PeoplesMD was created by a team of Internet veterans with a history of building successful online communities.

Carl Sandler, Co-Founder and CEO/President

Carl is a passionate entrepreneur who has spent years building community-based Internet businesses. PeoplesMD reflects his commitment to creating user-friendly online communities that speak to consumers' needs and priorities. Carl founded Kleptomaniac.com in 1999, an E-Commerce shopping platform that he sold to Planetout Partners, Inc. At PlanetOut, he acted as Vice President of E-Commerce and, more recently, has served as a Consultant to various online ventures, including Genetic Health. Prior to creating Kleptomaniac, Carl was the President of TPTechnologies, an early Internet software company that developed one of the first true WYSYWIG web authoring tools. Carl is a graduate of Stanford University.

Rhona Berens, Ph.D., VP Community Development

Rhona brings 20 years of experience in media research, market research, non-profit partnerships, and client services development to her role overseeing Community Development for PeoplesMD. Rhona was a tenured Associate Professor and Department Chair at UC-Irvine prior to joining David and Carl at Planetout, where she served as Vice President of Client Services and Customer Care. Based on her role at PlanetOut, and her work with companies, like New Media Strategies and BoldMouth, Rhona has honed her expertise in online marketing, consumer research and community development. She's eager to support the diverse communities on PeoplesMD and help ensure that members' experiences are as engaging as possible. Rhona earned her BA at McGill University and her M.A. and Ph.D. at UCLA.

Daniel Hanold, Online Research Analyst

Danny is our young gun here at PeoplesMD. While he's well versed in word-of-mouth marketing, Danny has spent the last five years honing his expertise in online analytics, online marketing and community-building. He is very excited about the positive impact that PeoplesMD is having on the lives of our members. Danny holds a B.Tech. from Stuttgart Media University.

Mitchell H. Katz, MD, Chief Medical Advisor

Mitch is our medical leader at PeoplesMD. He is Board Certified in Internal Medicine and sees patients at San Francisco General Hospital. He is a Clinical Professor of Medicine at University of California, San Francisco, where he teaches medical students, medical residents, and fellows. A graduate of Yale University and Harvard Medical School, he has published over 90 articles in peer-review journals, as well as two books, and numerous book chapters. He is deeply interested in patient-to-patient support in the real world, and brings this passion to his role as Chief Medical Advisor for PeoplesMD.

Adam Lowe, Medical and Scientific Advisor

Adam brings a rich background in both life sciences and business development to PeoplesMD , including his current role as Director of Scientific Operations at Applied Biosystems, one of the world's leading suppliers of life science research tools. Previously, Adam worked as Business Development Manager for the Life Sciences and Chemical Analysis Division at Agilent Technologies, and he was a founding employee, Executive Producer, and Director of Web Products at Genetic Health, Inc. Adam's diverse experiences in his field also includes working as a Researcher at the National Institute on Aging, the National Institutes of Health and The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, as well as serving as Director of HIV Services at The Chase-Brexton Clinic in Baltimore, where he co-developed a primary care HIV medicine program.

David Alport, Co-Founder, Business Development

David brings more than 20 years of consumer marketing and entrepreneurial experience to his work creating PeoplesMD. He has long recognized the power of the Internet to build community and provide consumers with increasingly personalized information, and is thrilled to harness those benefits for patients and caregivers on PeoplesMD. David founded the breakthrough travel publication and website Out & About, which he sold to PlanetOut in 2000. At PlanetOut he acted as Vice President of Premium Services. David is a graduate of Brown University.