David A. Baker, Ph.D.
Co-Founder

Dr. Baker cofounded Promentis Pharmaceuticals in 2007 and currently serves on the Scientific Advisory Board. Dr. Baker is also Professor and Associate Chair in the Department of Biomedical Sciences at Marquette University. He previously served as a postdoctoral fellow at the Medical University of South Carolina in the laboratory of Peter Kalivas, Ph.D. Dr. Baker earned his Ph.D. at Arizona State University and his B.S. at Montana State University, working in the laboratories of Dr. Janet Neisewander and Dr. Michael Babcock, respectively. He has had an active research career examining the neurobiological basis of diseases of the brain. Since 2001, his research has focused on identifying novel therapeutic targets capable of normalizing brain circuitry that underlies compulsive disorders. During this time, Dr. Baker pioneered research implicating System X_C– as a key component of pathological glutamate signaling; work that served as the scientific basis for Promentis Pharmaceuticals. His achievements have been featured in the Marquette Magazine cover story (Winter 2009 issue) “Searching for a Cure for the Brain’s Darkest Diseases” and earned him the 2010 Daniel X. Freedman Award from NARSAD for outstanding basic research achievement. In addition, he has been the recipient of the Milwaukee Health Care Award in 2012 and The Business Journal’s Forty under 40 Award in 2010, honoring Milwaukee’s up-and-coming leaders.

Darin D. Dougherty, M.D., M.Sc.

Dr. Dougherty is the Director of the Neurotherapeutics Division in the Department of Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), the Director of the Mood Disorders Section of the MGH Psychiatric Neuroimaging Group, and the Associate Director of the MGH Psychiatric Neuroimaging Group. Dr. Dougherty is also the Medical Director at the McLean Hospital/MGH Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Institute and the Co-Director of the MGH Trichotillomania Clinic. Additionally, Dr. Dougherty is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, a Clinical Associate at Massachusetts General Hospital and a Visiting Scientist at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Dr. Dougherty currently serves on the scientific advisory board for the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, the International Obsessive Compulsive Disorders Foundation, and the Trichotillomania Learning Center. In addition, he serves on the MGH Psychiatric Neurosurgery Committee, as well as on many editorial boards and award committees. Dr. Dougherty is the recipient of numerous awards, including the 2003 NARSAD Young Investigator Award and being named one of the Future Leaders in Psychiatry in 2005. Dr. Dougherty has co-authored more than 100 original articles in peer-reviewed journals, over 30 book chapters, and has co-edited two books on neuroimaging as well as one book on Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Currently Dr. Dougherty is the Principal Investigator or co-Principal Investigator on several government and industry funded studies investigating neuroimaging and medication and neurosurgery treatments of OCD and mood disorders.

Dr. Dougherty received his M.D. from the University of Illinois and completed his residency in general psychiatry at MGH.

Jon E. Grant, J.D., M.D., M.P.H.

Dr. Grant is a Professor of Psychiatry & Behavioral Neuroscience at the University of Chicago, Pritzker School of Medicine, where he also supervises an outpatient clinic for addictive-impulsive-compulsive disorders. Dr. Grant is the author of 12 books on impulsive and compulsive behaviors and more than 300 peer-reviewed scientific articles. He is Chair of the Scientific Advisory Board of the TLC Foundation for Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors and the Director of a Center of Excellence in Gambling Research supported by the National Center for Responsible Gaming. Dr. Grant received his B.A. at the University of Michigan, his J.D. at Cornell University, his M.D. at Brown University, and his M.P.H. at Harvard University.

Daniel C. Javitt, M.D., Ph.D.

Dr. Javitt is a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Neuroscience at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. He was an early proponent of the NMDA model of schizophrenia and is a leader in NMDA-based treatment development. He has published more than 250 original research articles on topics related to schizophrenia and serious psychiatric illnesses, with more than 4400 cumulative citations. He has received numerous honors for his work, including research awards from the American Psychiatric Association, the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology, the Society for Biological Psychiatry, and the Child Welfare League of America. His research is supported by the National Institute for Mental Health, the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the Stanley Foundation, and other philanthropic organizations. He currently serves as associate editor of Schizophrenia Bulletin, and as an editorial board member for several prestigious journals, including Schizophrenia Research and the American Journal of Psychiatry. Dr. Javitt is a Fellow of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology, an advisory board member for the Brian and Behavior Research Foundation and a standing member of the Institute of Medicine Neuro Forum. Dr. Javitt received his M.D. and Ph.D. from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and completed his fellowship and residency at the Albert Einstein Medical Center.

Peter W. Kalivas, Ph.D.

Dr. Kalivas is Professor and Chair of the Department of Neurosciences at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. He is best known for his work to elucidate the brain molecules and neurocircuitry that underlie addiction, with a focus on characterizing the neuroplasticity produced by chronic use of addictive drugs in the prefrontal cortex and its glutamatergic projections to the basal ganglia. Dr. Kalivas’ work is highlighted in more than 400 publications and Dr. Kalivas has served as editor of six books that focus on the cellular mechanisms and brain circuitry mediating psychiatric disorders. He has received a great number of national and international awards, including a Merit Award from the National Institute of Drug Abuse, the Governor’s Award for Research Excellence (South Carolina), and the ISPEN Foundation Prize in Neuroplasticity. He is a member of the Scientific Advisory Board for the National Alliance for Research in Schizophrenia and Depression, chairs the Scientific Advisory Board for the Medications Development Program in the National Institute on Drug Abuse, and is past-president of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology. He also serves as editor or is on the editorial board of six major journals in the field of neuroscience. He received his Ph.D. in Pharmacology from the University of Washington in Seattle and completed his postdoctoral training at the University of North Carolina..

David A. Baker, Ph.D.
Co-Founder

Dr. Baker cofounded Promentis Pharmaceuticals in 2007 and currently serves on the Scientific Advisory Board. Dr. Baker is also Professor and Associate Chair in the Department of Biomedical Sciences at Marquette University. He previously served as a postdoctoral fellow at the Medical University of South Carolina in the laboratory of Peter Kalivas, Ph.D. Dr. Baker earned his Ph.D. at Arizona State University and his B.S. at Montana State University, working in the laboratories of Dr. Janet Neisewander and Dr. Michael Babcock, respectively. He has had an active research career examining the neurobiological basis of diseases of the brain. Since 2001, his research has focused on identifying novel therapeutic targets capable of normalizing brain circuitry that underlies compulsive disorders. During this time, Dr. Baker pioneered research implicating System X_C– as a key component of pathological glutamate signaling; work that served as the scientific basis for Promentis Pharmaceuticals. His achievements have been featured in the Marquette Magazine cover story (Winter 2009 issue) “Searching for a Cure for the Brain’s Darkest Diseases” and earned him the 2010 Daniel X. Freedman Award from NARSAD for outstanding basic research achievement. In addition, he has been the recipient of the Milwaukee Health Care Award in 2012 and The Business Journal’s Forty under 40 Award in 2010, honoring Milwaukee’s up-and-coming leaders.

John Mantsch, Ph.D.
Co-Founder

Dr. Mantsch co-founded Promentis Pharmaceuticals in 2007. He is an Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Biomedical Sciences at Marquette University. Dr. Mantsch earned his Ph.D. in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center with a specialization in neuropharmacology and his B.S. in Psychology at Allegheny College.  He received his postdoctoral training in the Laboratory of the Biology of Addictive Diseases at the Rockefeller University. Dr. Mantsch has received more than $3 million in funding from NIH.