Badri Rengarajan, MD, President
Dr. Badri Rengarajan was elected President of the IPPF Board of Directors in January 2013. He has served on the board for the last five years. Dr. Rengarajan has been involved in R&D, bylaws, and patient registry efforts. His mother was diagnosed with pemphigus when he was in medical school. She has been in remission for several years.
Dr. Rengarajan is a Medical Director at Archimedes, a healthcare simulation and modeling company based in San Francisco. His primary responsibilities include leading consulting engagements, providing clinical input to Model development efforts, and building relationships with clinical research leaders. During his career, Dr. Rengarajan has held roles in product development strategy & new product planning, regulatory affairs, market research, and business development. He was previously Director of Business Development and Market Research at Nodality (personalized and predictive medicine), Regulatory Team Leader at Genentech, and a consultant with McKinsey and Company. Dr. Rengarajan earned an A.B. in Biology and Public Policy from Harvard University and an M.D. from Yale University. Dr. Rengarajan lives in the San Francisco area with his wife and two sons.
Mirella Bucci, PhD, Secretary
Mirella Bucci joined the IPPF Board of Directors in 2013. Mirella is a scientist, holding a PhD in Cell and Molecular Biology from Washington University in St. Louis.
After moving to the San Francisco Bay Area, Dr. Bucci became an active volunteer and health educator at the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and became passionate about helping patients obtain health and emotional support. She also served two terms as the president of the Palo Alto chapter of the Association for Women in Science. This passion for volunteering has recently extended to the P/P community. Mirella is currently employed as a Senior Editor for the top chemical biology journal, Nature Chemical Biology. She spends a lot of time interacting with scientists about the work in their research labs. She lives in San Mateo, CA with her husband and three children.
William Gerstner, Treasurer
William Gerstner was elected to the IPPF Board of Directors in 2011. He is a member of the BOD Recruitment Committee and Fundraising Committee. Bill came to the IPPF because he has a close friend with pemphigus vulgaris.
Bill is the Chief Compliance Officer for a private equity firm in New York, and former Vice President for a financial securities firm in Chicago. He graduated from North Park University in Chicago with a B.A. He is on the Board of Trustees for Putnam Hospital Center, a not-for-profit acute care hospital in New York. Bill currently resides near New York, NY.
A. Razzaque Ahmed, MD, DSc, MPA, Director
A. Razzaque Ahmed is Director of the Center for Blistering Disease in Boston. He graduated from the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India, and trained in internal medicine, dermatology, and clinical immunology and allergy. He received a Doctorate of Science, Faculty of Medicine, Harvard University.
Dr. Ahmed’s contributions include identifying the MHC Class II genes associated with pemphigus, pemphigoid and DH, beta4 and alpha6 integrins as autoantigens in mucous membrane pemphigoid, pioneered the use of intravenous immunoglobulin, and the combination of IVIg and Rituximab produced long-term remissions in patients with recalcitrant disease. He has 350 publications and authored 4 books.
Victoria Carlan, Director
Victoria Carlan joined the IPPF Board of Directors in October 2013. She is the founder of the Canadian Pemphigus and Pemphigoid Foundation (established in 2008) and is currently the Chair of their Board of Directors.
Ms. Carlan was diagnosed in June 2004 with Pemphigius Vulgaris. She spent several years working with her doctors to find the best treatment strategy. She understands well the value of patient support, education and the need to find a speedier path to diagnosis and remission.
Ms. Carlan brings a patient perspective to the work of the IPPF. She aims to work with her IPPF Board colleagues and volunteers to help tackle the big problems that affect all pemphigus and pemphigoid patients.
Currently, Ms. Carlan works for the Canadian federal public service as a Senior Advisor on program policy, performance and accountability. She joined the public service after over 15 years of management consulting experience in the areas of program design, performance assessment and evaluation. She lives in Wakefield, Quebec with her husband and two young children.
Rebecca Oling, MLS, MA, Director
David Sirois, DMD, PhD, Director
Mindy Unger, Director
Mindy Unger was elected to the IPPF Board of Directors in 2009. She is Chair of the IPPF Fundraising Committee and Awareness Committee. Mindy was diagnosed with pemphigus vulgaris in 2006 and has been in remission since 2009.
Mindy is active in a number of philanthropic activities in her community. She graduated from Binghamton University in 1982 with a B.S. in Accounting and went on to earn her CPA. She is a former vice president at First Chicago, and former Director of Accounting with Clarendon, Ltd. Mindy is on the board of directors for Bet Torah where she chairs the Ways and Means Committee, and a founding member of the Neshamot Fund in Westchester, NY. In 2012, she received the IPPF Founder’s Award for her support and commitment to the organization and patients everywhere. Mindy lives lives near New York, NY, with her children.
Sahana Vyas, MD, Director
J. Gregory Wright, MBA, Director
J. Gregory Wright was appointed to the IPPF Board of Directors in 2004. He is a member of the BOD Patient Conference and committees. Greg was diagnosed with pemphigus vulgaris in 2004 and has been in remission-on-therapy since 2006.
Greg is the owner of LaserRxGuy, a medical laser solutions provider, and Director of Business Development for Group 50 Management Consulting. He graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a BS in Biology, and received his MBA from the Graziadio School of Business and Management at Pepperdine University. His focus is on building managed cross-functional teams, budgeting, forecasting, and strategic partnerships. Greg currently resides in Rancho Cucamonga, CA, with his wife.
