Management & Team

Board of Directors

Murali Ramaswamy, MD

CEO & President

Co-founder, board member, & partner

ACRP-PI certified (Fall 2016); CRCP Certified (2017)

Dr. Murali Ramaswamy was instrumental to the founding vision for PulmonIx and serves as its current President and CEO. Following his graduation from medical school in India, he accepted a fellowship at the University of Iowa. He then served briefly as an Assistant Professor at the University of California San Diego before relocating to Greensboro in 2008, where he currently serves as a pulmonary and critical care clinician with LeBauer Health Care and Cone Health System. Dr. Ramaswamy holds board certifications in Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Palliative Medicine. On the clinical front, Dr. Ramaswamy played a key leadership role in several system-wide health quality initiatives, from improving packed red cell transfusion practices in the intensive care unit to initiating and implementing palliative care project in the intensive care unit and transforming Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary (COPD) practices within the health system. Efforts in the COPD project led to national recognition of Cone Health System for COPD care. On the research front, he has extensive experience in both basic sciences and clinical research, with several publications in the field of COPD and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). He serves as a national steering committee member for the PFF, member of Cone Health research advisory board, and heads the Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD) program at LeBauer HealthCare. Prior to this, he published the first outcomes study of Lupus in India and was awardee of the best resident research award during his residency. During his fellowship years in Iowa, he received the NIH KO8 and Parker B Francis Foundation trainee grant award to study airway biology and respiratory virus. In addition, he has been a Principal and co-Investigator in many sponsored trials that contributed to seminal publications in the field of anticoagulation, pulmonary fibrosis, etc. Before joining PulmonIx, he was the Assistant Executive Director of Piedmont Respiratory Research Foundation, where he helped with operations and served as an investigator in several clinical trials.

Other Key Persons

Patrick Wright, MD

Co-founder, board member, & partner

ACRP-PI certified (Spring 2017)

Dr. Wright was born in Owensboro, Kentucky and attended Vanderbilt University for undergraduate and medical school. After completing his residency in Internal Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, he came back to Vanderbilt University for his Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine fellowship. There, his research interest was focused on Severe Sepsis and Adult Respiratory Distress Syndrome. During this time, he produced numerous publications focused on the physiology and molecular pathways involved in Sepsis and ARDS. In 1998, he began his private practice in Indianapolis, Indiana before joining LeBauer Healthcare in 1995. He served as the president of LeBauer Healthcare from 1999 to 2005, where he then became the Division Chair of LeBauer Pulmonary/Critical Care/Sleep/Allergy Division of LeBauer healthcare. He has served as the Chairman of many committees within the Cone Health System and is the Chairman of the Quality Committee of ACO Triad HealthCare Network. He currently serves as the Vice President and Chief Patient Safety Officer with Cone Health. He founded Piedmont Respiratory Research Foundation, which helped coordinate industry-sponsored, NIH funded, and ARDSNET trials in pulmonary and critical care in Greensboro, NC.

Rakesh Alva, MD

Partner

Dr. Alva graduated from Seth G S Medical College and KEM Hospital in Bombay, India prior to starting his post graduate medical training at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, New York. After completing his training he became board certified in Internal Medicine, Pulmonary Medicine, Critical Care Medicine, and Sleep Medicine. After working in Orangeburg, South Carolina he joined LeBauer Healthcare in 2008 as a Pulmonary and Critical Care physician. He is the director of the Electronic ICU (eLink) for Cone Health and also practices sleep medicine in addition to pulmonary and critical care medicine. He is a co-investigator on several clinical trials in Greensboro in the inpatient and outpatient setting.

Robert Byrum, MD, PhD

Partner

Dr. Byrum received his B.A., M.D, and PhD all from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. After finishing his extensive training there he went to the University of Virginia for residency and then moved on to the University of Colorado Medical Center for training in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine. As a student and fellow he authored numerous papers focused on the role of 5-Lipoxygenase Activating Protein in inflammation and leukotriene production. After completing his fellowship he joined LeBauer Healthcare as a Pulmonary and Critical Care physician. In clinical practice he has performed hundreds of electro-navigational and endobronchial ultrasound bronchoscopies. He is a co-investigator and Principle Investigator in several COPD and thoracic oncology trials.

