Yes best to email first, if you just say you're a shareholder that'll be enough. He'll just say give me a ring as he won't put anything in writing that may backfire on him.
I would be very interested in your sense of him and sure you will be able to ask much more erudite questions than I'm capable of, I'm good at throwing paint around (well some think so!) but biotech investing is way out of my depth, but I have a very strong gut feeling than things will pan out alright based on what I have gleaned from the many posters I trust on this board. The barrage of negative posters who claim to have no investment speaks volumes.