Biotech POOL

Dr. Miguel S. BARBOSA

Chugai Biopharmaceuticals hires VPof discovery biology to lead drug discovery efforts

Chugai Biopharmaceuticals Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Chugai Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., has appointed Miguel S. Barbosa, Ph.D., as VP of discovery biology. Dr. Barbosa is charged with leading the direction and operation of the company’s drugdiscovery programs, including highthroughput screen ing, biochemistry, pharmacology, and new tar get identification. Before joining Chugai Biopharmaceuticals, which is committed to the discovery and development of innovative, safe and effective therapeutic agents, Dr. Barbosa was a professor at the Keck Graduate Institute, where he con ducted research on the application of genomic technologies to drug discovery. Dr. Barbosa’s previous industry experience includes Signal Pharmaceuticals where, as senior director of lead discovery, he headed efforts in target discovery and characterization, as well as assay development and high throughput screening for the identification of cancer, osteoporosis, antiinflammatory, and antiviral drug candidates. “We are very fortunate to have Miguel join our discovery team at a time when CBI is grow ing rapidly and requires quality leadership to help guide that growth,” says Alex M. Nadzan, Ph.D., senior VP of research at San Diegobased Chugai Biopharmaceuticals. “He brings to CBI a unique blend of academic and pharmaceutical industry experiences that facilitate the advance ment of various key research programs. Miguel’s expertise in nuclear receptors and pro tein kinases fits well with CBI’s interests in these areas, and his strength in genomics will boost our new target discovery initiatives.” CBI began as the therapeutics division of GenProbe Inc. and was spun out into an inde pendently operated, wholly owned subsidiary of Chugai Pharmaceutical Co. in 1995. CBI is the company’s therapeutic presence in North America. Dr. Barbosa holds a Ph.D. in microbiology and immunology from the University of Cali fornia, Los Angeles. In addition, he completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the National Can cer Institute, and has served as an assistant professor, University of Texas Southwest Med ical Center. Pharma POOL Marge M.CONTESSA Nancy J. LINCK Thomas C. SEOH William C. VINCEK David P. WRIGHT Guilford puts focus on future with management additions In a move aimed at ensuring the company’s future success, Guilford Pharmaceuticals Inc. has made several highlevel appointments. David P. Wright has been appointed president and chief business officer and will report to Chairman and CEO Craig R. Smith, M.D. In his new role, Mr. Wright assumes broader responsibilities overseeing all commercial and corporate development activities at Guilford, a fully integrated pharmaceutical company tar geting the neurological, surgical, and critical care markets. In recognition of their important roles in helping to support the Baltimore company’s strategic objectives, and their future contribu tions toward the organization’s success, Dr. Smith has also named Marge M. Contessa as senior VP of human resources; Nancy J. Linck as senior VP, general counsel and secretary; Thomas C. Seoh as senior VP of corporate and commercial development and strategic plan ning; and William C. Vincek as senior VP of pharmaceutical and chemical development. “This year, Guilford has identified three important strategic objectives, which will be the focus of our future success,” Dr. Smith remarks. “These include: accelerating product development, pursuing additional business expansion initiatives, and controlling expenses to preserve our financial stability. These man agement changes help to align our organiza tion to better support these objectives and ensure the achievement of our goals.” Ulf WIINBERG AHP appoints president of WhitehallRobins Healthcare Division American Home Products Corp. has pro moted Ulf Wiinberg to the position of presi dent of the Whitehall Robins Healthcare divi s i on . M r. Wi i nb e rg reports to Robert Essner, president and CEO of AHP, Madison, N.J. Mr. Wiinberg, 43, is managing director of the United Kingdom subsidiary of WyethAyerst Pharmaceuticals, the pharmaceutical division of AHP, and has been with the company since 1994, when AHP acquired Ameri can Cyanamid. Mr. Wiinberg joined American Cyanamid’s Lederle division in 1981 in Swe den and has held a number of sales, marketing, and general management positions with increasing responsibility overseas and in the U.S. He was area VP for Africa and the Mid dle East with WyethAyerst before moving to the U.K. in 1997 as managing director. WhitehallRobins Healthcare is a leader in the research and development, manufacture, and marketing of a broad range of consumer healthcare products. The division’s products are focused on analgesics, nutritionals, respira tory remedies, and gastrointestinal/topical products. 72 A p r i l 2 0 02 PharmaVOICE TALENT POOL EXECUTIVE APPOINTMENTS AND PROMOTIONS IN THE HEALTHCARE INDUSTRY Talent pool William BERTRAND Dr. Gail FOLENA WASSERMAN Dr. James M.PLUDA MedImmune announces executive promotion and appointments MedImmune Inc. has promoted Gail Fole naWasserman, Ph.D., to senior VP of devel opment, and has appointed two new execu tives — William Bertrand, J.D., as VP of legal affairs, and James M. Pluda, M.D., as VP and group leader of clinical research. Dr. FolenaWasserman is responsible for all process and analytical methods development, as well as for production of product candidates for clinical testing. Mr. Bertrand is responsible for legal matters including, commercial issues, contracts, intellectual property, and litigation. Dr. Pluda is responsible for overseeing Gaithersburg, Md.based MedImmune’s clini cal programs in the oncology arena. Dr. FolenaWasserman joined MedIm mune in 1991 as director of development after nine years in natural products isolation and biopharmaceutical process development at SmithKline Beecham Pharmaceuticals. Her responsibilities currently include over sight of all cell culture and purification process development, clinical manufacturing, analyti cal methods development, and quality control for investigational products. Dr. Folena Wasserman has a bachelor’s degree in biology and chemistry from Montclair State College in New Jersey, and a master’s degree in biochem istry and a doctorate in chemistry from the Pennsylvania State University. Mr. Bertrand joins MedImmune from Pharmacia Corp. where he held a variety of positions over his fouryear tenure within the legal department, most recently as associate general counsel. In that role, Mr. Bertrand was responsible for global legal support for various Pharmacia products. His experience at Pharmacia also includes advertising and promotion review, pricing issues, federal and state governmental legisla tive issues, contract negotiation and drafting, and fraud and abuse prevention and training. Mr. Bertrand has a bachelor’s degree in biolo gy from Wayne State University and a juris doctorate degree from the University of Wis consinMadison. Before joining MedImmune, Dr. Pluda spent 16 years at the National Cancer Insti tute, a division of the National Institutes of Health, where he held a number of positions. Most recently he was a senior clinical investi gator in the developmental chemotherapy sec tion of the NCI’s investigational drug branch in the cancer therapy evaluation program, as well as an attending physician of the HIV and AIDS malignancy branch