Dr. Gary Applebaum Joins Nobska Ventures
Steveson, Maryland, March 22, 2007
Nobska Ventures is very pleased to welcome Dr. Gary Applebaum as an investor and Member of the General Partner of Nobska Venture Partners I, L.P. Dr. Applebaum will serve as a Director of the fund, particularly focusing on Nobska Ventures’ investments in early stage healthcare and informatics companies in Israel and the Mid-Atlantic regions.
“Gary significantly strengthens Nobska’s capability to evaluate innovative medical technologies for new investment and to actively support the healthcare and life science companies in our portfolio. His 16 years as the Founding Chief Medical Officer of Erickson positioned him at the forefront of combining business and medicine, with the most advanced practices in the interdisciplinary area of geriatric care,” according to Charles Moore, Chairman and Managing Director of Nobska Ventures. “We share Gary’s passion for the potential to make real changes in the practice of medicine, through the companies we invest in, with substantial positive impact to both health outcomes and cost control.”
Dr. Applebaum remarked, “I am eager to put to work for Nobska my skills, experience, and network of friends and colleagues. At Nobska, we build great new companies, with breakthrough technologies and concepts, and I believe that I can play an important role on the team.”
Abba Poliakoff, a Nobska Advisory Board member who is a member of the Maryland- based law firm of Gordon, Feinblatt, LLC, and Chairman of the Maryland-Israel Development Center (MIDC), added, “This is a terrific match of talent and opportunity. The Nobska team is a tremendous group of diverse individuals, who, together, deliver very real value, beyond just capital, to the early stage companies in which they invest. Their focus on companies in Israel, as they expand to the US, is directly aligned with MIDC’s mission.”
Dr. Applebaum recently joined the Board of Directors of the MIDC, which is an alliance of the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development, Israel’s Ministry of Industry and Trade, and The Associated: Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore. He serves as Chair of MIDC’s Life Sciences Team. Nobska’s Managing Director Rob Rosenbaum also serves on the MIDC Board and he, Nobska Venture Partner Frank Baitman, and fellow Managing Director Dr. Ari Tuchman have long mentored Israeli companies as they come to the US to enter global markets. Dr. Tuchman also serves on MIDC’s Technology Committee.
“Gary has already contributed to our evaluation and due diligence of our next Israel-based company,” shared Rob Rosenbaum. “In addition to his own review, Gary swiftly arranged meetings with the top people at Johns Hopkins, the University of Maryland, and other leading institutions who could vet this company’s breakthrough imaging software that reduces or obviates the need for the toxic iodine contrast agent in CT angiography. The result was not only the enthusiastic endorsement for the company’s value proposition and market opportunity, but also eager support for clinical trials and academic research. This is exactly the sort of active ‘value-add’ that attracts companies to choose Nobska as their lead institutional investor.”
About Gary Applebaum, M.D.
Dr. Applebaum was the Founding Chief Medical Officer of Erickson Retirement Communities from 1989-2005 and continues to serve as Special Advisor to the Chairman. Dr. Applebaum created and managed The Erickson HealthSM system of care which currently provides comprehensive health and wellness services to 18,000 seniors residing in 16 Erickson communities in 8 states. Erickson is an acknowledged leader, employing advanced medical record systems and healthcare informatics to deliver superior results: highest satisfaction rates, best outcomes, and lowest costs in the industry as measured by surveys and utilization data.
He is a recipient of the Geriatrics Clinician of the Year Award from the American Geriatrics Society, the professional organization for physicians who care for seniors.
Dr. Applebaum holds a B.A in Biology and a Medical Degree, both awarded from the University of Pennsylvania. He did his residency and fellowship training at the Johns Hopkins University. He is board-certified in internal medicine and geriatric medicine. Dr. Applebaum is a member of the American College of Physicians, the American Geriatrics Society and the American Medical Directors Association. He is Advisory Board Member of the International Council on Active Aging.
Dr. Applebaum serves as a Board member of The Associated, Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore. He serves as a Board Member of the Maryland/Israel Development Center and Chair, Life Sciences Team.
He also serves as a Board Member and Chief Scientific Advisor for the Erickson Foundation.