AVAcore Team

Dr. Dennis A. Grahn, Co-Founder and Chief Technology Consultant

Dr. Grahn is a senior research scientist in the Biological Sciences Department at Stanford University. He earned his Ph.D. from the Department of Biological Sciences, Stanford University in 1989, and spent two years there as a Postdoctoral Fellow. He has been a research scientist at Stanford since 1991. Prior to coming to Stanford, Dr. Grahn earned a Masters degree from the Department of Biology, Portland State University where he studied thermoregulation in fish, frogs, and lizards. Dr. Grahn's current research interests are in mammalian thermoregulation, hibernation, sleep, and circadian rhythms. He has authored numerous research papers on these topics.

Dr. H. Craig Heller, Co-founder and Chairman

He is also the Lorry I. Lokey/Business Wire Professor of Biological Sciences and Human Biology, and the Chairman of the Biological Sciences Department at Stanford University. He earned his Ph.D. from the Department of Biology at Yale University in 1970, and then spent two years as a Postdoctoral Fellow at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. He has taught at Stanford since 1972, served as Director of the Program in Human Biology, Chairman of the Academic Senate, Chairman of the Stanford University Committee on Research, and as Associate Dean of Research. Dr. Heller's research is in the areas of the neurobiology of sleep and circadian rhythms and the regulation of body temperature. He is an author of many research papers and a leading college textbook on Biology.

Chuck Hixson, MBA, President

Mr. Hixson has successfully managed another technology-based start-up company as President. In the automotive and industrial market places, Mr. Hixson served as a top marketing and operations executive for both privately held and publicly traded corporations. Mr. Hixson obtained both his MBA and BS degree in Marketing from Bowling Green State University.

Dr. Allen Dumont, M.D., Vice President and Medical Director

He is a Pediatrician with a private practice, and currently holds positions as President of United Pediatric Society, President of Allied Primary Care, Board Member of Allcroft Consulting, Referring Physician Advisory Council at University of Michigan, and Medical Consultant at Aventis Pasteur. Dr. Dumont is also a former Board Member of Rimform Industries, Fiber Optic Sensor Technology, and Health Care Solutions. He was the former Head of Pediatrics at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital, and is listed in "America's Top Physicians" and "Detroit Metro's Best Physicians."

Stephen Shulman, Manufacturing Consultant

Since 1967, Stephen Shulman has worked in the medical device industry as a sales representative, sales and marketing manager, vice president of sales and marketing, president, CEO and founder with DifCo Laboratories, Medtronic, Pacesetter, Medical Devices and Fiberoptic Sensors Technologies and Performance Control. Presently, he is a managing partner of PadPro LLC in Ann Arbor, Michigan where he oversees product development and manufacturing. Mr. Shulman has served on several boards of medical companies and has been involved with numerous startups.

Mark Smith, VP of Research and Development

As an entrepreneur, with a background in biology, chemistry, agricultural sciences, business, real estate investment, and management, Mr. Smith’s experience from Sales Manager to C.O.O in startup biotech companies makes him a good fit for AVACore Technologies. Mr. Smith spent eight years at AeroSport, Inc. and was the C.O.O from 1994-2000. AeroSport was a manufacturer of specialized respiratory gas analyzers, distributed throughout the world and used on MIR Space Station as well as the International Space Station. While at AeroSport, Mark developed an international sales network covering North and South America, Eastern and Western Europe, Asia and Australia. His contributions as a team member and primary inventor included developing more than 6 patents for novel technology, and negotiation and successful execution of multiple large dollar value sales including the sale of AeroSport Inc. to Angeon, a manufacturer of pacemakers and related technology in 2000.

Charles W. Miller, M.S., A.T.C., Athletic Consultant

For the last three years, Mr. Miller has been the Head Athletic Trainer for the Stanford University Football Program. Prior to Stanford, he worked as Head Athletic Trainer at San Jose State University for eleven years. Mr. Miller also worked for several years as a volunteer athletic trainer with the United States Judo Team, traveling to various international competitions and he served as the Chief Athletic Trainer for the Judo Venue at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, GA. Mr. Miller became involved with AVAcore and “CoreControl” during the fall of 2002 when he utilized prototype devices with the Stanford Football Program. It was during this time that he first identified the benefits of the use of “CoreControl” to treat both peripheral and “body” cramps.