Perfusion Medical, an emerging biopharmaceutical company developing acute cardiovascular therapies for intensive care, announced that Mark Rausch, M.D., managing director of business development at Merritt Healthcare Advisors, has joined its board of directors.

Dr. Rausch earned his medical degree at Eastern Virginia Medical School, where he was elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society, and completed an emergency medicine residency at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.  He has more than two decades of leadership experience in healthcare business development, operations and strategic growth. He co-founded BetterMed Urgent Care and SecureHealth, a mobile testing company that played a key role in COVID-19 testing for universities, government agencies and private industry. He also serves as managing director of Virginia-based venture capital firm Trolley Ventures.

At Merritt Healthcare Advisors, Dr. Rausch helps health care and life sciences businesses pursue partnerships, acquisitions and funding opportunities.

“Mark’s deep experience in scaling healthcare ventures, coupled with his strategic insight and operational expertise, will be invaluable as Perfusion Medical advances PM-208 toward commercialization,” said Gerard Eldering, Perfusion Medical CEO.

Perfusion Medical’s lead candidate, PM-208, is a novel IV therapeutic designed to quickly restore blood flow through tissue capillaries, resolving ischemia and improving organ perfusion — a major challenge in hemorrhagic shock and other ischemic injuries, including acute kidney injury.