of the intramural Clinical Cancer Research program. His experi ences at the NCI included identifying new agents and directing the clinical development of angiogenesis inhibitors and other agents. Dr. Pluda earned his medical degree from the University of Health Sciences, Chicago Medical School, and his B.S. degree from McGill University in Montreal. He completed his training in internal medicine at the Mayo Clinic. Dr Pluda has authored or coauthored more than 87 publications and has been an invited presenter or chairperson at numerous oncology meetings and symposia. “It is very exciting to see the talent and lead ership which have developed within the com pany as well as the tremendous new talent we are able to attract from the outside,” says David M. Mott, CEO. “Gail FolenaWasserman joined us 10 years ago as the first member of our development group, and today leads a depart ment of 150. Under Gail’s leadership, the development group has been one of the most productive and cohesive teams in the company, consistently delivering excellence and creativity. Bill Bertrand joins us from Pharmacia where he gained tremendous experience with the com plex legal issues surrounding advertising, pro motion, and pricing while working on the Celebrex team. Prior experience also includes corporate and licensing matters as well as com mercial litigation. Jim Pluda is a nationally rec ognized leader in oncology drug development and angiogenesis and comes to MedImmune after 16 years at the National Cancer Institute.” Dr. Michael J. GERBER Myogen appoints senior VP of clinical development and regulatory affairs Michael J. Gerber, M.D., joins Myogen Inc. as senior VP of clinical development and regulatory affairs. Dr. Gerber has 10 years experience directing the clinical development of cardiovascular and oncology products in the biotechnology industry. Most recently, Dr. Gerber served as senior VP of clinical develop ment and regulatory affairs at Allos Therapeu tics Inc. 73 PharmaVOICE A p r i l 2 0 02 Dr. Lester M.CRAWFORD Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy G. Thompson has named Lester M. Crawford Jr., D.V.M., Ph.D., to serve as deputy com missioner of the Food and Drug Administration. As deputy commissioner, Dr. Crawford is the senior official at the FDA, awaiting the appointment a permanent commissioner of the administration. “Lester Crawford has devoted his career to promoting safer products for the public, and he brings to the FDA valuable experience and lead ership skills,” Mr. Thompson says. “With his help, the FDA will con tinue to build on its successes in ensuring the safety of foods, drugs, and medical products for all Americans.” Dr. Crawford takes over from Bernard A. Schwetz, D.V.M., Ph.D., a career FDA executive who has served as acting principal deputy com missioner since Jan. 21, 2001. Dr. Schwetz, senior advisor for science, continues to work on public health and FDA issues within the agency. “Dr. Bern Schwetz has led the FDA during a challenging year, when the nation faced its first bioterrorism attack,” Mr. Thompson says. “For wardlooking actions by the FDA, such as early and rapid approval of effective drugs against anthrax, played a cru cial role in saving lives. I thank Bern for his service over the past year.” Dr. Crawford most recently served as head of the Center for Food and Nutrition Policy at Virginia Tech. He also served as administrator of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service from 1987 to 1991, and as director of the FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine from 1978 to 1980, and again from 1982 to 1985. He received a doctor of veterinary medicine from Auburn University in 1963, and a Ph.D. in pharmacology from the Uni versity of Georgia in 1969. During his career, he also has served as exec utive director of the Association of American Veterinary Medical Col leges, executive VP of the National Food Processors Association, as chairman of the University of Georgia’s Department of PhysiologyPhar macology, and as a practicing veterinarian. Dr. Lester M. Crawford is the senior official at the FDA, awaiting the appointment of a permanent commissioner. SAFETY EXPERT SELECTED AS DEPUTY COMMISSIONER OF FDA Talent pool Dr. Gerber received his medical degree from the University of Colorado and complet ed a residency in internal medicine at UCLA, and postgraduate fellowships in pulmonary and criticalcare medicine, and molecular biol ogy at the University of Colorado. “Mike brings us outstanding experience in clinical medicine coupled with a broad back ground in the management of drug develop ment in the biotech industry,” says Dr. J. William Freytag, president and CEO of Den verbased Myogen, which discovers and devel ops drugs to treat heart failure and related car diovascular conditions. “Mike’s training in pulmonary medicine also will prove valuable for our plans to aggressively advance our drug development program in pulmonary hyper tension.” John M.GILL Melinda RUDOLPH 3Dimensional Pharmaceuticals promotes executive to chief operating officer and appoints VP and general counsel John M. Gill has been promoted to chief operat ing officer of 3Dimension al Pharmaceuticals Inc., having joined the company in May of 2001 as executive VP and chief financial offi cer. In addition, Mr. Gill has been named to the board of directors, increasing the board to nine members. “The positive impact that John Gill has made on 3DP is apparent throughout all areas of our operation,” says David C. U’Prichard, Ph.D., CEO of Yardley, Pa.based 3DP. “We brought him to the team during a pivotal time in the growth of our company, knowing that we needed someone with broad operational experience. John’s comprehensive understand ing of the research and development process and our business, in particular, has been criti cal to our success. I am confident that as chief operating officer and a member of our board of directors, his expertise will be even more valu able to us going forward.” Mr. Gill brings more than 26 years of cor porate development and strategic planning experience to the board. Before joining 3DP, he spent 20 years at SmithKline Beecham (now GlaxoSmithKline), where he concluded his tenure as VP and director of operations and finance, research and development. A certified public accountant, Mr. Gill received his B.A. in accounting and economics from Rutgers University in 1975. In addition, 3DP has appointed Melinda Rudolph as VP and general counsel. Ms. Rudolph was formerly a partner with Harkins Cunningham. As an associate at Pepper Hamilton & Scheetz, and later as partner in Harkins Cun ningham, Ms. Rudolph counseled clients ranging from newly formed startup ventures to mature, publicly held biotechnology com panies. She also is an active speaker and lec turer on the business and legal aspects of biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies. Ms. Rudolph received her J.D. from the Uni versity of Pennsylvania Law School and her B.A., with honors, from the University of Pennsylvania. “Mindy will play an important role as a member of 3DP’s management team as we continue to move forward in achieving our strategic objectives,” Dr. U’Prichard says. “She brings with her a strong record of experience and accomplishment in legal matters pertain ing to publicly held biotechnology companies including licensing, research and develop ment, product distribution, clinical study, and manufacturing agreements.” Dr. Marc GURWITH James P. PANEK VaxGen hires senior VP of medical affairs and chief medical