on Good Morning America, CBS Evening News and CNN. He has lectured extensively nationally and internationally for over 10 years. In addition to his numerous editorial board appointments, including the Clinical Journal of Pain and Pain Medicine, Peter is an active member in many professional societies and is past president of the North American Neuromodulation Society and the Southern Pain Society.  

As Chief Executive Officer, Frank is responsible for setting and carrying out the vision for electroCore. Prior to joining the company in 2012, Frank spent 22 years in the pharmaceutical industry, most recently at Merck, where he served as Vice President of the Specialty Commercial Operations Group within Global Human Health. Frank has extensive commercial experience in healthcare, serving previously as Executive Director, Global Business Operations at Schering-Plough; Business Unit Lead, Oncology at Ligand Pharmaceuticals; National Sales Director, Specialty Managed Markets at Pfizer Inc.; and National Sales Director, Hospitals at Pharmacia Corporation.  Frank started his career with The Upjohn Company as a sales representative in New York City.  Prior to joining the pharmaceutical industry, he was an infantry medic in the 82nd Airborne Division within the US Army.  

Frank received a Master of Business Administration from Pepperdine University, Graziadio School of Management and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from St. John’s University. 

David is a Managing Director in Merck’s Global Health Innovation Fund, with a primary focus on precision medicine. David has invested in molecular diagnostics, point-of-care diagnostics, imaging, and therapeutic device companies that address unmet needs in oncology, infectious disease, neurology, and cardiovascular disease. David holds board seats at OpGen, electroCore, and Navigating Cancer, and he is a board observer at Asuragen and GenomeDx. David joined Merck in 2007 as Director of Franchise and Portfolio Management. His primary responsibilities were to oversee the operational support of all Merck Research Laboratories (MRL) disease-area franchises and provide portfolio management support to MRL Oncology, including the development of franchise strategies, scenario planning, and portfolio valuation. David joined Merck from Cognia Corporation, where he was CEO and President, and helped to build it into a pioneer bioinformatics products company.

David holds a PhD from Temple University in Molecular Biology and a Bachelor of Arts in Biology from SUNY Binghamton. He was a National Institutes of Health and American Cancer Society postdoctoral fellow at Harvard Medical School, where he worked on the Ubiquitin Proteasome Pathway. He also received training in post-graduate business at Harvard University.   

Trevor is a Partner at M.H. Carnegie & Co, an Australian private equity and venture capital firm. He is also President of TM Strategic Advisors LLC, a management consultancy serving the boards, investors, and senior management of both emerging and established medical technology companies. Trevor brings significant experience, with over 25 years in the development, commercialization, and funding of innovative growth-oriented medical technologies. He was previously a General Partner at Frazier Healthcare Ventures, a leading healthcare venture capital and private equity investment firm with over $3 billion under management. Trevor co-led the medical device team at Frazier and became known as an active and well-regarded investor. In addition to several private boards, Trevor is the previous Board Chair of the Center for Infectious Disease Research, one of the largest independent non-profit research institutes focused on diseases of the developing world.   

Trevor graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a Master of Science in Management (Sloan School) and the University of Southern Queensland, Australia, with a Bachelor of Engineering. Trained as a biomedical engineer with an electrical focus, Trevor held product development and product marketing roles at Telectronics Pacing Systems and Ventritex, both in the cardiac rhythm management market.  

Jim founded Tullis Health Investors (THI or Tullis-Dickerson & Co, Inc) in 1986 and has a career in healthcare investing that spans more than 4 decades. As Managing Partner or CEO, Jim has led 10 THI healthcare-focused venture capital/growth equity funds, which have in turn been lead investors in successful biotech, pharmaceutical, medical device, medical service, and healthcare IT companies including PSS World Medical, Adams Pharmaceuticals, Genoptix, Synageva, Biorex, Atritech, Impulse Monitoring, Vidacare, and others.

Prior to establishing Tullis Health Investors in 1986, Jim was a Senior Vice President of E.F. Hutton and a Principal at Morgan Stanley, where he led healthcare investment research and, later, healthcare investment banking. During his tenure at Morgan Stanley, he received recognition 14 times on the Institutional Investor All-Star list of Wall Street’s top securities analysts. He was twice named #1 Drug Analyst and was featured on the Wall Street Week television program.

