Maelene L. Wong, PhD
Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer
Maelene leads the effort to translate ViVita's platform technology from the lab bench and commercialize the resultant products for applications in regenerative medicine. She pioneered the ViVita Process as a graduate student to address morbidity and mortality associated with the shortage of donor organs and tissues. Her 16 years of experience in cardiovascular tissue engineering have solidified her desire to generate novel technologies that facilitate the body's return to normal function through tissue engineering and regenerative medicine approaches. Maelene earned her PhD in Biomedical Engineering from UC Davis and her BS in Bioengineering from UC Berkeley.
Jim D. Olson, MBA
Corporate Development
Jim possesses over 40 years of experience in leadership roles, founding WestShore Management Group after leading high tech businesses for 2 Fortune 500 companies. He serves as a Business Specialist for the UC Davis Engineering Translational Technology Center (ETTC) and is a Visiting Lecturer at the Graduate School of Management. Jim drives ViVita's business development through strategic advising and connections with investors and key partners.
Leigh G. Griffiths, VetMB, RCVS Diplomate of Small Animal Surgery (Soft Tissue), Diplomate ACVIM (Cardiology), MRCVS, PhD
Co-Founder & Chairman
Leigh graduated from Cambridge University in 1995 and was the first veterinary surgeon in the United Kingdom to train as a microvascular surgeon at the world-renowned Canneisburn Hospital. He completed a fellowship in cardiac surgery at Colorado State University in 2003, followed by a PhD and residency in Cardiology. He joined the faculty at the University of California Davis in 2007, where he runs the cardiovascular surgery program. His basic science research program identifies methods to avoid the barriers to transplantation of animal-derived tissue scaffolds for use in production of tissue engineered and organs for implantation in animal and human patients.
Fabian Lara, MD
Biomaterials Scientist
Fabian graduated medical school from Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara in 2013, and finished his formal training at the New York Medical College in 2014. His previous experience in research includes a volunteer position in the UC Davis School of Medicine-Department of Surgery, culminating in a Postdoctoral Scholar position through the UC Davis School of Medicine-Pathology & Laboratory Medicine.