r. Shaffer has served as a director of our company and as the Chairman of our Board of Directors since January 2012. Since August 2015, Dr. Shaffer has served as a General Partner with Hatteras Venture Partners, an investment firm and from 2011 to August 2015 as a Venture Partner. Since 2011, Dr. Shaffer has also served as Managing Director of Hatteras Discovery, which invests in early-stage companies in the life sciences industry sector. From 1995 to March 2010, Dr. Shaffer served in increasing leadership positions at Inspire Pharmaceuticals, a publicly held biopharmaceutical company, beginning as the company’s first full-time employee and Director of Clinical Operations and eventually being appointed as Chief Executive Officer and a director of the company in 1999, as its President in 2005 and a member of its Development Committee in 2009

 Dr. Shaffer’s future employment status, nor did it prohibit Dr. Shaffer from serving in any capacity on public company boards of directors. Our board of directors believes that Dr. Shaffer’s clinical background as a scientist and her leadership experience as chief executive of a public company in the biopharmaceutical industry provides her with the qualifications and skills to serve as a director of our company.