Clinton Young, MD

Partner

Dr. Young received his B.A. and M.D. from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia before completing a residency and fellowship at the Medical University of South Carolina and the University of Arizona Health Sciences in Tuscon, Arizona, respectively. He was a partner with Greensboro Chest Disease and Allergy Associates before coming to LeBauer Healthcare to practice Pulmonary Medicine, Sleep Medicine, and Allergy/Immunology. He has an extensive outpatient practice and serves as the only allergist in LeBauer Healthcare.

Iulia Basaraba, MD

Research Fellow

Leigh Ann Pool, MD

Research Fellow

Team Members

Jennifer Castillo,  BS, CMA, CCRC3

Clinical Research Manager

Jennifer is a triad native currently residing in Summerfield. She graduated from ECPI College of Technology with an Associates degree in Medical Assisting in 2005 and went on to obtain her certification in Medical Assisting through the AAMA in 2008. In 2008, she joined Lebauer Pulmonary/Critical care and worked alongside Dr. Ramaswamy as his medical assistant. During this time, she was introduced to the world of research and grew an interest in learning more. As a result, she joined Pulmonix in April 2016 as the Clinical Research Assistant. In October 2018, Jennifer obtained her certification from ACRP to become a Certified Clinical Research Coordinator 1. During this time, she also worked on obtaining her Bachelor of Science degree from UNCG, from which she graduated in May 2019. In June 2019, Jennifer was promoted to Clinical Research Coordinator Level 2. Then in June 2020, during the middle of the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, Jennifer was promoted to Clinical Research Coordinator 3, Research Manager role. In October 2020, she became certified Project Manager through ACRP.  In her current role, Jennifer is responsible for ensuring the day-to-day operations of Pulmonix run smoothly. In addition to operations she manages all staff members and oversees the execution of all of the projects that occur in the department. In her spare time, Jennifer enjoys spending time with her husband and 3 children. She also enjoys practicing her photography skills and working on home improvement projects with her husband. Jennifer plans to pursue her Masters Degree in Clinical Research Operations beginning in the fall of 2021.  

Diwanshu Sharma, MD, MBBS

Clinical Research Coordinator I

Diwanshu was born and raised in Jammu, India. She attended medical school as well as completed her residency or MD Pharmacology, in India. During her residency period, she developed an interest in clinical research and decided to pursue this field. Diwanshu then served as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pharmacology, at the University of Jammu, India before moving to the US in 2017 where she is currently working as CRC-1 at Pulmonix, Greensboro, NC. She believes relationships are strength. In her spare time, she loves spending time with her husband and family.

Josh Turner

Clinical Research Coordinator

Josh was born and raised in Greensboro, North Carolina, and recently graduated from Wake Forest University in May of 2023. He received a Bachelor of Science in Health and Exercise Science with a minor in chemistry. In his spare time, Josh enjoys spending time with family and friends, backpacking, and traveling. Since graduating from college, he has been working as a medical scribe at Twin City Pediatrics in Winston-Salem, NC. He joins our team with a passion for making a difference in the medical and clinical research world, as well as bettering the health outcomes of people in our community. Josh hopes to take the valuable experience gained from Pulmonix with him as he pursues a career in medicine as a future physician.

Lauren Reynolds, MSN, MBA, RN

Clinical Research Nurse II

Lauren was born in Virginia, grew up in Ohio, and currently lives in North Carolina. She is a huge Ohio State fan – Go Buckeyes! Lauren went to undergraduate school at Kent State University where she obtained her BSN. She attended the University of Phoenix a few years later for her MSN/ MBA. She has worked in hospital care under Orthopedics and Post Anesthesia Care. She also worked as a clinical supervisor at LeBauer Pulmonary, where she was first introduced to Pulmonix. She joined Pulmonix in September 2022 as a Clinical Research Nurse in the hopes of returning to the basics of nursing. She has a love of helping people, and of understanding disease processes and appropriate treatment management.

