
dr. richard cartledge
meet our inventor
Trained at New York Hospital / Weill Cornell Medical Center and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in cardiovascular and thoracic surgery, Dr. Richard Cartledge not only maintains a high volume clinical practice, but also invents cutting edge medical products and novel surgical techniques and procedures. He currently serves as Chief of Cardiac Surgery and Medical Director of the Christine E. Lynn Heart and Vascular Institute at Boca Raton Regional Hospital, Baptist Health System.
senior leadership

Warren S. Orlando — Board of Managers Chair
Warren S. Orlando joined Neuvana as Chairman of the Board in 2018. Formerly, he was the founder, chairman, and chief executive officer of two successful commercial bank holding companies. He grew and sold both banks over a 23-year period-- raising over $100 million in private equity, leading an initial public offering for both companies, initiating secondary offerings, and raising over $250 million in public funds. Mr. Orlando was the lead on 23 acquisitions and related integrations. He holds a BS in Economics from St. Peters College and a master's degree from the Stonier School of Banking, Rutgers University. Mr. Orlando is currently vice chairman of the board of Boca Raton Regional Hospital.

Richard Cartledge, MD, FACS — Board of Managers Vice-Chair, Co-Founder
Richard Cartledge, MD, FACS invented and patented the Neuvana vagus nerve stimulation device and started Neuvana, LLC, in 2015. He has over 20 years’ experience inventing, designing, and manufacturing cutting-edge medical devices with more than 100 issued and pending patents. Dr. Cartledge has been Chief of Cardiac Surgery of Boca Raton Regional Hospital since 2013. He is fellowship trained in cardiovascular surgery from New York Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center and in thoracic surgical oncology from Memorial Sloan Kettering. Dr. Cartledge holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Lehigh University and a medical degree from the Medical College of Pennsylvania.

Ami L. Brannon — Chief Executive Officer, Co-Founder
Ami L. Brannon is a co-founder of Neuvana and was the company's Chief Executive Officer in its startup phase. She currently serves as Chief Revenue Officer, focusing on marketing, sales, and the customer experience. She is devoted to optimizing wellness and mental health through neuroscience to fight the devastating health effects of stress-induced illness. Ms. Brannon is a Registered Nurse with over 20 years’ experience in hospital-based healthcare. She served in both clinical and leadership roles in ICU and invasive procedural areas. Ms. Brannon holds a BS in Nursing and a BS in Psychology from the University of Central Florida.

Kermit Falk— Chief Technology officer
Kermit A. Falk has been the Chief Technology Officer at Neuvana, LLC, since January 2015. Working closely with Dr. Richard Cartledge and Dr. Daniel Cartledge, Mr. Falk has led the research and development of the company. He has extensive knowledge and experience developing technology at both the research and development and commercially available levels. Mr. Falk has a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Georgia Tech and a MS in Engineering from Johns Hopkins University.

Daniel Cartledge, MD — Director and Co-Founder
Daniel Cartledge, MD along with his brother, Richard Cartledge, MD, started Neuvana, LLC, in 2015. He practices medicine at the National Pain Institute in Delray Beach, Florida, and specializes in interventional pain medicine. He is an expert in neuro-electrical therapies to treat patients with chronic pain. He serves as Medical Director of a therapeutic infusion clinic and is on the advisory board of two nutraceutical companies. Dr. Cartledge is double-board certified in pain management and physical medicine & rehabilitation. Dr. Cartledge holds an undergraduate degree from Lehigh University and a medical degree from the University of Saint Eustatius School of Medicine.

Jan Carlsson — Director
Jan Carlsson is the Managing Partner of LFC Development and the Manager of Lynn Family Enterprises. He has served two decades on the Board of Trustees at Lynn University and has extensive professional experience in mergers, acquisitions, restructuring and valuation of companies. Mr. Carlsson holds an MBA in International Business and Finance from the University of Miami.

