For nearly a decade, Haas held leadership roles at the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson.
Psilera said the company has appointed Magali Haas, M.D., Ph.D., to its board of directors.
“Dr. Haas brings a wealth of experience from multiple leadership roles at Janssen and Johnson & Johnson, as well as biotechnology and mission-driven nonprofits,” Psilera said in a news release.
Haas currently serves as founder and chair of Cohen Veterans Bioscience, a nonprofit organization focused on improving the detection and treatment of post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injuries through cutting-edge research. Previously, Haas was CEO and president of the nonprofit for nine years.
For nearly a decade, starting in the early 2000s, Haas held leadership roles at the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, now known as Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine.
Haas also established the Brain Health Nexus, a global initiative focused on operationalizing brain health through the development, validation and adoption of a global brain-health index.
“We are thrilled to welcome Magali as an independent member of our board of directors,” said Dr. Chris Witowski, CEO of Psilera. “Her extensive background in neuroscience and experience translating early-stage research and clinical development align perfectly with our mission at Psilera.”
Founded in 2019, Psilera specializes in “early-stage drug discovery and development to provide new neurological therapies to underserved patient populations,” according to the company’s website. The biopharmaceutical company is developing a psychedelic derivative called PSIL-006, which targets neurodegenerative diseases such as frontotemporal dementia.
“Joining the board of Psilera provides a thrilling opportunity to be at the forefront of brain-health research,” Haas said. “I’m deeply impressed by their unique capabilities melding artificial intelligence and machine learning, a proprietary compound library and a patient-centric ethos. I look forward to working with the leadership team and my board colleagues on transformative advancements for patients.”