officer, appoints head of manufacturing operations Marc Gurwith, M.D., a pharmaceutical executive with more than 16 years experience in directing the development of new drugs, has joined VaxGen Inc. as its senior VP of medical affairs and chief medical officer. Dr. Gurwith, who has published more than 60 scientific papers and is a Fellow with the Infectious Diseases Society of America and the American College of Physicians, is responsible for managing the clinical development of Vax Gen’s AIDS vaccine, AIDSVAX, including the completion of its Phase III clinical trials and support of a biologics license application to the Food and Drug Administration if the vaccine proves effective. He also manages the clinical development of other products the company may develop. “With his success managing Phase III clin ical trials and his experience in new drug applications, Marc is an excellent addition to VaxGen’s executive group,” says Lance K. Gordon, Ph.D., CEO at Brisbane, Calif.based VaxGen. “With the hiring of Marc, we now ave a full complement of the senior personnel required to prepare for commercialization of AIDSVAX.” Dr. Gurwith, an infectious disease special ist, previously was VP of drug development, and chief medical officer at Genelabs Tech nologies. There he was responsible for leading the completion of the Phase III clinical pro gram as well as the preparation and submis sion of a new drug application to the FDA for a lupus treatment. Dr Gurwith received his medical degree, cum laude, from Harvard Medical School and earned his bachelor’s degree, magna cum laude, from Yale University. He also earned a Juris Doctorate from Temple University School of Law. Before beginning his career in drug devel opment, he served as an associate professor of medicine at Michigan State University, Uni versity of California at Los Angeles, Universi ty of Kansas and University of Manitoba. In a separate announce m e n t , Va x G e n h a s appointed James P. Panek as senior VP of manufac turing operations. Mr. Panek served most recent ly as senior VP of product operations at Genentech Inc., where he led the development of the world’s largest biotechnol ogy manufacturing facility before retiring from the company in January 2001. At VaxGen, Mr. Panek is charged with overseeing development of the company’s manufacturing program, including the evalu ation of commercial manufacturing alterna tives and construction of any manufacturing facilities that may be required. “Jim is a pioneer in the industrial produc tion of complex proteins and has extraordinary expertise in building largescale manufactur ing operations and manufacturing licensed products developed from recombinant technol ogy,” Dr. Gordon says. “If AIDSVAX proves effective, one of Jim’s most important missions will be to help VaxGen travel the shortest path between clinical success and bringing the product to market.” At Genentech, Mr. Panek held a number of positions of increasing responsibility. Most recently, he was senior VP of product opera tions and was responsible for all operations involved in supplying products for preclinical, clinical, and commercial use. In his nearly two decades at Genentech, Mr. Panek was responsi ble for the design, construction, and mainte nance of all facilities, and led the development of manufacturing facilities that enabled FDA approval and launch of Nutropin Depot and Protropin, recombinant products, indicated for the treatment of pediatric growth hormone deficiency; TNKase for heart attack; Rituxan, for nonHodgkin’s lymphoma; and Herceptin for breast cancer. He also was responsible for the purification of all human pharmaceuticals for clinical and market use, and led the suc cessful startup and licensure of operations for 74 A p r i l 2 0 02 PharmaVOICE Talent pool 75 PharmaVOICE A p r i l 2 0 02 purification of Activase, the first largescale cell culture product approved by the FDA. Mr. Panek holds a B.A. and a M.A. in chemical engineering from the University of Michigan. Specialty Pharma POOL Richard BROKENSHIRE LAM Pharmaceutical focuses on execution of marketing and sales strategy Richard Brokenshire has joined LAM Pharmaceutical Corp. in the newly created position of VP of marketing and sales. Mr. Brokenshire works with both LAM’s Chief Operating Officer Joseph Slechta, and CEO, Alan Drizen, to plan and execute an overall marketing strategy for LAM’s extensive array of products. His initial efforts will focus on the new generation IPM Wound Gel, which is expected to enter fullscale commercial sales in the second half of this year. Mr. Brokenshire brings more than 20 years of healthcare marketing and sales experience to LAM, which focuses on the development and commercialization of novel wound healing and transdermal drugdelivery products. Mr. Bro kenshire’s competencies include global mar keting, salesforce inception and management — domestic and international — multiple product marketing, and strategy planning. Before joining LAM, Mr. Brokenshire was director of U.S. sales for the cardiology vascu lar access division of St. Jude Medical Inc. in Minneapolis. “We are very excited about Rick coming on board,” says Joseph Slechta, chief operating offi cer at Lewiston, N.Y.based LAM. “His corpo rate sales and marketing experience and proven entrepreneurial skills make Rick particularly wellsuited for his position. He will play a key role as part of the senior management team.” “The company’s Ionic Polymer Matrix technology lends itself to direct marketing and sales, comarketing opportunities, tech nology and product licensing, as the applica tions of this technology are truly endless,” Mr. Brokenshire says. Joseph FINSTER Connetics names senior VP of marketing Connetics Corp., a specialty pharmaceuti cal company focused on the development and commercialization of dermatology products, has appointed Joseph “Jay” Finster to the new position of senior VP of marketing. Mr. Fin ster is responsible for all aspects of the compa ny’s product marketing programs. A seasoned sales and marketing executive, Mr. Finster has more than 14 years of experi ence in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries, including senior roles in product development, product launch and manage ment, and marketing. He spent 12 years at Genentech Inc., most recently serving as director of cardiovascular marketing, responsible for longrange strate gic planning, the development and launch of new products and indications, licensing/co promotion strategies, and the development of marketing staff. “Jay brings a tremendous amount of talent and a proven track record to a strong Connet ics marketing team,” says Greg Vontz, chief operating officer at Palo AltoCalif.based Connetics. “He will be instrumental in achiev ing our ambitious commercial and product development goals in the years ahead. Jay’s decision to join Connetics validates our increasing momentum and the potential for Connetics to be a leader in dermatology.” “I am confident that my background in the biotech and pharmaceutical industries will enable me to play a key role in the company’s expansion going forward,” Mr. Finster says. Mr. Finster earned a B.A. in premedical studies, biology, from the University of Notre Dame. Genomics POOL Robert M.MYERS Exelixis appoints executive VP of pharmaceuticals Robert M. Myers has joined Exelixis Inc.’s exec utive management team as executive VP of phar maceuticals, with respon sibility for building the genomicbased drug dis covery company’s phar maceutical business and expanding its corporate and