Leadership & Advisory — Gaia Medical Institute

Core Leadership

The Team Building BrainGuardian

Sarka Southern, PhD

Founder, CEO & CSO

A pioneering scientist and entrepreneur with 30+ years in lab and clinical research. Dr. Southern leads Gaia’s mission to democratize brain health. She is a pioneer in saliva diagnostics and biomarker discovery for TBI, dementia, and other conditions. She has secured over $15M in non-dilutive funding to translate complex biomarker science into accessible, point-of-care solutions.

Frank Peacock, MD

Chief Medical Officer

An Emergency Medicine pioneer, serial entrepreneur, and Professor at Baylor College of Medicine. Dr. Peacock brings decades of clinical experience and deep FDA regulatory knowledge to Gaia, ensuring our diagnostic pipeline addresses the critical triage bottlenecks faced by frontline healthcare providers.

Peter Hanson, MD

Business Development

An orthopedic surgeon and medical entrepreneur with 30+ years in sport medicine. Dr. Hanson brings strong connections to NFL and military communities, driving Gaia’s go-to-market execution and bridging the gap between groundbreaking science and the youth sports and military markets.

Science Advisory Board

The Architects of TBI Care

Our clinical pathways are guided by a world-class board of Key Opinion Leaders who set the standard of care for concussion protocols across the U.S. military and professional sports.

Science Advisory Board — 10 Key Opinion Leaders in TBI diagnostics

10 Key Opinion Leaders in TBI diagnostics, including directors of leading neurotrauma centers in the USA, NFL Concussion Protocols, and the U.S. Army MTBI2 Initiative. Representing the University of Pittsburgh, University of Pennsylvania, Baylor College of Medicine, UT Southwestern Medical Center, University of Arkansas, and the Naval Medical Center San Diego.

Advisory Board Members

Anthony Kontos, PhD
University of Pittsburgh — Director, Sport Medicine Concussion Program

David Okonkwo, MD PhD
University of Pittsburgh — Professor of Neurosurgery, Director of Neurotrauma

Ava Puccio, PhD
University of Pittsburgh — Professor of Neurosurgery, Co-Director Neurotrauma Clinical Trials Center

Claudia Robertson, MD
Baylor College of Medicine — Professor of Neurosurgery

Frank Peacock, MD
Baylor College of Medicine — Professor of Emergency Medicine

Alex Valadka, MD
University of Texas Southwestern — Chief, Neurological Surgery

Christina Masters, MD
University of Pennsylvania — Co-director Minds Matters, CISG Board of Directors

R.J. Elbin, PhD
University of Arkansas — Director, Office for Sport Concussion Research

Mark Ettenhofer, PhD
Naval Medical Center San Diego — Director, TBI Center of Excellence

Bradley Dengler, MD
LTC U.S. Army — Director, Military TBI Initiative MTBI2, Professor of Surgery USU