Virgil A. Place, M.D.

Dr. Place is the founder of VIVUS and has been its chief scientific officer since the company was formed in April 1991, and was the chairman of the board from that time until April 2007. Before joining VIVUS, Dr. Place was principal scientist and held a variety of executive positions including vice president of medical and regulatory affairs at ALZA Corporation from 1969 to 1991. In addition, Dr. Place served nine years on the ALZA Corporation board of directors. He received a B.A. in Chemistry from Indiana University and an M.D. from Johns Hopkins University. He is board certified in internal medicine, with specialty training at the Mayo Clinic.