We have assembled an amazing team of scientists, clinicians and innovators in our quest to bring medication monitoring to the world.
We have assembled an amazing board of advisors with valuable clinical, scientific, regulatory, technical and commercial expertise.
Chief Executive Officer
For the first part of his career Patrik worked in various start-ups, mid-sized, privately-held companies as well as large, publicly-traded companies, primarily in the B2B software and market research industries where client lists included many leading technology companies. He took on as many different roles as possible to learn about all aspects of business, always with the goal becoming an entrepreneur. After being part of six acquisitions as an employee, he was inspired to found CARI Health after watching a close family member’s struggle with opioids. Since then, he’s been leading a team of clinicians, biochemical and electrical engineers on a mission to build a company that will have a positive and lasting impact on the opioid crisis.
VP, Product Development
As Vice President of Product Development at CARI Health Inc., Judson McFarland leads the strategy, development, and launch of innovative diagnostic solutions that empower clinicians to personalize methadone dosing. With over 25 years of industry experience, he has driven the successful development of qualitative and quantitative laboratory-developed tests and rapid point-of-care products for both FDA and EMEA markets. His product expertise spans infectious disease, toxicology, women’s and men’s health, therapeutic drug monitoring, gastroenterology, inflammation, and oncology. Prior to joining CARI Health, Judson held leadership roles at Quidel Corporation, Abbott Laboratories, Prometheus Laboratories, and Biosynex. Known for building and leading high-performing teams, Judson consistently delivers strong company performance and meaningful patient outcomes. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Sciences from Montana State University–Bozeman.
Medical Consultant
Dr. Carr is a Harvard and Stanford trained physician-entrepreneur. He entered the field of addiction medicine in 2015 and serves as the Medical Director of an Outpatient Treatment Program for opioid use disorder. His prior training in Biochemical Sciences at Harvard, medical school trainings in medical informatics at Stanford Medical School, and Internal Medicine trainings at UCSF/UCSD created the basis for his pursuit of the first website for internet-based telemedicine in the United States. In the spring of 1999 he was awarded the Cybervision Award for the Homecare Extranet from the US Department of Health and Human Services. Subsequently he built a protocol engine for asynchronous telemedicine as the cofounder of Gogohealth LLC . His vision and clinical experience have significantly contributed to the methadone use case for CARI Health.
Product Development
Kevin Chon is a Product Development Scientist in in vitro diagnostics with over a decade of experience delivering FDA-cleared and CE-marked assays from concept through commercialization. He brings deep expertise in immunoassay development, verification and validation strategy, and design controls, with a proven ability to align regulatory requirements, market needs, and manufacturing scalability. Kevin has supported multiple FDA 510(k) and De Novo submissions by ensuring analytical performance claims are grounded in robust, audit-ready data. He is recognized for a disciplined, risk-based approach to decision-making, strong statistical insight, and the ability to translate complex technical challenges into reliable, commercially successful diagnostic products. Known as a highly hands-on contributor, Kevin works relentlessly to drive projects forward and ensure execution at the bench and beyond. He is effective at leading and collaborating cross-functionally with Manufacturing, Quality, Clinical, and Customer Support teams to deliver results.
Technical Advisor
Michael Jon Hale, Ph.D. is a distinguished leader in in vitro diagnostics and point-of-care. With more than 20 years of diagnostic experience in product development, regulatory strategy, and global commercialization, Dr. Hale has consistently transformed innovative concepts into market-leading diagnostic platforms that improve patient outcomes and drive substantial business growth.
Dr. Hale led the creation of the Sofia Platform, which has generated over a billion dollars in revenue in its 100,000+ install base, and directed the creation of the ProciseDx Platform which launched in 2020. He secured the only two FDA De novoclearances for biologic therapeutic drug monitoring assays—Humira® (adalimumab) and Remicade® (infliximab) and their biosimilars.
Throughout his career at ProciseDx, Nestlé Health Science, Prometheus Laboratories, Quidel Corporation, and as Faculty Fellow at UC San Diego, Dr. Hale built high-performing R&D teams, launched multi-marker assays, and contributed to the launch of two FDA De novo, eight 510(k) clearances (including two CLIA waivers), 16 CE Marks, and multiple CLIA laboratory tests. He holds a Ph.D. and M.A. in Chemistry from the University of California, San Diego, and is an accomplished author and inventor with numerous peer-reviewed publications and patents in diagnostic systems and assay technologies.
