Board of Directors

Shane J. Schaffer, PharmD is a Co-Founder of Cingulate Therapeutics and has served as the CEO since its inception. Dr. Schaffer is a 25-year pharmaceutical industry veteran with experience in pharmaceutical drug development, commercialization and biotech commercial operations. During his career, he has held positions at Pfizer, Novartis and Sanofi (including predecessor companies).

Dr. Schaffer has broad functional and therapeutic expertise through the development and commercialization of several billion dollar brands including the ADHD Franchise of Ritalin® & Focalin®, Lipitor®, Lyrica®, Eligard®, Arixtra®, Hyalgan® and Avapro®/Avalide®. He has led the strategic brand planning, franchise resource allocation and managed care & reimbursement strategy for numerous products.

Dr. Schaffer received his Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Kansas. He served as Chief Fellow and completed a Post-Doctoral Pharmaceutical Industry Fellowship at Rutgers University, College of Pharmacy in conjunction with Warner-Lambert/Parke-Davis, now Pfizer.

Peter J. Werth is Founder and CEO of ChemWerth Inc., a privately held Connecticut-based corporation founded in 1982.  ChemWerth Inc. is a full-service generic drug development and supply company providing high quality Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients to regulated markets worldwide. Through exclusive development and partnerships with API manufacturers, ChemWerth Inc. provides expertise in product selection and development, analytical and regulatory services, and strong project management to ensure the highest standards of quality.

With operations in China and India, ChemWerth was one of the first companies to recognize China’s potential to be a major supplier of generic APIs to the U.S.  By 1986, ChemWerth received FDA approval for its first product from China.

Mr. Werth began his career working on the chemical side of the generic drug business from its inception in 1975 in the areas of Research and Development as well as Sales and Marketing.  From 1965 to 1975, he worked in Research and Development for Upjohn Pharmaceuticals, now Pfizer.  Prior to starting ChemWerth he was with Ganes Chemicals, a subsidiary of Siegfried Chemicals, where he was Vice President of Sales and Marketing for their U.S. operations.

Mr. Werth envisioned the ability to develop and implement a successful business model for project selection which he believed was the heart of a successful generic company.  Following this business model, ChemWerth has successfully introduced over 130 generic APIs.

Mr. Werth earned a BS degree in Chemistry and Math from Fort Hays State University and a MS degree in Organic Chemistry from Stanford University. He serves as a board of director for the following companies: VM Pharma LLC, VM Therapeutics LLC, VM Oncology LLC, Likarda LLC, Altos Therapeutic, Alzeca, Nuance, Perseus and Cingulate Therapeutics LLC. Mr. Werth has formed LLCs to develop commercial projects using specific technologies which reflect his strong entrepreneurial interests and contributions toward start-ups.   Mr. Werth was the lead investor in the first two companies that targeted generics for companion animals – Putney and Piedmont.

Along with his family, he has established the Werth Family Foundation to support various philanthropic causes, specifically in educational, cultural, and medical-related causes globally. Mr. Werth financed the formation of The Peter J. Werth Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the University of Connecticut, the Werth College of Science, Technology and Mathematics at Fort Hays State University and the Werth Center for Coastal & Marine Studies at Southern Connecticut State University.

Jeff Hargroves is the Founder and former President and CEO of ProPharma Group, a global provider of regulatory, clinical, pharmacovigilance, medical information and compliance consulting services to the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device industries.

Prior to founding ProPharma Group, Mr. Hargroves held positions in operations, quality assurance and engineering within the pharmaceutical manufacturing and consulting sectors. As an industry consultant, he has conducted numerous regulatory audits, developed quality systems and programs, and managed projects involving bulk and finished pharmaceuticals for both human and animal health applications. He also has extensive experience in the design and validation of pharmaceutical facilities, utilities, process equipment and manufacturing processes for sterile and non-sterile products and active pharmaceutical ingredients.

Mr. Hargroves is active in several industry organizations, including ISPE, PDA, DIA, RAPS, FDLI, IVT and BioKansas. He earned Bachelor of Science degrees in Computer Engineering and Electrical Engineering from the University of Missouri.

Zhanpeng "Frederick" Jiang has served on Cingulate’s Board of Directors since March 2026.

Mr. Jiang has served as President of Falcon Creek Capital Advisors, a biotechnology-focused investment advisory firm he founded, since 2019. He served as Managing Partner of Plaisance Capital Management LLC, a venture capital firm he co-founded, from 2020 to 2024. Previously, he was Managing Partner of Coalescence Partners from 2016 to 2019 and a portfolio manager at Waddell & Reed from 1999 to 2016.

Mr. Jiang has also served on the boards of several life sciences companies, including Stellaromics Inc. from 2022 to 2024 and Medgro Biosciences from 2023 to 2026. Mr. Jiang earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Accountancy from Central University of Finance and Economicsand a Master of Business Administration from New York University Stern School of Business.

Bryan Lawrence has nearly 25 years of experience in the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries, serving in a variety of research-based capacities in Pharmacoeconomics and Managed Care Outcomes Research departments at Novartis (formerly Sandoz) and Janssen Pharmaceutica (J&J), as well as some diverse commercial roles.

Bryan served as Director, Managed Care Marketing, and was a member of the Aciphex® Launch Team at Janssen. He was also responsible for contracting efforts with United Healthcare for nine Johnson & Johnson operating companies as a Corporate Account Director at Johnson & Johnson Health Care Systems.

Dr. Lawrence has significant experience in healthcare consulting and has held roles at Navigant Consulting and Applied Health Outcomes, and was one of four owners/partners who rebranded Applied Health Outcomes as Xcenda, a diverse consulting company that worked with pharmaceutical industry clients. Dr. Lawrence was serving as Xcenda’s Vice President, Marketing and Business Development, when Xcenda was acquired by AmerisourceBergen Corporation.

Bryan holds a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Kansas, a two-year Pharmacoeconomics Fellowship from Glaxo Inc. and the University of South Carolina, and an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He is also a member of the University of Kansas School of Pharmacy Advisory Council.