Management Team

Dr. Steven C. Gerken, Ph.D, MBA
Founder, President and Chief Executive Officer

Dr. Gerken founded Avitacor in 2005 and he has been serving as President, Chief Executive Officer and member of the Board of Directors since its inception. Dr. Gerken brings over 30 years of experience in the life sciences to Avitacor.  Dr. Gerken started in San Diego biotechnology as a bioinformatics scientist at Sequana Therapeutics, the first company to focus on commercializing the human genome project, bringing his expertise in human genetics and bioinformatics from the University of Utah Human Genome Center.  Dr. Gerken most recently held various positions within Chugai Pharmaceuticals, notably as a director of bioinformatics and Information Technology. His responsibilities included te areas of  research and development, corporate and global operations for information technology.  Responsibilities included implementation and management of global adverse event reporting systems, electronic document management and regulatory submissions systems, quality assurance systems and clinical data management systems, including eCRFs. 

Dr. Gerken received his B.A. in Biology from the University of California, Los Angeles, a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry from the University of California, Irvine and his MBA from the Rady School of Management at the University of California, San Diego. He also studied International Business Management at the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore, India.

Kal Chatto
Co-founder

Prior to joining Avitacor, Mr. Chatto served Amgen Inc. for over sixteen years in several leadership capacities including Marketing and Training and Medical Affairs. He has the credit of being recruited from Glaxo Inc. Senior Management Team in 1988 to be one of the first 9 Amgen business development and commercialization executive leaders.

With 24 years of experience in the Pharmaceutical and Biotech Field, Mr. Chatto has the distiction of contributing to the success of Amgen in making it the one of the best biotech companies worldwide. He is also on the board of leading professional organizations and key pharmacy schools of prestigious U.S Universities.

Mr. Kal Chatto received his B.Pharm from Banaras Hindu University and M.S. in Pharmacy Administration from the Long Island University, New York. He has also completed the Executive Management Programs from the Marshall School of Business, USC and the Anderson School of Management, UCLA.