Schae Scott

Research Assistant

Schae Scott was born and raised in sunny South Africa. Her hometown is East London in the Eastern Cape, where she and her three siblings grew up ten minutes from the beach. After high school she moved to the United States and attended GTCC in Jamestown, NC where she graduated with an Associate’s degree in May 2020. During the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic she worked as a teacher’s assistant in High Point at Wesleyan Early Education Center teaching four- and five-year-olds. In August 2021, she transferred to UNC Greensboro to complete her BS in Psychology. Her biggest achievement at UNC Greensboro has been her research looking at children’s expectations of parents and the influence that has on their trait attributions towards parents. She will be graduating from UNC Greensboro in May 2023 and starting full time at Pulmonix soon after. Her goals for the future are to grow and learn while working at Pulmonix to further her career in research and eventually be accepted into a graduate program for Child Clinical Psychology. Her research interests include the development of resilience in children and the impact of parent-child relationships on child outcomes. She believes that clinical research is a place where she can make a profound impact on peoples’ futures and she is excited to be starting that journey here at Pulmonix.

Mir Habibullah Akhgar, MD, MPH

Research Assistant

Mir Habibullah Akhgar was born and raised in Kabul, Afghanistan. He received his Medical Doctor (MD) degree from Kabul Medical University in Afghanistan, and earned a Masters Degree in Public Health from Jodhpur National University in India. He served as a Medical Doctor, Human Resource Development Manager and Senior Manager of Human Resource Development (HRD), Advocacy Communication & Social Mobilization (ACSM) and New Initiative with the National Tuberculosis Control Program/Ministry of Public Health Afghanistan for eighteen years before moving to the US. He is passionate about research as he believes discoveries and advancements in medicine can help improve peoples’ health and quality of life. He is excited to join the Pulmonix research team as a Research assistant and gain clinical research skills and knowledge that will help him become an experienced health provider.

Tammy Miller Wilson, CMA

Clinic Medical Assistant (Research)

Tammy was born and raised in Greensboro, North Carolina.  She graduated from Davidson County community College with an Associates degree in Medical Assisting in 1999.  She is a Senior at Elizabeth City State University and will receive her B.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies in May 2024.  Tammy worked for Lebauer Pulmonary as the Lead Pulmonary Function Technician for 21 years.  This is where she became interested in research and was able to lend her skills to several clinical studies with Piedmont Respiratory Research as well as Pulmoniox.  She is excited to join the Pulmonix team.  In her spare time she enjoys spending time with her daughter and her yorkie Bella.

Belle Powell

Talent Acquisition Specialist (remote)

Campbelle “Belle” Powell was raised in Columbus Ohio before moving to Greensboro, North Carolina. She is currently pursuing a BS with a double major in Economics and Finance. Looking ahead, she aims to further her education through graduate school. Campbelle is excited about the prospect of merging her academic knowledge with real-world applications.

Luis Gonzalez

Financial Assistant

Luis Angel Gonzalez was born in Paterson, New Jersey, and raised in Durham, North Carolina. Currently pursuing his B.S. in Finance and Economics at UNC Greensboro, He is eager to leverage his academic foundation in tackling complex challenges within the industry. Looking ahead Luis aims to further his education by obtaining a M.A. in Applied Economics, aspiring to deepen his knowledge and contribute meaningfully to the field. With a strong commitment to continuous learning and desire, he strives to make a positive impact.

Juan Mandujano

Campbell Intern

Born and raised in Sanford, North Carolina. I am currently a senior at Campbell University and will receive my B.S. in Clinical Research in May 2024. My interest in clinical research began early on in my undergraduate life as the thought of being a part of new drug development is fascinating. Throughout my internship at PulmonIx, I am aiming to learn more about the hands-on processes that occur in the regulatory side of clinical research. I am delighted to join the wonderful group of people at PulmonIx to apply all the clinical research knowledge I have learned to the real world at the site level.