commercial development activities. Mr. Myers has more than 10 years experi ence in the biopharmaceutical industry. He comes to Exelixis from Alza Corp., where he held various positions of increasing responsi bility, most recently as senior VP of commer cial development. In this position, he oversaw the company’s commercial development activ ities, including strategic and corporate plan ning, new product planning, mergers and acquisitions, and licensing. He played a key role in transforming Alza from a research based company to a fully integrated pharma ceutical company with more than $1 billion in revenue in 2000. “Bob’s broad experience in business and corporate development, new product plan ning, and strategic transactions in the phar maceutical industry will be of significant value to Exelixis as we continue to evolve into a fullscale development and commercial pharmaceutical company,” says George A. Scangos, Ph.D., president and CEO of South San Francisco, Calif.based Exelixis. “We intend to implement multiple strategies designed to expand and to build our internal product portfolio, as well as to establish addi tional strategic business alliances with phar maceutical companies.” Mr. Myers earned his MBA from the Stan ford Graduate School of Business, and B.S. degree and M.S. degrees in engineering from Stanford University. Dr. Max W.TALBOTT Introgen Therapeutics hires regulatory affairs specialist Max W. Talbott, Ph.D., joins Introgen Therapeutics Inc. as senior VP of worldwide commercial development, bringing 28 years of regu latory affairs experience in the pharmaceutical indus try to the developer and producer of genebased drugs for the treat ment of cancer and other diseases. Dr. Talbott also brings more than five years experience with the FDA, where he attained the position of acting division director and received the FDA commendable service award. Before joining Introgen, Dr. Talbott held the title of senior VP of worldwide regulatory affairs and pharmacovigilance at BristolMyers Squibb Co. and DuPont Pharmaceuticals Co. He held similar titles at Aventis Pharmaceuti cals and RhonePoulenc Rorer Pharmaceuti cals. At Eli Lilly and Co., Dr. Talbott directed worldwide regulatory operations and managed hundreds of registration submissions. Dr. Tal bott served as an acting division director at the Food and Drug Administration from 1980 until 1982. Dr. Talbott received his Ph.D. in immunology and pharmacology from Rutgers University in 1976, and his M.A. in physiolo gy and B.S. in biology from Ball State. Dr. Talbott has served on the editorial board of The Drug Information Journal and has published extensively in the areas of regu latory affairs, pharmaceutical public policy, immunology, and pharmacology. Dr. Talbott has led worldwide regulatory efforts for the development, registration, and launch of numerous pharmaceutical products on the market today, including Prozac, Tax otere, Gemzar, Campto, Lovenox, Gliadel, Synercid, Nasacort, Tilade, Azmacort, Estalis, Zagam, Rilutek, Evista, Reopro, Cesamet, Levatol, Humulin, Zyprexa, Axid, Permax, Humatrope, Decabid, Dynabac, Pindac, Lorabid, Sustiva, Viaspan, Definity, and Coumadin. “Dr. Talbott’s record of new drug registra tion and successful market launch of impor tant pharmaceutical products is formidable,” says David G. Nance, president and CEO of Austin, Texasbased Introgen. “I am delighted that Max has joined Introgen to help move INGN 201 from the final stages of develop ment to the market. Dr. Talbott’s experience with INGN 201 dates back more than six years, where as senior VP of regulatory affairs at RhonePoulenc Rorer and Aventis, he led the strategic development and registration plans for INGN 201. Dr. Talbott knows our drug intimately, understands the successful regulatory submission process, is adept at labelclaims positioning, and is experienced in market launch activities.” “I have followed the progress of Introgen closely for a number of years,” Dr. Talbott says. “I always believed INGN 201 possessed the characteristics to become a widely used cancer drug. I am eager to lead the global registration program for INGN 201. My goal in joining Introgen is simple: I want to register the world’s first commercial gene therapy product, and I believe INGN 201 is that product.” In February 2002, Introgen Therapeutics announced that it has received notification from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office that the name Advexin is now a registered trademark in connection with Introgen’s novel genebased drug for cancer. The mark is registered in the U.S., the European Union, and numerous other coun tries. The gene therapeutic Advexin is cur rently the subject of two randomized and con trolled Phase III clinical trials for the treatment of head and neck cancer, as well as numerous other clinical studies for a variety of solid tumors such as lung, brain, prostate, breast, and bladder cancers. Ivan D.TRIFUNOVICH Third Wave appoints senior VP to lead new genomics business unit Ivan D. Trifunovich, with a background in both business and science, and more than a decade of experience with major pharmaceuti cal companies, joins Third Wave Technologies Inc. as senior VP and general manager of its newly created genomics business unit. Dr. Trifunovich most recently worked for Pharmacia Corp., holding several key posi tions, including VP of ebusiness and VP of research strategy and operations. Before joining Pharmacia, Dr. Trifunovich was director of new product marketing at Johnson & Johnson, where he oversaw the commercialization of the company’s oncology drugs. “Ivan’s broad experience in the pharma ceutical industry will be critical to Third Wave as we focus our genomics business on largescale disease association studies and drugresponse marker profiling for adverse reactions and other applications for new and existing pharmaceuticals,” says Lance Fors, Ph.D., chairman and CEO of Madison, Wis. based Third Wave. “Ivan has an impressive record of success at identifying and maximiz ing highvalue market opportunities. He is a superb addition to Third Wave’s seniorman agement team as we continue to set the stan dard for genomics and personalized patient care solutions for disease discovery and management.” Dr. Trifunovich earned his doctorate in organic chemistry at UCLA and his master’s degree in business administration at the Uni versity of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business. He is the holder of 10 U.S. patents. Third Wave, a developer, manufacturer, and marketer of genetic variation analysis products used in the discovery and validation of the genetic basis of disease and the delivery of personalized medicine, recently created two distinct business units. Those units, genomics and personalized patient care, will enable the company to focus its resources on capturing the most rewarding nearterm and longterm market opportunities and improving share holder value. Talent pool 76 A p r i l 2 0 02 PharmaVOICE Device/Diagnostics POOL Randy BERHOLTZ Ira MARKS Nanogen selects VP of business development,names new general counsel Ira Marks has joined Nanogen as VP of busi ness development, to lead the implementation and execution of Nanogen’s businessdevelopment strategy in its pursuit of the molecular diagnostics market. Before joining Nanogen, Mr. Marks served as president of the Raichem division of Hema gen Diagnostics, a company focused on bio chemistry and immunoassays for hospitals, reference laboratories, and veterinarian and doctor offices. “We are delighted to welcome