Dr. John Arden Wisler

Born on July 31, 1956, John grew up in a military family that called Alaska and Texas home before settling in Indiana. Raised by Ruth Richardson Wisler and Major Arden Neal Wisler, John learned the importance and virtue of hard work and service to his family, his community, and the world. At 18, he earned the rank of Eagle Scout, demonstrating his commitment to service. His values and character have continued to reverberate throughout his career and across his relationships and will for many years to come.

He graduated from Lewis Cass High School in 1974, attended Indiana University to study chemistry, and graduated in 1978. He earned his doctorate in toxicology from Indiana University (School of Medicine) in 1988 and subsequently served a National Research Council postdoctoral fellowship with the Center of Chemical Defense in Aberdeen, Maryland.

In 1977, during his undergraduate studies at Indiana University, John met Sandy Pendland of Greentown, Indiana. He proposed only two weeks later, and they married in December of 1978. They have two children: their son, Brandon Neal of Vista, CA, who is married to Alexis Washick, and together they have two children, Kennedy Jean and Grant Neal; and their daughter, Megan Janelle of Orange, CA, who is married to Jordan Schmidt, and together they have three daughters, Scarlett Claire, Harper Jane, and Lily Maeve.

We renewed our 45 year wedding vows on the Big Island of Hawaii last year with our children and grandchildren. He chose "Kuku" as his grandfather name.

John found deep satisfaction in his career and pride in his contribution to the scientific community. As President of the American Board of Toxicology (ABT) and board certified toxicologist, he spent over 35 years leading nonclinical drug development projects at major pharmaceutical companies, including The Procter & Gamble Company, Allergan, Amgen, Dart Neurosciences, and retired as Vice President of Calibr at Scripps Research. In addition to his professional roles, John served as President of the ABT and held various national leadership positions on the ABT board of directors. He was also a member of the National Society of Toxicology, serving on several boards including Continuing Education and was recognized as an expert in Drug safety. He specialized in pharmaceuticals and biologies, providing drug oversight from early discovery through late stage and post-marketing development. His expertise and impact spans oncology, inflammation, cardiology and neurology supporting research and study development of innovative therapies. He is recognized as a leader in translational research strategies including complex nonclinical studies in both small and large molecules, preclinical toxicology and mechanistic studies. He was instrumental in the approval of Botox for cosmetic therapy.

During the last four years he participated in the Lecanemaub Clinical Trial for Alzheimer's at Syrentis Clinical Research with Dr. John Duffy. He was also under the care of Dr. Aaron Ritter of Hoag Institute of Memory Care. Donations can be made to the Alzheimer's Organization in his name on the following link:

https://act.alz.org/site/TR?fr_id=18465&pg=personal&px=19863223

John received numerous awards for leadership, education, service and innovation. He managed more than 250 clinical trials globally, and his scientific research has been cited as reference material by major scientific publications more than 650 times.

During the last few months of his life at Silverado Memory Care in San Juan Capistrano, CA. He charmed the staff who enjoyed his sense of humor, and with Tommy Bahama style, he maintained his sense of dignity. He will always be remembered and greatly missed.