Azura Ophthalmics Appoints Steven Altschuler, MD, as Chair of the Board

Azura Ophthalmics announced the appointment of Steven M. Altschuler, MD, as chair of its board of directors. Dr. Altschuler brings more than 20 years of experience building, scaling, and leading health care and biotechnology companies. He currently serves as managing director of Healthcare Ventures at Ziff Capital Partners. Previously, he co-founded Spark Therapeutics and served as board chair through its progress from private company to IPO and later acquisition by Roche in 2019.

“We are very pleased to welcome Steven as chair of Azura’s board of directors,” Marc Gleeson, chief executive officer of Azura Ophthalmics, said in a company news release. “Steven has a proven track record of scaling both private and public organizations and has distinguished himself as a strategic thinker and leader in biotech. We look forward to Steve’s contributions and the unique perspective he will bring to our business with his deep healthcare experience, including ophthalmology.”

Trained as a pediatric gastroenterologist, Dr. Altschuler formerly held CEO positions at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), and the University of Miami Health System. Currently, Dr. Altschuler is the chair of the board of AsclepiX Therapeutics, 89Bio, and PlateletBio; serves on the boards of ImVax, Orchard Therapeutics, Affinivax and WW (formerly Weight Watchers International); and is an independent trustee of the Brigham and Women’s Physician Organization. Dr. Altschuler holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and an MD from Case Western Reserve University.

“I believe Azura is well-positioned to upend the treatment of ocular surface disease and transform the ophthalmic market with its robust therapeutic portfolio,” said Dr. Altschuler. “I look forward to working closely with the management team and current board as we continue to advance our lead product candidate AZR-MD-001 and pipeline to bring innovative ophthalmic therapies to patients.”