Paul Denny, PhD, Chief Technical Officer, is also a professor in the Division of Diagnostic Sciences in the School of Dentistry at the University of Southern California.  Paul earned his Ph.D. from the California Institute of Technology in the field of Developmental Biology.  He began his basic research at USC in the area of salivary gland development and has had continuous funding from the National Institutes of Health for more than 35 years.  This early research laid the foundation for and the direction of the current translational project, the CARE test, which received Phase I and II funding from a STTR grant awarded by the National Institutes of Dental and Craniofacial Research.  Paul has published his research findings in numerous papers in peer-reviewed journals and has also presented his research at a number of scientific meetings.  He is highly regarded by the research community for his work in the fields of salivary gland cellular development and differentiation, salivary glycoprotein structural analysis, and clinical application.  He was awarded Salivary Researcher of the Year in 2003 by the International Association for Dental Research.
 
Christopher W. Gould, President, joined Proactive Oral Solutions in 2006.  He heads the firm’s management team, and is responsible for developing its overall strategy, business plan, funding and commercialization of technology.
 
Mr. Gould is an entrepreneur with a background in finance and small business development.  He co-founded D’Accord Financial Services (“D’Accord”), a boutique advisory firm specializing in tax-oriented, asset-based finance for industry, public infrastructure and real estate, with headquarters in San Francisco and offices in New York, London and Seattle.  As CEO of D’Accord, he led the management team and advised clients including institutional investors as well as major corporations.   Mr. Gould led the sale of D’Accord to the global investment bank Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein (subsidiary of Dresdner Bank) in 2001, where he was a Managing Director until 2004.
 
Mr. Gould holds degrees from Cornell University (B.S.) and the University of California at Berkeley (M.B.A.).
 
Thomas R. Duffy, J.D., Vice President - Business Development, is responsible for marketing and development of strategic partnerships within the dental and medical community.
 
Mr. Duffy is an attorney with a background in small business development.  Mr. Duffy holds degrees from Stanford University (B.A.) and the University of California at Berkeley, Boalt Hall (J.D.)
 
Mahvash Navazesh, DMD, founding scientist, is a diplomat in Oral Medicine.  She is currently an associate professor and Chair of the Division of Diagnostic Sciences at the University of Southern California School of Dentistry. Dr. Navazesh received her D.M.D. from the University of Pennsylvania, as well as her certificates in General Practice, Oral Medicine Residency and Clinical Research Investigation.  Over the past 20 years she has focused her research interest on salivary gland hypofunction and disturbed oral sensation. She has published papers on criteria for definition, diagnosis and assessment of xerostomia (dry mouth) and has compared methods for collection and stimulation of whole mouth saliva.  Over the past ten years she has published and given frequent public presentations on oral manifestations of, and oral treatment modifications for, HIV-infected patients.  Dr. Navazesh is a co-founder of Proactive Oral Solutions, Inc.
 
Patricia Denny, MS, has been a Research Scientist at the University of Southern California School of Dentistry for more than 30 years.  Throughout this time, Patricia has been involved in research supported by funding by the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research.  After earning an M.A. in Developmental Biology, Patricia began her tenure at USC, initially working in the area of salivary gland development.  This basic research eventually evolved into translational research, which noted correlations between various components in the saliva with number of caries.  Patricia is a co-founder of Proactive Oral Solutions, Inc.  She has co-authored more than 30 scientific articles in peer-reviewed journals, and heads clinical investigations and laboratory research for Proactive Oral Solutions.