ABOUT SAGEMEDIC
Challenging the Way
Cancer Is Treated
California-licensed physician, clinical researcher with 100+ publications including NEJM, impact investor, board member and advisor to over a dozen of life science startups. MD/PhD from the University of Giessen, Germany, and MBA from Wharton, U Penn.
Chris Apfel, MD
Founder, CEO & Chair
Former Chief Medical and Scientific Officer at the American Cancer Society, A transformative physician executive and oncology Key Opinion Leader with a proven track record of strategic, operational, and scientific accomplishments. He has held leadership roles across academic health systems, non-profit organizations, and National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer centers. MD from Duke University, School of Medicine.
William Cance, MD
Chief Medical Officer, Chair Sci & Med Advisory Board, & Board Director.
A veteran biopharma executive and venture capital investor, with a strong track record growing small and mid-sized companies through acquisitions and IPOs. Mr. Minick served on the boards of numerous public and private biotechnology companies. MBA Kellog GSM, Northwestern University.
Scott Minick
Board Director
With over 25 years of leadership experience in life sciences and healthcare, Mika is an expert in healthcare data management, with a focus on data completeness and universality. He has a proven track record of bringing transformative technologies to market, driving growth, and fostering innovation.
Mika Newton
Strategic Advisor
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Eyal Granit
Board Observer
Paul R. Billings, MD, PhD, Executive Director of the Board for SageMedic. A recognized leader in genomic diagnostics and precision medicine, Dr. Billings has held senior roles including Chief Medical Officer at Natera and Life Technologies, and leadership positions at LabCorp. His expertise spans assay commercialization, regulatory strategy, and payer engagement, strengthening SageMedic’s path toward clinical adoption and reimbursement. Earlier in his career, he served on U.S. government advisory committees in genomic medicine and held academic leadership roles at Stanford and Harvard.
Dr Paul Billings
Executive Director
OUR TEAM
Meet The Minds Behind The Science
Our team combines decades of clinical experience. scientific innovation, and a shared commitment to improving outcomes for patients with cancer.
SAGE Leadership
California-licensed physician, clinical researcher with 100+ publications including NEJM, impact investor, board member and advisor to over a dozen of life science startups. MD/PhD from the University of Giessen, Germany, and MBA from Wharton, U Penn.
Chris Apfel, MD, MBA
Founder, CEO & Chair
With over 25 years of leadership experience in life sciences and healthcare, Mika is an expert in healthcare data management, with a focus on data completeness and universality. He has a proven track record of bringing transformative technologies to market, driving growth, and fostering innovation.
Mika Newton
Board Director
Paul R. Billings, MD, PhD, Executive Director of the Board for SageMedic. A recognized leader in genomic diagnostics and precision medicine, Dr. Billings has held senior roles including Chief Medical Officer at Natera and Life Technologies, and leadership positions at LabCorp. His expertise spans assay commercialization, regulatory strategy, and payer engagement, strengthening SageMedic’s path toward clinical adoption and reimbursement. Earlier in his career, he served on U.S. government advisory committees in genomic medicine and held academic leadership roles at Stanford and Harvard.
Paul Billings, MD, PhD
Board Director
Former Chief Medical and Scientific Officer at the American Cancer Society, A transformative physician executive and oncology Key Opinion Leader with a proven track record of strategic, operational, and scientific accomplishments. He has held leadership roles across academic health systems, non-profit organizations, and National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer centers. MD from Duke University, School of Medicine.
William Cance, MD
Board Director, Chair Sci & Med Ad Board
A veteran biopharma executive and venture capital investor, with a strong track record growing small and mid-sized companies through acquisitions and IPOs. Mr. Minick served on the boards of numerous public and private biotechnology companies. MBA Kellog GSM, Northwestern University.
Scott Minick
Director Lab Compliance
SAGE Lab Team
Gerald Weiss, MD
Laboratory Director
Pulmonologist with significant experience in the treatment of lung cancer, UCSF-trained psychiatrist in private practice. MD from the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg, Germany.
Brigitte Apfel, MD
Co-Founder, Treasurer
Amanda Natalizio, PhD
Director Lab Compliance
Rajesh Nitiyanandan, MS
Cancer Scientist
Ricardo directs our cancer research activities leveraging his experience at the NCI and Director of the CLIA lab at Oncotech, who developed the extreme drug resistance assay. Ricardo is also a Professor and Director of the BS Program at the National University. He holds a PhD in Microbiology from Oregon State University and MS in Biology at Tennessee State.
Ricardo Parker, PhD
Director Cancer Research
Chiara Maestri, MS
Cancer Scientist & Lab Manager
SAGE Advisory Board
Dr. Archelle Georgiou, a physician and seasoned TV medical correspondent, is dedicated to empowering informed medical decisions. With 16+ years of experience, she’s produced over 2000 segments to simplify healthcare for viewers. Md, John Hopkins University
Archelle Georgiou, MD
Advisor
Accomplished physician with extensive expertise in cancer care, research, and healthcare technology. Advisor to pioneering biotech and medtech companies driving breakthroughs in therapeutics and devices to transform provider operations and improve patient outcomes in critical diseases. MD, PhD Washington University St. Louis.
Michael Seiden, MD
Advisor
Konstantinos Votanopoulos, renowned surgical oncologist and professor at Wake Forest, leads in pioneering therapies for abdominal cancers, specializing in cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic chemotherapy. MD, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.
Konstantinos Votanopoulos, MD
Advisor
Bill is a Founding Partner of the International Cancer Impact Fund and serves on the Advisory Board of the National Foundation for Cancer Research. Bill holds a BS from Cornell, an MPA from Harvard, and an MBA from Yale.
William Werkmeister, MPA, MBA
Advisor
OUR ORIGIN
The SageMedic Story
SageMedic Corp. was founded by Dr. Chris Apfel and his wife, Dr. Brigitte Apfel, both California-licensed physicians. While Dr. C. Apfel’s clinical research in preoperative care has changed medical practice worldwide, he has long been struck by the limited progress in cancer treatment. His mission is deeply personal. His mother lost her painful battle with ovarian cancer and his father—based on this experience—chose to forgo treatment when he was diagnosed with lung cancer and ultimately succumbed to the disease. These experiences led Dr. Apfel to find more effective approaches to cancer care. He left the clinical department at the University of California, San Francisco, and earned an MBA from Wharton to complement his scientific background.
He also became a life sciences impact investor. From this work, SAGE Oncotest™ was developed. Today, SageMedic is a registered California laboratory, fully accredited under the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) by the Commission on Office Laboratory Accreditation (COLA) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
The company is now positioned to commercialize Oncotest™, generating early revenue and building clinical case evidence. If making a meaningful impact in cancer care inspires you, we welcome a connection- reach out to us as a patient, clinician, advocate, investor, clinical collaborator, scientist, or simply someone who wants to learn more.