Jim is a graduate of Stanford University and earned a Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School. He currently sits on the Boards of the Lord Abbett family of mutual funds (where he is Chairman), Crane Co., Exagen Diagnostics, SafeOp (where he is Chairman), LivHOME, Inc, and SupplyPro, Inc. Jim is also a Board Member of the National Parks Conservation Association.

Nick serves as Chairman, Publicis Health and Chief Operating Officer, Publicis Communications North America. He joined Publicis Health in 2000 as President, then became Chief Operating Officer before rising to CEO in 2007. Nick’s experience spans both client and agency sides of communications businesses. 

Previously, Nick served as Vice President of Marketing & Sales at EyeSys Technologies and Marketing Director at Roche. In addition to his current role at Publicis Health, Nick serves on the Board of the American Heart Association of New York. He is a passionate and outspoken advocate for inclusion and gender parity. His leadership and continuous efforts have resulted in numerous accolades, including MM&M’s 50 Health Influencers, PharmaVOICE’s “100 Most Inspiring People," and the Superhero of Heart and Stroke Award from the American Heart Association.

Nick earned a Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience from the University of Rochester and a Master of Business Administration from Loyola University Maryland.

Dr. Ondra is Chief Executive Officer of North Star Healthcare Consulting, a healthcare technology consulting company that he founded in 2017. From 2013 to 2016, Dr. Ondra served as Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of Health Care Service Corporation, the largest customer-owned health insurance company in the United States. Previously, Dr. Ondra served as Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of Northwestern Memorial Hospital.

In 2009, Dr. Ondra was appointed by President Obama as Senior Policy Advisor for Health Affairs of the US Department of Veterans Affairs, assigned to the Executive Office of the President of the United States from 2010 to 2012. At the White House he held several positions, including Co-Chair of the National Science and Technology Council for Health Information Technology.

A board-certified neurosurgeon, Dr. Ondra was a Professor of Neurosurgery and Residency Program Director at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine from 1996 to 2009. Dr. Ondra graduated from Rush Medical College in Chicago with a Doctor of Medicine, completing residency training in neurosurgery at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC. As a US Army physician, Dr. Ondra served with distinction in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm and was awarded Bronze Star and Army Commendation Medals.

After starting his career with Ernst and Young where he became an Audit Manager, Mike spent the majority of his career in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. Prior to his retirement in 2016, Mike was Executive Vice President, Chief Financial and Business Officer at Ophthotech, Inc. (Nasdaq: OPHT), a public biotechnology company. His previous experience included roles as Executive Chairman of Eyetech Inc., a private specialty pharmaceutical company; Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of OSI Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: OSIP), a public biotechnology company; and Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Dendrite International, Inc. (Nasdaq: DRTE), a pharmaceutical services company. In the 1990s, Mike held various senior corporate positions, including Treasurer at Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE: MRK) and Vice President of US Human Health, a division of Merck.

Mike currently serves on the Board of Directors of Chubb Limited (NYSE: CB) where he is a member of the Risk and Finance Committee and previously served as the Chair of the Audit Committee from 2012 until May 2018. His previous public company board experience was with Theravance Biopharma (Nasdaq:TBPH) and OSI Pharmaceuticals, where he also served as Chair of the Audit Committee. Mike graduated from Upsala College with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Finance.

Carrie S. Cox is Executive Chairman and former Chief Executive Officer of Humacyte, Inc. She joined Humacyte in 2010 and previously served as Executive Vice President and President, Global Pharmaceuticals, at Schering-Plough Corporation from 2003 until its merger with Merck & Co., Inc. in November 2009. At Merck & Co., Inc., she was responsible for the company’s global prescription pharmaceutical business, which generated approximately $16 billion in annual sales. Carrie held a similar role as President, Global Prescription Business at Pharmacia Corporation, as well as Senior Vice President of Global Business Management at Pharmacia & Upjohn (the predecessor company to Pharmacia), and Vice President of Women’s Healthcare at Wyeth-Ayerst. Carrie spent her early career at Sandoz Pharmaceuticals in a variety of commercial roles of increasing responsibility. She currently serves on the Boards of Directors of Texas Instruments, Cardinal Health, and Celgene, and she has served as Lead Director for Texas Instruments.

Carrie has been named six times to Fortune’s list of the “50 Most Powerful Women in Business.” Her work has been featured in Harvard Business Review and in The New York Times’ bestseller, The Profit Zone. She received her Bachelor of Science from the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy in 1981.