Our Team

Golan is an entrepreneur and senior business leader with a proven management track record. Golan has spent the last 10 years at the forefront of cannabis innovation – conducting clinical trials, running sophisticated product development and R&D efforts, and strategic consulting to create business opportunities between early-stage Israeli cannabis companies, and potential partners in North America and Europe.

TESTIMONIALS

“Golan Vaknin’s ESEV is precisely the kind of science-based, research-led company with specific international experience in cannabinoid efficacy that we have been looking for. Working together, we can leverage our capabilities and maximize innovation & trust in NY's cannabis products.” – Jenny Argie, CEO, Jenny’s Cannabis Products  

“I had the pleasure of collaborating with Golan, supporting his growth and operations expansion. Golan and his team not only execute R&D projects in the highest level, but also bring huge value for investors and potential strategic partners. They can accelerate the process when organizations are looking for the next big thing to take to market, in the most efficient and profitable way..” - Scott Berman, founder of Panther Group.

“I met Golan in the early days of the cannabis industry, when he was pioneering the R&D sector, with breakthrough innovations and rigorous studies, that took companies to the next level.” - Tripp Keber, Cofounder and CEO of Dixie Brands

“Golan and team were great and helped us better understand the chemistry of terpenes and have helped us to develop data to support our product claims in different types of applications.Thanks, Golan !” - Max Koby, CEO/Co-Founder Abstrax

Dr. Tami Bar is a professional manager, consultant and technology-transfer expert of new and novel technologies and products in the fields of pharmacology, medical devices, chemistry, microbiology, agro-technology, and biotechnology. Dr. Bar holds an academic diploma in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Microbiology, Biotechnology, and Bachelor of Laws (LL.B). In addition, Dr. Bar holds complementary proficiency in Medical Engineering, Genetic Engineering, Product Licensing, and Patents.

Dr. Bar consults with several Israeli universities and research institutes concerning the technical and commercial development, as well as legal status and IP, of their new innovations and developments. Dr. Bar is specialized in novel project identification, technical development, R&D and commercial direction, business plans, and new technologies licensing and regulation.

Among other activities, Dr. Bar is a professional manager in the field of R&D, mainly in Medical Technology companies.

Susan Alpert, Ph.D., M.D. is currently the principal of SFADC LLC (aka SFA Regulatory, LLC), a one-person firm focused on the strategies needed to place medical devices and other medical products into the global market. She was a Corporate Senior Vice President for Global Regulatory at Medtronic, Inc. and prior to that VP Regulatory Science at C.R. Bard, Inc.

She previously worked at the US FDA where she held a variety of management positions in the Centers dealing with drugs, devices and radiological health, and foods. She was Director of the Office of Device Evaluation, from 1993 to 1999.

Dr. Alpert is a microbiologist and pediatrician with a specialty in infectious diseases. She completed her undergraduate degree at Barnard College, Columbia University in New York City, holds a master’s degree and Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences from New York University, and a medical degree from the University of Miami (Florida). She is a member of several non-profit and for-profit boards.

Keith A. Aqua, MD brings more than 25 years of industry experience as a private practitioner and certified clinical investigator. Alongside his clinical research, Dr. Aqua is a board-certified obstetrician/gynecologist with a thriving private practice in West Palm Beach, Florida.

He received a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania and an M.D. from The Ohio State University. After completing his residency at the University of Arizona Health Sciences Center, he co-founded the Institute for Women's Health and Body, a large single specialty group located in Palm Beach County, Florida.

In 2001, he founded Visions Clinical Research and in 2015 the Atlantic Clinical Research Collaborative. He has been a Principal Investigator on over 300 pharmaceutical industry-sponsored clinical trials.

He has received numerous teaching awards and has a number of publications and citations related to research in women's health, dermatology, and family medicine. He is currently a speaker for several pharmaceutical companies and is an adjunct clinical professor at the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine at Florida Atlantic University.