Ira as the newest addition to our growing molecular diagnostics team and look forward to his con tributions,” says Randy White, CEO of Nanogen, which is seeking to become the leading provider of electronic microarray tech nology for genomicsbased diagnostics. “Ira brings a remarkable breadth of experience in clinical diagnostics to Nanogen. Esoteric test ing, which includes molecular diagnostics, is one of the fastestgrowing markets within the diagnostics field. With more than 25 years experience in the clinical diagnostics arena, Ira has a strong sense of new and emerging mar ket opportunities and how to strategically cap ture value from Nanogen’s technology plat form, which we believe is ideally suited to simplifying the often complex, difficult to perform moleculardiagnostic tests.” Mr. Marks holds a master’s degree from City University of New York. In other company news, Vera P. Pardee, VP, general counsel and secretary, has resigned her position and Randy Berholtz assumes the role of acting general counsel and secretary. Mr. Berholtz has more than 11 years of legal expe rience and has been with San Diegobased Nanogen since February 2000. David F. ERINAKES Cyberonics promotes manager to VP of sales for the U.S. Cyberonics Inc., which develops and mar kets medical devices for the treatment of epilepsy and other debilitating disorders using a unique therapy, Vagus Nerve Stimulation, has promoted David F. Erinakes to VP of sales responsible for the U.S. Mr. Erinakes has more than 10 years experience in pharmaceutical and device sales, and sales management, hav ing worked at Pfizer and Cyberonics. Mr. Erinakes joined Cyberonics in May 2000 as a regional sales director and was pro moted to national sales director overseeing U.S. sales in March 2001. Before joining Pfiz er in 1991, Mr. Erinakes served in the U.S. Army Special Forces for four years, most recently as a captain. Talent pool 77 PharmaVOICE A p r i l 2 0 02 “David is an effective and experienced lead er and manager who has excelled at Cyberon ics,” says Robert P. Cummins, chairman and CEO at the Houstonbased company. “In 2000, he turned around our worst performing region and then following his promotion to national sales director, he reorganized and re energized our entire U.S. salesforce. The accel erating annual U.S. sales growth, which will exceed 40% in the third quarter, and the out standing performance of our U.S. sales teams in the last year are a reflection of David’s lead ership and unwavering commitment to improve the lives of people touched by epilep sy, depression, and other chronic disorders that may prove to be treatable with our patented therapy, Vagus Nerve Stimulation.” Ephraim HELLER Charlie LIAMOS Mark TATRO Nan WATANABE TheraSense announces key management Changes TheraSense Inc., a leader in glucose moni toring and maker of the FreeStyle system that enables diabetics to measure glucose in small er amounts of blood, has announced two pro motions, an addition to its executive manage ment team, and the planned departure of one of its cofounders. Chief Financial Officer Charlie Liamos, 42, has assumed the additional role of chief oper ating officer, which includes overseeing sales and marketing, operations, finance, and infor mation technology. Mr. Liamos, who has been with the company since 1998, has been TheraSense’s VP and chief financial officer since July 1999. Corporate Controller Mark Tatro, 39, has been appointed VP of finance. Mr. Tatro is responsible for the finance department, report ing to Mr. Liamos. Mr. Tatro joined the com pany in 2000 serving as corporate controller where he played an essential role in establish ing the company’s accounting policies and procedures. Nan Watanabe, 46, joins the company as VP of human resources. Previously Ms. Watanabe was a principal at Z Dimensions, a consulting services company in Novato, Calif. She brings to TheraSense 20 years of experi ence in training and organizational develop ment. “The promotions of Charlie and Mark and the addition of Nan underscore our commit ment to the next phase of TheraSense’s growth,” says Mark Lortz, CEO of Alameda, Calif.based TheraSense. Ephraim Heller, VP of business develop ment and member of the board of directors, has announced his intention to leave TheraSense. He is the company’s cofounder and served as its first CEO. “Over the years Ephraim has been instru mental in the development of TheraSense’s technology, intellectual property, and corpo rate partnerships,” Mr. Lortz says. “While we will miss his skills and leadership, we under stand his desire to spend more time with his family and entrepreneurial activities and we wish him well. His departure signifies that TheraSense has met important growth mile stones since our founding.” Mr. Heller’s responsibilities at TheraSense will be assumed by Larry Huffman, VP of international business development. Dr. David J. LENTZ Strengthened management team to focus on increasing CryoCor’s product portfolio CryoCor Inc., a devel opment stage medical technology company, has named David J. Lentz, Ph.D., to the newly creat ed position of VP of research and develop ment. Dr. Lentz is respon sible for overseeing the development of the company’s technology used in the CryoCor Cardiac Cryoablation Sys tem, as well as other developing technologies for the treatment of cardiac disease. CryoCor’s system uses intracardiac cryoenergy to treat patients with irregular heart rhythms, includ ing atrial fibrillation. “Dr. Lentz is a customerfocused innovator and team builder with a proven track record of bringing more than 50 medical device products from the R&D lab to the marketplace,” says Gregory M. Ayers, M.D., Ph.D., founder, pres ident, and CEO of San Diegobased CryoCor. “We are pleased to welcome Dave and look for ward to his leadership in the commercialization of the CryoCor Cardiac Cryoablation System and other new CryoCor technologies.” Dr. Lentz, in joining CryoCor, is building on his distinguished career of more than 25 years with companies such as Medtronic Inc., Meadox Medical, and WarnerLambert Co. At Medtronic, he held the position of VP and general manager of the coronary intervention al vascular business. Dr. Lentz has a Ph.D. in physical chemistry from the University of Utah, a M.S. in organic chemistry from Rochester Institute of Technol ogy, and a B.S. in chemistry from The State University of New York. He is the author of numerous journal articles and has more than 50 issued patents. Brian SEGRIN Metrika promotes executive to VP of sales and customer service Metrika Inc., a developer of diabetes mon itoring devices, has promoted Brian Segrin to VP of sales and customer service. Mr. Segrin most recently served as Metrika’s senior direc tor of worldwide sales and marketing. In this new position, Mr. Segrin is respon sible for expanding Metrika’s salesforce and establishing worldwide distribution channels for A1cNow — the first singleuse, disposable test for measuring hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) in patients with diabetes. With product avail ability slated for this quarter, he also is charged with implementing and overseeing Metrika’s customerrelations program. Before joining Metrika, Mr. Segrin was with LifeScan, a Johnson & Johnson company and leading supplier of blood glucose moni tors. During his 11 years with LifeScan, Mr. Segrin held several positions, including direc tor of health systems, director of sales opera tions, area hospital sales manager, and region al business manager. “Brian has been a tremendous