Palvella Therapeutics has appointed James R. Treat, M.D., a nationally recognized pediatric dermatologist, as Chief Medical Officer, effective December 21, 2026. In his role as Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Treat will lead Palvella’s medical organization and set the Company’s medical strategy across clinical development, medical affairs, and scientific engagement. Dr
“We are truly honored to welcome Dr. Treat as our Chief Medical Officer,” said Wes Kaupinen, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Palvella Therapeutics. “Through the many years Palvella has worked closely with Dr. Treat, we have learned from his deep understanding of both the science underlying rare skin diseases and vascular anomalies and the chronic and debilitating burden these diseases place on children, adults, and families. Dr. Treat’s extraordinary passion for patient care, and the profound impact he has had on the patients and families he has served, have inspired all of us at Palvella. As we move QTORIN™ rapamycin toward potential approval and commercialization for microcystic lymphatic malformations and advance our broader rare disease pipeline, we look forward to continuing our close collaboration with Dr. Treat as we work to build the leading rare disease biopharmaceutical company addressing serious, rare skin diseases and vascular anomalies for which there are no FDA-approved therapies.”
About Dr. James R. Treat
Treat brings more than a decade of clinical and research leadership in pediatric dermatology and vascular anomalies to the role. “I am thrilled to be joining Palvella to help advance new therapies for patients living with rare skin diseases, including vascular anomalies, who have long lacked adequate therapeutic options,” said Dr. Treat. “Through my work with Palvella, I have seen firsthand the potential of the QTORIN™ platform for patients with rare skin diseases. The opportunity to bring novel therapies designed to address the underlying biology of these diseases to patients, while helping build a broader pipeline of innovative first-in-disease therapies is incredibly meaningful to me. I look forward to working with the Palvella team, physicians, investigators, and patient communities as we advance these programs.”
Treat joins Palvella from Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), where he practiced as a pediatric dermatologist and served for more than 12 years as Associate Program Director of the Pediatric Dermatology Fellowship Program. He was also a member of CHOP’s Comprehensive Vascular Anomalies Program, representing dermatology, and served as a Professor of Clinical Pediatrics at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Treat previously served as a site investigator for Palvella’s Phase 3 SELVA and Phase 2 studies of QTORIN™ rapamycin.
Treat holds a B.A. and an M.D. from the University of Pennsylvania, completed his dermatology residency at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, where he served as chief resident in his final year, and completed his pediatric dermatology fellowship at CHOP.
About Palvella Therapeutics
Founded and led by rare disease biotech veterans, Palvella Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing novel therapies for patients living with serious, rare skin diseases and vascular anomalies for which there are no FDA-approved therapies. Palvella is developing a broad pipeline of product candidates based on its patented QTORIN™ platform. Its lead candidate, QTORIN™ 3.9% rapamycin anhydrous gel, is being developed for microcystic lymphatic malformations, cutaneous venous malformations, and clinically significant angiokeratomas, while its second candidate, QTORIN™ pitavastatin, is being developed for disseminated superficial actinic porokeratosis.
