BIOLOGIC TEAM
Meet the Biologic Team Leadership
Franco Cavaleri, B.Sc, Ph.D.c
FOUNDER, CEO, PRESIDENT
Franco completed his BSc with a major in Human Nutrition from the University of British Columbia. He attended the University of British Columbia for his postgraduate doctoral study at the Faculty of Medicine’s Experimental Medicine Program. His research interest and focus continues to be on nutraceutical pharmacology in the context of the pathology of inflammation and inflammatory disease.
Franco is the founder of and lead investigator at Biologic Pharmamedical Research, a biomedical laboratory involved in the research and development of nutrient- and nutraceutical-based technologies using pharmaceutical or medical research models to help define how they interact and modulate cell signaling and behavior; he’s a best-selling author of health, wellness, and fitness books and has published countless scientific articles accessible through Pubmed and other online medical and scientific journal resources. Franco has generated scientific discovery in the biomedical field through his experimental medicine research now published in the literature.
Franco is also a former (1992) IFBB Mr. North America bodybuilding champion having put his research into personal practice and has built three successful businesses in the Natural Health Product Industry from concept to successful merger and acquisition. His formulation and research work has led to Alive natural products awards; pharmacological discovery and patent-status technologies that are now licensed and distributed globally.
Mike Schmidt, BA, Sc
VP, BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT LEAD
Mike is an energetic, entrepreneurial technology executive with expertise in building on new business opportunities. Currently, Mike is the VP of Business Development for Biologic Pharmamedical. Prior, he was President of Urban Communications, an asset-based Fibre Optics company.
Previously, as the VP of Business Development for Teliphone Navigata Westel, Mike was responsible for all M&A activity of the company, in addition to leading other strategic initiatives, moving the company forward on its fast-paced trajectory.
Previously, Mike was the CEO of Uniserve Communications. Uniserve is a publicly-traded national Canadian ISP, delivering data and voice solutions to residential and commercial customers. Mike’s extensive sales and technology background came from when he was Vice President of Sales and Marketing and a founding member of Parasun Technologies. There he successfully built a sales and marketing team that progressively made Parasun an industry leader and pioneer in Internet delivery over cable through their SaaS-based provisioning software platform.
Sukalpa Chattopadhyay, Ph.D.
BIOTECHNOLOGY LABORATORY LEAD
Dr. Chattopadhyay is a valued Biologic Pharmamedical Research and Development team leader. In the role of Biomedical Scientist, her contributions are opening new doors. Dr. Chattopadhyay finished a Ph.D. in Biotechnology from the University of Calcutta, India, where her primary research focus was to study hematologic diseases and their elusive relationship with complex blood stem cell regulatory signaling pathways.
Dr. Chattopadhyay’s current research interest lies in unearthing the pharmacological potential of natural medicines and to further enhancing their therapeutic efficiency using modern research techniques. Along with a strong theoretical background in fundamental cell and cancer biology, Dr. Chattopadhyay is highly skilled in various wet lab techniques relevant to her current field of study. Outside of work Dr. Chattopadhyay enjoys traveling and exploring new places, trying new cuisines, and spending time with family and friends.
Vrushalee Palsule, MHA
PROJECT MANAGER, QUALITY CONTROL
Vrushalee Palsule is a Project Manager at Biologic Pharmamedical. She holds a Master's degree in Healthcare Administration from the University of South Florida as well as a Master's degree in Cell and Molecular Biology from Louisiana Tech University.
Vrushalee thrives in her role as project manager as she's passionate about enhancing organizational communication, systems, and quality control. She has gained a wide range of experience in the healthcare industry as a Business Coordinator at a Medical device company and as a Risk Management analyst at a Transplant Hospital in the United States. She's also worked as a Genetics Researcher as she is passionate about making a contribution to the health of others while applying her knowledge from science and public health. Besides her work life, she enjoys home organization, interior designing, and traveling the world with her family and friends.
Christina Weizmann, BA
MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS LEAD
Christina spent over a decade supporting leaders of large corporations in both South Africa and Canada before she decided to strike out in 2002 to start her own digital marketing agency to support entrepreneurs and small business owners.
As the Creative Director of Pivotal Concepts Communication Studio, Christina has worked directly with hundreds of clients in determining their values and objectives and translating them into an effective marketing strategy with a powerful brand and online presence. For six years while raising a family, Christina managed all aspects of marketing and sales for a family diamond wholesale company in Vancouver, Canada.
Today, Christina has adapted to the dynamic digital sphere encompassing transformational digital strategies to build bigger brands and drive sales. She is passionate about aligning her values with socially conscious entrepreneurs who are making a positive impact on the lives of others, their communities, and the environment.
Christina is the Chairwoman of Blanket BC Society as well as the dedicated communications lead for several non-profit organizations.
As a mother and a Vegan, Christina is also passionate about health and longevity, holistic treatments, alternative medicine, and the plight of animals and the environment on a global scale. She hopes that with her digital marketing and communications skills she will help notable thought-leaders and disruptors leave a positive legacy and a healthier planet for future generations.
Patrick Riley, Ph.D.
SYSTEMS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY LEAD
Dr. Patrick Riley, Ph.D. combines his UC Berkeley Plant Biology and Epigenetics labatory experience, knowledge of computer science and intellectual property at the Berkeley Center for Law & Technology and numerous global technology and bioscience companies worldwide.
With the guidence of professors and medical physicians at UC Berkeley, Dr. Riley's Elsevier-awarded nanobiotechnology, RFID and security research has been presented and published extensively in North America and Europe. Dr. Riley was a U.S. Department of State IIE Fulbright Fellow and has taught graduate courses at UC Berkeley, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München's Center for Digital Technology and Management in Munich, Germany, and ETH Zürich's EGG in Zurich, Switzerland.
Vincent Duronio, Ph.D.
SCIENTIFIC ADVISORY TEAM LEAD
Professor, Department of Respiratory Medicine UBC; former UBC Director of Experimental Medicine Graduate program. Vincent Duronio received a B.Sc. in Chemistry/Biology from U. Windsor, followed by a Ph.D. in Biochemistry at U. Western Ontario. He then did a post-doctoral fellowship at Burroughs Wellcome Laboratories in North Carolina (now part of GlaxoSmithKline), working on the function and phosphorylation of insulin and IGF-I receptors.
Returning to Canada to join the Biomedical Research Centre and then the UBC Dept. of Medicine, he initiated studies of signalling via cytokine receptors, making many novel findings regarding their key role in cell proliferation and cell survival. Expanding on the key role of the newly described PI 3-kinase pathways, and discovering its essential role in cell survival, the Duronio laboratory went on to examine the role of BCL-2 family proteins in apoptosis, and extended the scope of its research from cytokines involved in inflammation into the fields of cancer, cardiovascular and respiratory science, as well as tendon biology. Dr. Duronio progressed through the ranks at UBC, becoming a full Professor in 2003.
He held continuous funding since his Ph.D. studies from the Medical Research Council of Canada, and subsequently the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, beginning with scholarship and fellowship funding and then grant support. His research has also been supported by numerous agencies including the National Cancer Institute of Canada, the Cancer Research Society, Heart and Stroke Foundation, BC Lung Association and he was in the inaugural group of awardees from the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research.