asset to Metrika’s team over the past year,” says Michael Allen, CEO, chairman and founder of Sunnyvale, Calif.based Metrika. “His indus try experience will lead our salesforce in mak ing rapid, accurate A1c test results accessible to diabetes patients and care providers. Cus tomer relations is a top priority for Metrika, and Brian’s dedication to the diabetes market makes him a natural choice to head up this effort.” Mr. Segrin received his bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of WisconsinMilwaukee. Dr. Nassim USMAN Ribozyme Pharmaceuticals selects pioneer as chief scientific officer Dr. Nassim Usman, a pioneer in developing the chemistry and biochem istry of nucleic acids and credited with the devel opment of a method for the synthesis of RNA that is used throughout the industry, has been promoted to chief scientific officer and VP of research and development at Ribozyme Phar maceuticals Inc. Before joining RPI in 1992, Dr. Usman was a NIH Fogarty and NSERC postdoctoral fellow and scientist in the departments of biol ogy and chemistry at the Massachusetts Insti tute of Technology. Talent pool During his 10 years at RPI, Dr. Usman has been responsible for the design and synthesis of several stabilized ribozymes that are the basis for RPI’s current product candidates. His breadth of experience also includes the devel opment of a large patent portfolio, authoring 80 publications covering nucleic acids, build ing the manufacturing process at RPI, and instituting partnerships for the development of Heptazyme and Angiozyme programs. In addition, he was a founder of atugen AG, a leading functional genomics company, and is a member of the company’s board of directors. “We are delighted to have a person of Nas sim’s caliber with such outstanding qualifica tions and experience that will help move RPI into a leadership position within the biothera peutic industry,” says Howard W.Robin, pres ident and CEO at Boulder, Colo.based RPI, a leader in the development of ribozymebased biotherapeutics and diagnostic tools for the treatment and monitoring of significant human diseases. “We look forward to the fur ther clinical development and ultimately the commercialization of RPI’s first product that will confirm that this exciting technology works in patients, and will help to improve the diagnosis and characterization of disease, leading to better health treatment in cancer and hepatitis.” 78 A p r i l 2 0 02 PharmaVOICE Drug Discovery/ Development POOL Carl A. PELZEL Invenux appoints former GlaxoSmithKline executive as president and CEO Invenux Inc., a pri vately held drugdiscov ery company, has named Carl A. Pelzel as president and CEO, overseeing the company’s efforts to fully leverage the potential of its proprietary technolo gy, Evolutionary Chem istry, in the field of pharmaceuticals. Mr. Pelzel joined Invenux in March 2001 as president and CEO of the company’s wholly owned sub sidiary, Evolutionary Medicine, which consoli dated with Invenux in December 2001. Before joining Invenux, Mr. Pelzel held numerous highlevel positions at GlaxoSmith Kline, formerly GlaxoWellcome Inc., includ ing VP of sales and marketing for the U.S. HIV and oncology division; VP of internation al commercial development for HIV; country manager, China; general manager of opera tions, Hong Kong; and director in the group commercial strategy directorate in London. While in Asia, he also served as president of the Pharmaceutical Association in Hong Kong. Mr. Pelzel replaces founder Bruce Eaton, Ph.D., who continues with the company as senior VP of technology advancement and a member of the board of directors. “With the consolidation of Evolutionary Medicine and Invenux, we have streamlined our operations and are better equipped to maximize the commercial value of the com pounds discovered through Evolutionary Chemistry,” Mr. Pelzel says. “We are currently focused on advancing research and develop ment for the first Evolutionary Chemistry derived compounds, which are the only known monobactam antibiotics with gram positive activity.” Emerging POOL Dr. James J. CAPPOLA NitroMed turns to biopharma veteran to oversee product development and regulatory affairs Expanding upon the company’s latestage product development and regulatory manage ment capabilities, NitroMed Inc. has appoint ed James J. Cappola, M.D, Ph.D., as senior VP of clinical and regulatory affairs. Dr. Cappola brings more than 16 years of biopharmaceutical experience to NitroMed’s management team. His immediate responsi bilities include oversight of NitroMed’s con firmatory trial for BiDil, the African Ameri can Heart Failure Trial (AHeFT), which is the first prospective trial conducted exclusive ly in black men and women suffering from heart failure. Dr. Cappola joins NitroMed from the Covalent Group, where he was chief medical officer. Dr. Cappola brings extensive experi ence in general and cardiovascular drug devel opment, in particular having worked on tran dolapril, isosorbide dinitrate, Rythmol, Metadate, and most recently nebivolol. “Dr. Cappola’s appointment reflects the significant progress with our lead product, BiDil, and other nitric oxide development programs,” says Manuel Worcel, M.D., presi dent and chief medical officer of Bedford, Mass.based NitroMed. “At this important stage of NitroMed’s expansion, we are com mitted to enhancing our clinical knowledge and expertise, which is critical to the rapid advancement of BiDil. His extensive cardio vascular drugdevelopment expertise will assist in guiding us through pivotal trials with BiDil and our other productdevelopment programs.” “Joining the NitroMed management team has provided me with the unique opportunity to work on developing the first heart failure product designated specifically for an African American patient population,” Dr. Cappola says. “I look forward to doing my part in advancing a muchneeded treatment alterna tive for these patients.” Dr. Cappola received his M.D. from Insti tuto de Ciencias Biomedicas, Universidad Autonoma de Cd. Juarez, Mexico, in 1983 and his Ph.D. in immunology and microbiology at the Waksman Institute of Rutgers University in 1972, and is an active member in the Amer ican Academy of Pharmaceutical Physicians. Judith S. HEDSTROM Alteon adds pharma marketing and licensing expert to seniormanagement team Pharmaceutical marketing and licensing expert Judith S. Hedstrom joins Alteon Inc. as senior VP of corporate development, with responsibility for Alteon’s commercial devel opment strategy and implementation, critical next steps for its lead product ALT711, which is in clinical development for reversing the progressive stiffening of the cardiovascular sys tem that ultimately results in systolic hyper tension, diabetic cardiomyopathies, congestive heart failure, and other disorders. Before joining Alteon, which is developing several new classes of drugs that reverse or slow down diseases of aging and complications of diabetes, Ms. Hedstrom was at McKinsey & Co. Inc., where she was a leader in the phar maceutical and medical products practice, serving both large and emerging pharmaceuti cal clients. With more than 20 years in the healthcare industry, Ms. Hedstrom’s expertise is in building the interfaces between R&D, product development, and marketing. “Judy Hedstrom brings to Alteon signifi cant experience in the commercial challenges that face an emerging company, and she pro vides a critical component to our future mar keting and licensing strategy,” says Kenneth I. Moch, president and CEO of Ramsey, N.J. based