Vincent C. Manopoli — Senior Advisor
Vincent C. Manopoli has served Neuvana since 2017, first as a Consultant then COO and currently as its CEO. He has worked as Chief Executive Officer, Chief Operating Officer, and Managing Partner to numerous successful startups and turnaround businesses over the past 35 years, responsible for transactions valued in excess of $325 million. Mr. Manopoli has extensive experience in a variety of sectors including software, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and healthcare management. He holds a BS in Chemistry from UC Irvine, an MS in Chemistry from Cal State Fullerton, and an MBA from the Drucker School of Management and Yale University.
scientific advisory board

Fred Sanfilippo, MD, PHD — Scientific Advisory Board Chair
Fred Sanfilippo, MD, PhD, is a Professor in medicine and public health at Emory University and the Director of the Emory-Georgia Tech Healthcare Innovation Program established to enhance innovation in healthcare delivery research, education, and service. He also serves as Medical Director of the Marcus Foundation. Dr. Sanfilippo has served as a Director, Dean, and CEO at major medical centers including Duke, Johns Hopkins, Ohio State, and Emory, and as president of seven professional societies including the American Society of Transplantation and American Society of Investigation Pathology. He has published over 250 papers, received over $30M in research support, holds three patents, and served as an advisor and consultant to over 100 universities, agencies and companies. Dr. Sanfilippo earned a BS and MS in Physics from the University of Pennsylvania and and MD and PHD in Immunology as a Medical Scientist Training Program fellow at Duke University. He received his board certification in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology and Immunopathology and did his residency at Duke University.

Geraldine Dawson, Ph.D
Geraldine Dawson, Ph.D., is a child clinical psychologist, specializing in autism. Her research has focused on autism early detection, treatment, and brain function. Currently, she serves as the William Cleland Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Duke University, where she also is Professor of Pediatrics and Psychology & Neuroscience. Dr. Dawson's
studies were among the first to describe autism symptoms during infancy.
Dr. Dawson also served as President of the International Society for Autism Research and was founding director of the University of Washington Autism Center. As a fellow of the Association for Psychological Science and American Psychological Association, she received a Ph.D. in Developmental and Child Clinical Psychology from the University of Washington and completed a clinical internship at UCLA.

Erminia M. Guarneri, MD
ErminiaGuarneri, MD, is a prominent integrative cardiologist and thought leader specializing in Holistic Medicine. She is the Co-Founder and Medical Director of Guarneri Integrative Health at Pacific Pearl La Jolla, California where she leads a team of experts in conventional, integrative, and natural Medicine. She is also the Founder and President of the Academy of Integrative Health and Medicine and Former President of the American Board of Integrative Holistic Medicine. Additionally, she co-founded the Scripps Center for Integrative Medicine and served as its Medical Director until 2013.
Dr. Guarneri’s work has been recognized through
numerous awards, including the Integrative Health Symposium's 2020 Visionary Award, 2012 Linus Pauling Functional Medicine Lifetime Achievement Award, and 2011 Bravewell Physician Leadership Award. She currently serves as an Associate Clinical Professor at the University of California, San Diego and California Northstate University.

Michael Mannino, Ph.D
Michael Mannino, Ph.D. has spent the last decade applying his expertise in philosophy and neuroscience in higher education, as a Training and Development Instructor, Assistant Professor, Instructor, and Program Director at Miami Dade College and the University of Miami.
Since April 2019, Dr. Mannino has served as the Director of Programs at the University of Miami’s Institute for Data Science and Computing. In this role, he collaborates with university offices to spearhead new scientific initiatives to enhance computations education and awareness. Additionally, he serves on the Advisory Board of the Society for NeuroSports at Nova Southeastern University in Florida.
While pursuing his Ph.D. in complex systems and brain sciences at Florida
Atlantic University, his research focused on computational cognitive neuroscience. Dr. Mannino also holds a master’s degree in philosophy from the University of California-Los Angeles, and a bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary science from the Florida Institute of Technology.

Polly O'Rourke, Ph.D
Polly Lee O'Rourke, PhD, is an Associate Research Scientist at the Applied Research Lab for Intelligence and Security (ARLIS) at the University of Maryland, a University Affiliated Research Center (UARC). Her areas of expertise are cognitive neuroscience, noninvasive peripheral nerve stimulation and second language acquisition.
Since joining the University of Maryland in 2011, Dr. O'Rourke has gained extensive experience in conducting applied social science research in support of the U.S. Department of Defense. Dr. O'Rourke is currently the PI of an $8M project in DARPA's Targeted Neuroplasticity Training (TNT) program in which she is examining the impact of transcutaneous vagus and trigeminal nerve stimulation on foreign language learning.
Dr. O'Rourke's research is at the cutting edge of the development of noninvasive peripheral nerve stimulation approaches to cognitive enhancement. She holds a PhD in Linguistics from the University of Arizona.

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