Management
Michael Flax, D.D.S., M.S., P.A.
Chairman, Chief Executive Office, Chief Financial Officer
Dr. Flax was appointed as our Chairman, CFO and CEO on March 20,2024. He was previously President and Chief Executive Officer of Nutra Pharma Corp. from November 2001 through November 2002. He also served as a Director of Nutra Pharma Corp. from November 2001 through June 2005.
From 2020 through the present, Dr. Flax has served on the Board of Appeals for United Healthcare of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. From July of 2011 through August of 2020, he served as the Program Director for Graduate Endodontics for the Nova Southeastern College of Dental Medicine in Fort Lauderdale. From May of 1998 through August of 2020, Dr. Flax served as the CEO and Co-Founder of Solstice Benefits in Fort Lauderdale. From August of 1996 through August of 2011, he served as an Associate Professor of Endodontics for the Nova Southeastern College of Dental Medicine in Fort Lauderdale. From June of 1986 through June of 2011, he was self-employed in the practice of Endodontics in Coral Springs, Florida. From 1986 through 1991, Dr. Flax served as an Instructor for the Department of Endodontics at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine – Graduate Division in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. From 1986 through 1991, Dr. Flax served as an Instructor for the Department of Endodontics at Temple University School of Dentistry in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Dr. Flax is a Diplomate of the American Board of Endodontics, a member of the American Association of Endodontics, and a Fellow of the American College of Dentists.
Dr. Flax has several research papers and presentations including work on the solubility and biocompatibility of calcium hydroxide-containing root canal sealer as well as investigations into anaerobic bacteria in periapical lesions of human teeth. He also worked in medical devices and developed adhesives for pipettes during autoclave procedures.
Dr. Michael Flax holds a certificate from the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine in Endodontics, 1986, a D.D.S. from Georgetown University Dental School, 1981, an M.S. in chemistry from St. John’s University, 1977, and a B.A. major in chemistry, minor in engineering from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. He is licensed to practice dentistry in the states of Florida, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, and the District of Columbia.
Stewart Lonky, MD
Director - Audit & Compensation Committees
Dr. Stewart Lonky has been our director since November 5, 2004. Dr. Lonky was a co-founder of the Trylon Corporation, a medical device firm located in Torrance, California, and served as its Chief Medical Officer from 1990-2005. Trylon Corporation developed diagnostic products for the early diagnosis of cervical and oral cancer, and in connection with that Dr. Lonky's responsibilities included product development, the direction of clinical research and interacting with regulatory agencies, including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In these roles he has been instrumental in successfully bringing a number of products to the medical marketplace. He has continued to be engaged in both clinical and biochemical research, and has published research articles in the peer-reviewed literature in the areas of cervical cancer and cellular pathophysiology. Since 2005, Dr. Lonky has held a similar position with another device company, Histologics, LLC. Dr. Lonky has been a practicing physician in the Los Angeles Area since 1982. He is Board Certified in Internal Medicine, Pulmonary Medicine, and Critical Care Medicine. Prior to entering practice, Dr. Lonky served as a full-time faculty member at the University of California, San Diego in the Department of Medicine, Pulmonary Division, where he was engaged in research in the biochemistry of lung injury. He was a National Institutes of Health (NIH) Postdoctoral Fellow from 1974-77. He has published over twenty articles and abstracts in the peer-reviewed literature during that time, and authored two book chapters.
Garry R Pottruck CPA
Director
Garry R. Pottruck became our Director and Chairman of our Audit and Compensation Committees after our December 31, 2008 year-end, in July 2009. Since January 2011, Mr. Pottruck has been employed as a tax principal at the CPA firm of Blum and Blum. From October 2005 until December 2010, he was a principal in the accounting, tax and consulting firm, Argy, Wiltse & Robinson, PC (“Argy”), headquartered in McLean, Virginia. From July 1997 through October 2005, he was managing partner in the certified public accounting firm, Friedberg & Pottruck, PA, located in Deerfield Beach, Florida until Argy acquired the firm. Friedberg & Pottruck specialized in providing accounting, tax and consulting services to physician practices. Mr. Pottruck held financial executive positions with several companies, both public and private, from 1984 through 1994. Prior to 1984, Mr. Pottruck worked for public accounting firms after graduating with a B.S. Degree in Accounting from the C.W. Post School of Professional Accountancy at Long Island University in 1979. He is currently a member of both the Florida and American Institutes of Certified Public Accounting, and is licensed as a Certified Public Accountant in both Missouri and Florida.
Dale Vander Putten, PhD
Chief Scientific Officer
Dale Vanderputten, PhD became our Chief Scientific Officer on July 27, 2016. Dr. Vanderputten has been CEO and CSO of the biotechnology company Omnia Biologics, Inc., headquartered in Rockville, MD since 2003. From 1999 through 2003 he was COO and CSO of cancer gene therapy company DirectGene, Inc., headquartered in Annapolis, MD. Dr VanderPutten has held scientific and technology development positions in government, academia and industry from 1980 through 1999 including at the National Institutes of Health, University of Maryland, and Proteome Sciences, plc. Dr. VanderPutten received a Bachelor of Sciences degree in Biology and Chemistry from the American University in Washington, DC in 1982, a PhD in Genetics from the George Washington University in 1993 and an MBA from the University of Maryland in 1996. He did his doctoral and post-doctoral training in molecular neuro-biology at the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Vanderputten will begin his tenure as CSO by taking over Nutra Pharma's clinical product development. RPI-78M, the Company's therapy for Multiple Sclerosis, received Orphan Designation from the FDA for the treatment of Juvenile Multiple Sclerosis in September 2015. Dr. Vanderputten will work with our researchers and regulators to move RPI-78M through the clinical process for an eventual approval or licensing.
Rik J Deitsch
Operations Manager
Rik J. Deitsch is currently our Operations Manager.
Formerly he was our President, Chief Executive Officer and a Director from November 7, 2002 through March 19, 2024 and our Chairman of the Board from December 15, 2003 until June 1, 2005 and from April 1, 2006 to March 19, 2024. Mr. Deitsch served as our Chief Financial Officer from November 2002 until March 2012 and from September 2012 to present. From February 1998 through November 2002, Mr. Deitsch served as the President of NDA Consulting Inc., a biotechnology research group that provided consulting services to the pharmaceutical industry. NDA Consulting specializes in the research of peptides derived from Cone Snail venom and Cobra venom. In October 1999, Mr. Deitsch founded Wellness Industries, a private corporation that provides formulations, research and education in the dietary supplement industry. Research conducted by Rik J Deitsch provided some of the beginning fundamentals for the development of drugs being studied for the treatment of cancer and intractable pain. Mr. Deitsch has prepared several papers and posters on rational drug design using computer simulations. Mr. Deitsch received a B.S. in Chemistry and an M.S. in Biochemistry from Florida Atlantic University in June 1997 and December 1999, respectively. Throughout 1999 and 2000, he conducted research for the Duke University Medical School Comprehensive Cancer Center. Mr. Deitsch has served as an adjunct professor and has taught several courses for Florida Atlantic University's College of Business and Continuing Education Department. Mr. Deitsch also teaches physician CME courses internationally, lecturing on lifestyle choices in the prevention and treatment of chronic disease states. He is the co-author of two books: Are You Age-Wise, a book that reviews current research in healthy aging as it relates to lifestyle choices and supplementation and Invisible Killers, a book that outlines our exposure to environmental toxins.