Alteon. “She is highly regarded in her field, and is a key addition to the Alteon lead ership team as we move forward with ALT711 and work to expand our product pipeline.” Ms. Hedstrom holds a MBA in finance and marketing and a B.A. in chemistry from The University of Chicago. Talent pool Dr. Stephen L. WARREN Expert scientist joins Atrix as VP of research and development With impeccable scientific credentials and handson biotechnology industry experience, Stephen L. Warren, M.D., joins Atrix Labora tories Inc. as VP of research and development. Dr. Warren succeeds Richard L. Jackson, Ph.D., who is retiring from his executive posi tion with the company. Dr. Jackson continues to serve as a member of Atrix’s scientific advi sory board and as a consultant to the emerging specialty pharmaceutical company, which is focused on advanced drug delivery. Among his positions within the biotech nology industry, Dr. Warren has served in leadership positions at such companies as NeXstar Pharmaceuticals, Gilead Sciences Inc., and Allos Therapeutics Inc. Dr. Warren has held faculty positions in the departments of pathology and biology at Yale University School of Medicine. He also served as an attending physician in the department of pathology, YaleNew Haven Hospital. During his tenure as an academic physician, he acted as a consultant to medical, surgical, and radiation oncologists at numerous hospitals, including YaleNew Haven Hospital, Washington Uni versity School of Medicine, West Haven Veter ans Hospital, and the Fox Chase Cancer Center. Dr. Warren has extensive experience in the field of oncology and cancer research, with memberships in the American Society of Clin ical Oncology, the American Association of Cancer Research, and the American Associa tion of Pharmaceutical Physicians. He also is a diplomate with the American Board of Anatomic Pathology. Dr. Warren has pub lished extensively on mechanisms of cellular growth regulation, which he studied using a variety of cellular and molecular techniques. “Beyond his outstanding credentials as an expert scientist and physician, Dr. Warren brings a strong strategic perspective to Atrix with a recognized ability to critically evaluate new product and compound opportunities,” says David R. Bethune, chairman and CEO at the Fort Collins, Colo.based company. “We are fortunate to have such a highly respected, wellrounded, and experienced physiciansci entist joining the Atrix team to lead our research and development efforts as Atrix moves into its next stage of growth and devel opment. “I wish to thank Richard for his many sig nificant contributions during his tenure as head of research and development,” Mr. Bethune continues. “His leadership has been an impor tant part of Atrix’s evolution into a strong drug delivery and drugdevelopment company, and we look forward to his continued insights as a member of the scientific advisory board.” Supplier POOL Dr. Ron CARROLL Dr. Daniel R. MARSHAK Cambrex appoints chief technology officers of biotechnology and pharmaceutical technologies Cambrex Corp., a leading global supplier of human health and bio science products to the lifesciences industry, has made two key appoint ments that reflect the company’s continuing commitment to bring innovation and speed to drug discovery, develop ment, and manufacturing processes through a multifaceted approach of research and develop ment, licensing, and acquisitions to accelerate corporate growth. The company has appointed Daniel R. Marshak, Ph.D., as VP and chief technology officer of biotechnology, and Ron Carroll, Ph.D., as VP and chief technology officer of pharmaceutical technologies. Dr. Marshak is responsible for technology development in the biological sciences, con centrating on licensing and corporate develop ment. He chairs Cambrex’s scientific advisory board and oversees biotechnology develop ment throughout the organization. Dr. Marshak joined Cambrex, East Ruther ford, N.J., in 2000 as VP of research and development, biosciences. He brings more than seven years management experience in the biotechnology industry, as well as 15 years of academic and consulting experience in bio chemistry and cell biology. Dr. Marshak main tains an appointment as adjunct associate pro fessor at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and retains his positions on various professional boards. Dr. Marshak holds a B.A. from Harvard College, and a Ph.D. from The Rockefeller University, both in biochemistry. He is noted for his recent research in adult stem cells and earlier work in the biochemistry of signal transduction. Dr. Carroll is responsible for the develop ment of pharmaceutical technologies from small molecules, including novel drugdeliv ery technologies, also concentrating on licens ing and corporate development. He continues to oversee the Cambrex Center of Technical Excellence in North Brunswick, N.J. Dr. Carroll joined Cambrex in September 1997 as VP of technology with responsibility for technical evaluation of growth strategies. Previously, Dr. Carroll was with BristolMyers Squibb Co., as VP of chemical development, technical operations. Dr. Carroll brings more than 35 years expe rience from BristolMyers Squibb and Pfizer Inc., to Cambrex, focused on chemical devel opment of pharmaceuticals and medicinal chemistry. Dr. Carroll received his B.A. from DePauw University, Greencastle, Ind., in 1962. In 1966 he was awarded a Ph.D. in synthetic organic chemistry from Northwestern Uni versity. In addition, Dr. Carroll is a member of the American Chemical Society, serving as chair man of the Syracuse, N.Y., section from 1992 to 1994. Dr. Susan A.EVANS Caliper Technologies appoints VP of product development Susan A. Evans, Ph.D., joins Caliper Tech nologies Corp. as VP of product development, with responsibility for all aspects of Caliper’s product development, including new products and line extensions. Before joining Caliper, the leader in labonachip technology, Dr. Evans was VP of research and development at LifeS can Inc., a Johnson & Johnson company. At LifeScan she was responsible for managing the company’s R&D program. “Susan has a demonstrated expertise devel oping and managing extensive product pipelines, including the development of new products, as well as line extensions,” says Dan Kisner, M.D., president and CEO of Moun tain View, Calif.based Caliper. “Susan has managed instrument system development in the clinicaldiagnostics industry, thus adding an important skill set and knowledge base to Caliper’s management team, and advancing Caliper’s commercialization plans.” Dr. Evans is a fellow of the National Acade my of Clinical Biochemistry. She also is presi dentelect, a member of the executive com mittee, and serves on the board of directors of the American Association for Clinical Chem istry. In addition, she is the corporate representa tive and secretary for the education and man agement division of the International Federa tion of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine. Dr. Evans has an undergraduate degree in chemistry, and a doctorate in biochemistry. She was a postdoctoral fellow at Henry Ford Hospital in the Department of Pathology. 