The Huntington Study Group (“HSG”) is a not-for-profit, mission-driven organization which supports clinical trials as a partner research organization (“PRO”). HSG is incorporated under the laws of the State of New York.
Board of Directors
The HSG Board of Directors has fiduciary duties and is responsible for establishing the organization’s identity and direction, ensuring sustainability, providing oversight, and reviewing policies according to HSG Bylaws.
HSG Board Members
Arvind Sreedharan
Board Chair
Senior Vice President, Business Operations: Neurogene
Mr. Sreedharan has more than 34 years of pharmaceutical and biotechnology experience in commercial roles of increasing responsibility at Ciba-Geigy, Abbott Laboratories, Ovation Pharmaceuticals, Lundbeck, Auspex Pharmaceuticals, and AveXis. He has significant experience in CNS disorders and multiple orphan diseases. Most recently, he served as Vice President, US Commercial Operations for AveXis, a gene therapy company acquired by Novartis for $8.7B. Mr. Sreedharan previously served as Vice President of Marketing at Auspex Pharmaceuticals, a biopharmaceutical company focused on hyperkinetic movement disorders and rare diseases, acquired by Teva Pharmaceutical for $3.5B. Prior to Auspex, he served as Director of Movement Disorders at Lundbeck, where he played an integral commercial role in the successful product launch and management of Xenazine®, the first FDA-approved drug for the treatment of chorea associated with Huntington’s disease. Throughout his career, Mr. Sreedharan has supported and partnered with numerous rare disease advocacy groups. He also served on the Huntington’s Disease Society of America board of trustees for six years. Mr. Sreedharan holds Bachelor of Arts degrees in biology and history from the University of North Carolina.
William Hoh
Board Vice Chair
Managing Director of M&A and Strategic Advisory Services: H.C. Wainwright
William Hoh is a Managing Director in the M&A and Strategic Advisory Services Group at H.C. Wainwright. He has over 25 years of healthcare experience in investment banking, asset management, and venture capital.
Prior to joining Wainwright, Mr. Hoh was a Managing Director at T.R. Winston & Company and previous to that, he founded Goldwater Management, an investment, consulting and strategic advisory firm which specializes in global health care. Mr. Hoh has over sixteen years of direct investing experience managing portfolios at top institutions including Soros and SAC Capital. In addition, Mr. Hoh has over fifteen years of experience investing and advising clients in China health care. He was also Venture Partner at 3E Bioventures, a China-based health care venture capital firm.
Mr. Hoh serves as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Huntington Study Group, a non-profit dedicated to accelerating treatments that make a difference in Huntington’s disease. He holds a BS in Biology and Philosophy from the University of Michigan and an MS in Physiology at Georgetown University.
Michael Huang, MD
Board Member
Senior Vice President of Clinical Development: Soleno Therapeutics
Dr. Huang is currently Senior Vice President of Clinical Development at Soleno Therapeutics, Inc. With 20 years of industry experience, Dr. Huang is a drug development executive with a history of advancing small molecules, biologics, and oligonucleotide therapies through all phases of clinical development. He was involved in marketing authorizations for Potiga®, Zevalin®, Uceris®, Ruconest®, and Austedo® (the last of which was approved for the treatment of Huntington’s disease and tardive dyskinesia). Prior to Soleno, Dr. Huang was CMO at AmMax Bio, Inc. and Spruce Biosciences, where he led their rare disease clinical programs through proof-of-concept and successful financing. Earlier in his career, Dr. Huang held leadership roles at Regulus Therapeutics, Auspex Pharmaceuticals (until its acquisition by Teva), and Santarus, Inc. (until its acquisition by Salix).
Dr. Huang received his bachelor’s degree in molecular and cell biology from the University of California at Berkeley, his medical degree from the Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin University, and his internship and residency training from the University of California at Irvine / Long Beach Memorial Medical Center. Dr. Huang has published numerous peer-reviewed journal articles, abstracts, and scientific publications.
B.J. Viau
Board Member
Founder: HD Genetics
B.J. has played a role in the Huntington’s disease (HD) community since his mom’s diagnosis in 1995. He and his family hosted an annual Hoop-A-Thon fundraiser from 1995 – 2012 that helped raise over $1 million for the HD Society of America (HDSA). B.J. co-founded the HD Youth Organization (www.HDYO.org), an international non-profit with a mission to support, educate, and motivate young people impacted by HD. He served as the HDYO Board Chairman for 10 years before stepping down in 2020 to focus on creating HD Genetics. Professionally, B.J. has been working in the pharmaceutical industry for the past 15 years in various positions. He tested negative for HD in 2010, but remains committed to supporting the community. B.J. is fueled with passion to help those who are starting their HD genetic testing journey and connecting people to research opportunities. He’s participated in a handful of observational studies including PREDICT/PREVENT HD, ENROLL, HD Clarity and more. You can learn more about B.J.’s story via this YouTube video filmed in 2017.
