About

Mission

Impairment Science, Inc. applies neuroscience research to educate users about their level of cognitive and motor impairment and to provide a means for businesses and other organizations to assess the impairment of their employees and members.

Story

Dr. Michael Milburn, Professor of Psychology for nearly 40 years at the University of Massachusetts/Boston, conceived the idea for the Druid app in 2016. With the increasing decriminalization and legalization of cannabis use, he realized that there was no current test for cannabis impairment. He believed he could devise a quick, accurate, and inexpensive test that would save lives and reduce injury by enabling people to make safer, more informed decisions about their behavior.

Applying neuroscience research, Dr Milburn developed the Druid app, founding the company and launching the app in 2018. Not long thereafter, Wired Magazine published an article about Druid, causing a sensation. In a matter of weeks Druid was downloaded from the Apple Store and Google Play more than 10,000 times.

In order to improve the app and confirm its accuracy, the company, then called Druidapp, sought and received an SBIR grant from the National Institute of Health (NIH) to undertake research in conjunction with The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. That research proved the accuracy, sensitivity, and validity of Druid to detect impairment from cannabis. A second research study, this one with Massachusetts State Troopers as subjects, proved Druid’s equal ability to detect impairment due to alcohol. Recognizing that impairment due to any other cause affects cognitive and motor functions in the same way they are affected by cannabis and alcohol, the company made Druid available to detect impairment generally.

In 2020, the company - renamed Impairment Science, Inc. - launched Druid Enterprise for companies and other organizations seeking to increase workplace safety. Druid Enterprise is a management portal, database, and analytical engine that tracks and analyzes the Druid scores of company employees or organization members.

Leadership Team

Michael Milburn, Ph.D.

Founder, Chief Science Officer

Former Professor of Psychology, UMass Boston, Research Methods, Measurement and Statistics.

BA, Stanford: PhD, Harvard   

Robert Schiller

Chief Executive Officer

Leadership positions in many high-tech startup companies, bringing two of them to IPO.

BA, Columbia; JD, Boston College 

John Hayes

Vice President, Product Management

Experienced engineer, project manager and entrepreneur. Prior System Architect at Thinking Machines.

BSEE, Notre Dame 

Peter Sparber

Chair of the Board, Otto Tech System; founder of and advisor to numerous startup companies

BA, Rider College

Christopher Bensley

Vice President, Business Development

Seasoned professional in marketing, sales, product management and technology development. 

BA, Dartmouth; MBA, UCLA

Laura Strassman

Chief Marketing Officer

Experienced product management and marketing professional, including at Dragon Systems and Avid Technology, Black Duck and Compuware.

BA, Colby; MA, Emerson;

MBA, Simmons 

William DeJong, Ph.D.

Director of Research and Evaluation

Former Professor of Public Health, Boston University; Past member MADD Board of Directors.

BA, Dartmouth; PhD, Stanford 

Murray M. Dalziel, Ph.D. 

Chair, Board of Directors

Dean, Merrick School of Business, University of Baltimore.

MA, University of Edinburgh;

PhD, Harvard 

Board of Advisers

Peter W. Choo, MD, DrPH, MBA

Peter Choo is an internal medicine and public health physician. Dr. Choo’s past research focused on health behaviors and clinical epidemiology while on faculty at Harvard Medical School. More recently, he has been an active private investor in bio-medical companies and has served as a mentor and advisor at the Boston University Innovation Lab, Harvard i-lab, and MassChallenge. 

BA, Johns Hopkins; MD, George Washington; DrPH, Harvard University School of Public Health; MBA, Boston University

Mike Levin

Michael R. Levin is a widely experienced finance executive who has worked in start-ups, established corporations and management consulting.

BA and MA, University of Chicago.