Hepatitis B Foundation Welcomes Two New Board Members

Doylestown, PA, January 29, 2015 --(PR.com)-- The Hepatitis B Foundation (www.hepb.org) is pleased to announce that engineer and business owner Craig Esterly and pharmaceutical industry executive Wayne Yetter have joined its board of directors.

“We are proud to welcome two new additions to our board of directors who bring with them broad and deep experience in the healthcare arena,” said Dr. Timothy Block, President of the Hepatitis B Foundation and the Pennsylvania Biotechnology Center. “Craig and Wayne are a great fit for the Hepatitis B Foundation and we are glad to have them join us at a time when even more promising research into hepatitis B therapies is on the near horizon.”

Yetter had a 30-year career in the pharmaceutical industry and held executive positions at Pfizer, Merck, Astra Merck (now Astra Zeneca) and Novartis. His roles included Vice President Far East and Pacific at Merck, founding CEO of Astra Merck, and President and CEO of Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp., the U.S. division of Novartis AG. He also served as COO of IMS Heath, a healthcare market research company, and as Chairman and CEO of Synavant, Inc., a spin-off of IMS. He has served as Chairman of the Board and Lead Director of several public biotech and healthcare companies. He received his undergraduate degree in biology from Wilkes University and an MBA from Bryant University.

A resident of Solebury Twp., Pennsylvania, Yetter previously served on the boards of directors of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers Association, and the National Pharmaceutical Council. He also was a member of the board of trustees for Wilkes University for 12 years and currently serves as a director of the SEI Center for Advanced Studies in Management at the Wharton School.

Esterly co-founded and is the managing member of SD Asset Group, LLC, a holding company for captive co-founded engineering and construction companies, as well as private investments. Previously, he served as a turnaround chief executive for both public and private businesses. Esterly holds an undergraduate degree in mineral engineering from Pennsylvania State University and an MBA from the University of Pittsburgh.

Now living in Punta Gorda, Florida, Esterly serves on the board of directors of University of Pittsburgh Medical Center’s Presbyterian Shadyside Hospitals and Shadyside Hospital Foundation, as well as the mental health advocacy group, LEAD Pittsburgh. He previously has served on the boards of Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, East Liberty Family Health Care Center, Pittsburgh Presbyterian Foundation and Social Venture Partners Pittsburgh.

Founded in 1991, the Hepatitis B Foundation is the only national nonprofit organization solely dedicated to finding a cure for hepatitis B. It established the newly renamed Baruch S. Blumberg Institute in 2003 as an independent, nonprofit research facility to fulfill its research mission, and created the Pennsylvania Biotechnology Center in 2006.

About the Hepatitis B Foundation: Headquartered in Doylestown, Pa., the Hepatitis B Foundation is the only national nonprofit organization solely dedicated to finding a cure for hepatitis B and improving the quality of life for those affected worldwide through research, education and patient advocacy. To learn more, visit www.hepb.org, read our blog at http://wp.hepb.org, follow us on Twitter @HepBFoundation, find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/hepbfoundation or call 215-489-4900.