B.J. has an undergraduate degree from University of St. Thomas and a Masters in Business Administration from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management. He resides in Charlotte, NC with his family. In his free time he loves to golf, exercise, travel, and do anything with his kids.
Courtney Wells
Board Member
Vice President Clinical Strategy, Clintrex
Courtney Wells, a 25+ year industry veteran in drug development, has been leading Clinical Development Operations for over a decade at preclinical and clinical stage biotech companies, overseeing work across Clinical Operations, Clinical Development, Program Management, Biometrics, Patient Advocacy, and Regulatory Affairs. Ms. Wells has expertise in building out operational teams and quality infrastructure to support rapid clinical development programs as well as clinical trial start-up and execution and comes to the board with prior experience in the rare and rare pediatric disease space, including neurological diseases such as spinal muscular atrophy, Duchenne muscular dystrophy, epilepsy, and narcolepsy as well as years of oncology and transplant experience. Ms. Wells led the Clinical Operations team at AveXis to successful approval of zolgensma, a gene therapy for the treatment of infants with spinal muscular atrophy; at Avadel Pharmaceuticals leading to successful approval of Lumryz, a treatment for patients with narcolepsy; and the Duchenne development program at Marathon that led to successful approval of Emflaza.
Ms. Wells has managed multiple large global development programs including nearly every geographical region, but with significant experience in US, Canada, Europe, Australia, and Japan and has directly contributed to NDA/BLA filings for four successfully approved products. She also managed pivotal trial programs for four additional products that led to marketing approvals including the metastatic pancreatic cancer program at Abraxis Bioscience that resulted in approval for an indication expansion for Abraxane and the invasive aspergillosis infection program at Astellas that resulted in approval of Cresemba.
The Board has two committees: the Audit Committee and the Compensation Committee. To learn more about the Board Committees, click here.
Executive Committee
HSG’s Executive Committee consists of a diverse combination of elected and appointed individuals, who provide leadership, guidance, and advice on the mission-driven strategies and initiatives.
The Executive Committee also oversees HSG’s Advisory Councils and Working Groups.
Erin Furr Stimming, MD
Executive Committee Chair
Professor of Neurology & Assistant Dean, McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston
Dr. Furr Stimming is a Professor of Neurology and a Memorial Hermann Endowed Chair at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, McGovern Medical School where she was recently appointed to the role of Assistant Dean of Admissions and Student Affairs. She received her medical degree from The Chicago Medical School and completed her post graduate training, including a Neurology residency and Movement Disorders fellowship at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. She is the Founder and Director of the Huntington’s Disease Society America (HDSA) Center of Excellence there. She served as the Neurology Clerkship Director and received the Dean’s Excellence in Teaching award consecutively for over a decade. She received the Dupont Master Clinical Teaching Award, the prestigious Leonard Tow Award in Humanism and Excellence in Teaching, the Huntington Study Group Outstanding Investigator Award, the Texas Neurologic Society Lifetime Achievement Award and the American Academy of Neurology AB Baker Teaching Award. She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology and the American Neurological Association. She is actively involved in medical education and previously served as the Chair for the AAN Consortium of Neurology Clerkship Directors where she developed the AAN Resident Educator Track workgroup. She is a Co-Founder of ENGAGE-HD, a one day course for residents and fellows interested in Huntington’s disease. She is a current member of the AAN Undergraduate Education Subcommittee and has been named a Super Doctor by Texas Monthly and a Top Doctor by Houstonia magazine for multiple consecutive years.
Dr. Furr Stimming is actively engaged with both the Parkinson’s and Huntington’s communities through care, education and research. She has led multiple symptomatic, and disease modifying clinical trials in HD and was honored to serve as the Huntington Study Group (HSG) global Principal Investigator for the KINECT-HD study which led to the FDA approval of valbenazine for chorea associated with HD in 2023. She serves as the Chair of the HSG Executive Committee, the Chair of the Medical Advisory Board for the Houston Area Parkinson’s Society and Texas Neurological Society Education Committee.
Dr. Furr Stimming is passionate about providing comprehensive, compassionate care for individuals living with neurodegenerative diseases like Huntington’s and Parkinson’s disease while educating our next generation of neurologists.
Stacey A. Krueger, MSW, LCSW
Executive Committee Co-Chair
HDSA Center Coordinator, Washington University School of Medicine