EpiWatch, Inc., a digital health company focused on epilepsy, announced today the closing of its latest financing round and appointment of three new members to its Board of Directors.
The latest financing round will position the company to complete the clinical validation of its innovative tonic-clonic epileptic seizure detection and alerting software as a medical device to be offered initially on the Apple watch. Approximately 3.4 million people in the U.S. have epilepsy, and 3,000 of those die each year from “Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy” (SUDEP), the leading cause of death in people with uncontrolled epileptic seizures.
“We are pleased to have closed our latest financing round, adding talented and experienced experts to our Board of Directors. The combination of additional funding and expertise from our new directors will help galvanize our mission to bring to market digital health technologies which could substantially improve the lives of people with epilepsy and those who care for them,” said Dean Papadopoulos, EpiWatch CEO.
Concurrent with the financing close, EpiWatch announced the following three additions to its Board of Directors:
Daniel F. Hanley Jr., MD – Dan is Professor of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Anesthesiology/Critical Care Medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and Founder and Director of the Division of Brain Injury Outcomes (BIOS) at Johns Hopkins Medicine. He brings 35 years of experience in clinical trial design, organization and interpretation of drug and device trials; development of strategic research plans; and FDA regulatory compliance.
Richard C. Schmitt – Dick brings a long career in higher education administration, executive search, and coaching. Early in his career, Dick was an assistant dean at the Stern School of Business at New York University. Dick has two decades of experience in executive search, most recently as Managing Director, Europe for A. T. Kearney Executive Search based in Brussels. He has also served on 10 boards. Dick has an MBA from the Tuck School and remains very active in alumni affairs at Tuck.
Richard W. Thomas, MD, DDS, and Major General, U.S. Army (Retired) – Tom was most recently the President of the Uniformed Services University and Director, Healthcare Operations and Chief Medical Officer, Defense Health Agency (DHA). Tom brings expertise as a senior healthcare executive, academic leader, and University president as well as extensive leadership and personnel management experience in policy development, healthcare operations, academic systems, and strategic planning.
“The additions of Dan, Dick, and Tom bring vital capabilities to the Board as we complete the clinical phases of development and move to commercialization,” stated Michael Singer, EpiWatch Executive Chairman.
EpiWatch will lead the digital transformation of epilepsy care by delivering innovative and integrated services that keep people with epilepsy safe; enable them, their caregivers, and their physicians to better manage their condition; and provide peace of mind for their loved ones. EpiWatch will connect people with epilepsy, caregivers, physicians, and researchers in a community working together to advance research, optimize care, and improve outcomes. EpiWatch is initially developing a proprietary capability to detect and alert for potentially dangerous tonic-clonic (grand mal) seizures. The company was founded by Nathan Crone, M.D. and Gregory Kraus, M.D., Professors of Neurology and epileptologists at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and uses technology licensed from Johns Hopkins University. For more information visit www.epiwatch.com.