Dr. Hale’s strategic vision and technical excellence continue to advance precision diagnostics and global diagnostic solutions.
Clinical Advisor
Dr. Courchesne-Krak received her Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Research on Substance Use from the University of California, San Diego, where she also completed postdoctoral training in clinical psychology and psychiatric genetics. She is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at UC San Diego and an expert in substance use disorders, specializing in opioid use, treatment outcomes, and metabolism. Her research leverages electronic health records, biobanks, and clinical and longitudinal cohorts to study overdose risk, neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome, and treatment efficacy across diverse populations. Her long-term goal is to develop precision approaches that improve the effectiveness of prevention and treatment for substance use disorders across the lifespan.
Technical Advisor
Phil Bruce is a seasoned scientist and technical leader with over 25 years of experience in the development of in-vitro diagnostic assays and systems. After earning his master’s degree in biology from UC Santa Barbara, he began his career at Sequenom Inc., focusing on genotyping assay development. Phil spent twelve years at Biosite Inc., where he developed and commercialized lateral flow immunoassays for the Triage® System, now marketed by Quidel-Ortho. He has also held senior leadership positions, including Director of Research and Development at Lumos Diagnostics and Director of Technical Operations at Cue Health, where he played a key role in securing the first FDA clearance for an at-home molecular test.
Operations Director
Laurie Russell is an innovative executive with diverse experience in leading business operations across corporate and nonprofit sectors. She has experience managing complex projects and directing cross-functional teams to streamline operations, enhance efficiency and drive organizational growth. Laurie spent the first part of her career at the San Diego Zoo in both marketing and fundraising. She now oversees the daily operations at CARI Health.
Board Director
Gioia Messinger brings more than 30 years of high technology executive experience, with over two decades focused on consumer electronics, Internet of Things (IoT), robotics/artificial intelligence (AI) and digital health as Founder/CEO, board member, interim executive and venture capital advisor. Ms. Messinger is the founder and Principal of LinkedObjects, Inc., a strategic advisory services business focused on digital transformation brought about by AI and IoT. She currently is an advisor to several start-ups and serves on the board of One Stop Systems (NASDAQ:OSS) and Indyme Solutions. Ms. Messinger obtained her MBA from the Paul Merage School of Business at the University of California, Irvine and her B.S./M.A. in Computer Engineering from University of California, San Diego. She’s an inventor on 11 patents.
Board Director
Charles currently is a private investor and serves on both for-profit and not-for-profit boards. Prior, he was the lead healthcare partner at Oak Hill Capital Partners, a middle market private equity firm. He has been an investor in Accolade, Accretive Healthcare, AccentCare, Jazz Pharmaceuticals, and Align Technology among others. Other early-stage investments include Village Practice Management, Vera Whole Health, Stability Health, and Recovery One. Not-for-profit activities include serving on the boards of Bay Area Center for Arts and Technology (BAYCAT), Verity Health, the Ralph Lauren Center for Cancer Care and Prevention, and Matters Athletic. Mr. Patton earned a B.S. degree from the University of California, Berkeley and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.
Business Advisor
Peter Westlake is a seasoned diagnostics and digital health executive with deep experience leading innovative medical technologies from concept to market. At ProciseDx, he helped drive the development and FDA clearance of a quantitative point-of-care diagnostic platform designed to bring lab-quality testing to near-patient settings. ProciseDx was subsequently acquired by Biosynex, expanding global access to its testing solutions.
Prior to that, Peter held senior leadership roles at Prometheus Laboratories, supporting the company’s growth in precision diagnostics and its acquisition by Prometheus Biosciences, which was subsequently bought by Merck.
Leveraging more than a decade of expertise across diagnostics, regulatory strategy, and digital health, Peter went on to found MindNumbers, a San Diego–based company focused on bringing data-driven tools to serious mental illness care. He also serves on the Board of the International Bipolar Foundation and holds a degree in economics from the University of Cambridge.
Technical Advisor
Adi Mandapaka is a technology/product developer and entrepreneur in the wearables, medical devices and digital health spaces. His early career was spent learning engineering for scale at large public technology companies, before pivoting to work on his true passion – the application of technology towards improved, inexpensive health and wellness for all. His last few years have been spent involved with CGM, wearable and digital health companies, trying to move the needle on better, cheaper and more connected healthcare across the globe. Adi joined the team at CARI Health to work on creating new monitoring tools to positively impact patient’s lives.
Technical Advisor
Dr. Hall received a B.S. degree in computer engineering with honors from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, in 2005, along with M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering from Stanford University in 2008 and 2012, respectively. In 2013, he joined the Jacobs School of Engineering at the University of California, San Diego, where he is currently an associate professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and an affiliate professor in the Department of Bioengineering. He is an expert in biosensors, bioelectronics, and analog integrated circuit design.
Surgical & Technical Consultant
Dr. Jon Wilensky is a Board Certified Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon, whose practice is exclusively dedicated to implantable, injectable, and wearable biotechnology. He has served as a Surgical and Technical Consultant to multiple industry partners including diabetes pioneers GlySens and ViaCyte. He is also an experienced Founder and Bioentrepreneur, and holds an MBA from the Rady School of Management. He is on the active Medical Staffs of Scripps Health and Palomar Health, the latter a member of the Mayo Clinic Care Network. His passion is to radically solve the biggest problems in healthcare with disruptive, breakthrough technologies.
Technical Advisor
Mark Prausnitz is Regents’ Professor and J. Erskine Love, Jr. Chair of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology. He earned a BS degree from Stanford University and PhD degree from MIT, both in chemical engineering. Dr. Prausnitz and colleagues carry out research on drug delivery using microneedles, lasers, ionic liquids and other microdevices for transdermal, ocular and intracellular delivery of drugs and vaccines. Dr. Prausnitz teaches courses on engineering calculations and pharmaceuticals. He has published more than 300 journal articles, invented almost 70 US patents, and has co-founded seven start-up companies based on microneedle technologies.
Advisory Board
Clinical Advisor
Carla Marienfeld, MD, DFAPA, FASAM is board-certified in psychiatry, addiction psychiatry, and addiction medicine, and she is a Clinical Professor at the University of California San Diego. She edited two books: Motivational Interviewing for Clinical Practice and Absolute Addiction Psychiatry Review: An essential board exam study guide. She has been highly involved in education of colleagues and trainees, and she is the fellowship director for the UCSD Addiction Psychiatry Fellowship. Dr. Marienfeld completed a fellowship in addiction psychiatry and residency training in psychiatry at Yale, and her medical degree with honors is from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.
Advisory Board
Advisory Board
Dr. Kenneth Stoller is a Professor of Clinical Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Johns Hopkins University, where he directs the outpatient addiction treatment center at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, MD. He is also Medical Director, Behavioral Health for Johns Hopkins Health Plans. His area of practice is the treatment of, and clinical research involving, substance use problems, particularly those involving pharmacotherapies for opioid use disorder. His work has focused cost/economic issues as they relate to drug addiction and treatment, enhancing adherence and retention, and integrating treatment of co-occurring psychiatric, somatic, pain and substance use disorders. He has also focused on fostering policies and initiatives applied in managed care settings to improve health outcomes and control costs.
Advisory Board
Advisory Board
Dr. Suraj Achar is a Clinical Professor at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, where he has served as a leader in family medicine and sports medicine education for over two decades. A dedicated advocate for Patient-Oriented Evidence that Matters (POEM), Dr. Achar combines clinical expertise with a passion for practical, high-impact research.
For the past 20 years, Dr. Achar has been at the forefront of addiction medicine education, training physicians across all specialties on the safe prescribing of controlled medications, including methadone. His commitment to global health is exemplified by his tenure with Doctors Without Borders, where he served as Medical Director in Kenya, Ethiopia, and Somalia, caring for thousands of malnourished children.
Dr. Achar also serves as the captain of the United States Medical Soccer Team. It is through this shared passion for the sport that he has known and played soccer with Patrik for the last 15 years. His diverse clinical, educational, and global health experience will be an asset to the CARI Health Advisory Board.
Advisory Board
Advisory Board
Business Advisor
Bio coming soon!
Clinical Advisor
Research Scientist
Dr. Seenivasan received his Ph.D. in Chemistry from MaduraiKamaraj University, Tamil Nadu, India. As a Postdoc at the University of Wisconsin – Madison as well as UC San Diego, Dr. Seenivasan performed the multidisciplinary innovative research in the (bio)electroanalytical and surface chemistry field focusing on scalable point-of-care sensor/biosensor development.
Chief Science Officer
Dr. Fiebig is a CalTech trained chemist and entrepreneur who straddles the line between academia and private industry. He has extensive expertise in analytical and biophysical chemistry, in addition to having founded several businesses. Dr. Fiebig received his Ph.D. in chemistry at the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Germany.