79 PharmaVOICE A p r i l 2 0 02 Service POOL Judy BRAMSON Doctors +Designers expands account management staff in Mid west to support business growth Doctors + Designers, a health education company, has appointed Judy Bram son as a new account man ager based in Chicago, to cover the company’s expanding Midwest busi ness. Ms. Bramson has held positions within Webbased healthcare marketing and health care advertising, most recently as the director of sales for ConferenceSeek Inc., based in Evanston, Ill.. She has a B.A. from the State University of New York at Albany. “With the expanded growth of our Midwest business it is with pleasure that we can add someone with Judy’s experience to our sales team,” says Diane Teasdale, VP of client services. “Her experience in advertising and account management further enhance the presentation and selling of our awardwinning and creative healtheducation programs to our clients.” Leslie CATE Dr. David A. DWORACZYK Quintiles selects leaders for clinical development unit Quintiles Transnational Corp., which pro vides information, technology, and services to bring new medicines to patients faster and to improve healthcare, has made two additions to its clinical development unit. Leslie Cate joins as VP of project management, responsible for directing one of Quintiles’ four pro ject management groups that oversee the adminis tration of clinical trials for customers. Ms. Cate has extensive experience in project management and clinical research. Most recently, she was with nTouch Research, where she was VP of clinical opera tions. Ms. Cate received her bachelor’s degree in biology from Meredith College, and her mas ter’s degree in nutrition from Virginia Poly technic Institute. In another appointment, David A. Dworaczyk, Ph.D., joins Quintiles as VP of clinical operations, with responsibility for over seeing clinical monitoring and regulatory docu mentation at investigator study sites in the U.S. and Canada. Before joining Research Triangle Park, N.C.based Quintiles, Dr. Dworaczyk held leadership positions with several healthcare companies, including PRA International and Premier Research Worldwide. Dr. Dworaczyk received his bachelor’s degree in biology from Daemen College, his master’s degree in cell and molecule biology from the State University of New York at Buf falo, and his doctorate degree in leadership and business administration from the University of Delaware. “Leslie and David bring significant industry experience to Quintiles,” says Joe Colatuno, president of clinical development services, Quintiles Americas. “Our customers and employees can expect to benefit from their lead ership and guidance as they work closely with our project teams and professionals in the field.” Quintiles’ clinical development services unit offers global expertise in drug develop ment from Phase II through regulatory sub mission and consists of services, including clinicaltrials management, investigator recruitment, patient recruitment, study mon itoring, data management, regulatory, and biostatistical services. Ken FILL The DeLor Group names senior VP of marketing The DeLor Group, a corporate and product brand identity company, has named Ken Fill as senior VP of marketing. Mr. Fill comes to DeLor, Louisville, Ky., with a strong background in brand strategy and design, advertising, and marketing commu nications. Most recently a partner with East End Management Group LLC, Mr. Fill rounded his career with corporate planning, business consultancy, and general manage ment experience. Mr. Fill’s creative marketing history includes president at Creative Alliance Inc. and more than 20 years of professional devel opment at Leo Burnett, where he served as VP of client services. During his tenure, he led and managed the marketing and communica tions programs for such wellknown brands as McDonalds, Hallmark, Black & Decker, and Procter & Gamble. Mr. Fill earned a B.S. in business adminis tration from Bowling Green State University and participated in executive programs at Northwestern University’s Kellogg Manage ment Institute, and Institute of Advanced Advertising Studies at the Medill School of Journalism. Talent pool Greg KAUPP Dr. Philip OLSON Mary PUNCOCHAR Prime Therapeutics names interim president and CEO,hires senior VP of sales and marketing Prime Therapeutics Inc., a pharmacy bene fits solutions company, has named Philip Olson, M.D., as interim president and CEO, replacing Steven S. Martin, who has been appointed CEO of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska. Dr. Olson is currently a board member for Prime Therapeutics. Dr. Olson will be in this role until Mr. Martin’s successor is named. “Dr. Olson brings a unique understanding of our business and our distinctive strategies in serving Blue Cross Blue Shield plans,” says John Anderson, chairman of the board for St. Paul, Minn.based Prime Therapeutics. “His strong clinical and financial analysis back ground and his vision for appropriate pharma ceutical care management will ideally serve Prime Therapeutics during this time.” Dr. Olson was an internal medicine spe cialist with Affiliated Medical Centers in Willmar, Minn., from 1977 to 1994. From 1994 to 2000 he served as a staff physician in geriatrics at the Veterans Administration Hos pital in Minneapolis. In addition, Prime Therapeutics has hired Mary Puncochar as senior VP of sales and mar keting. In this role, Ms. Puncochar is respon sible for all sales initiatives, corporate commu nications, market research, and new products required for corporate competitiveness. Before joining Prime Therapeutics, she was assistant director of sales for Bayer Corp. While at Bayer, Ms. Puncochar developed and directed multiple key marketing initia tives. These included promotional, managed market, scientific communications, Phase IV planning, and opinionleader development. In other company news, Greg Kaupp, for mer senior VP of sales and marketing, is now the senior VP of external affairs, responsible for building strategic relationships with key out side constituencies and government programs. 80 A p r i l 2 0 02 PharmaVOICE Contemporary titles in 1996. She was named publisher of Contemporary OB/GYN, Contempo rary Pediatrics, and Contemporary Urology in 2000. Last year, she was promoted to senior director of marketing and brand management. “Under Amy’s direction, the Contempo rary group achieved a successful publishing and customized program operation that repre sents the model for all of our MECG brands,” Mr. Meacock says. “Amy is clearly the right person to now head up all of our marketing and brand management activities.” Dr. Steven A. SILBER SCP Communications promotes clinicaltrials expert to chief medical officer Steven A. Silber, M.D., has been promoted to chief medical officer for SCP Communica tions Inc. Dr. Silber, 53, previously was presi dent of Premier Research and held that posi tion since January 2000, when SCP Communications acquired the clinical research organization from Premier Research Worldwide. In this expanded role, Dr. Silber is respon sible for providing medical and scientific input to the medical education division of SCP and assisting in the overall business develop ment efforts of the company. During his career, Dr. Silber has started two companies, the Information Companies of America, one of the first ventures aimed at providing physicians with access to medical information via online databases and electron ic journals, and Medical Broadcasting Compa ny, a medical marketing and communications firm. In addition, Dr. Silber also has held posi tions at SmithKline Beecham in medical and regulatory affairs and clinical research and development, and he spent several years on the faculty of the University of Pennsylvania. “Steven Silber’s appointment as chief med ical officer is a natural step given the impor tant management and leadership contribution he has provided to Premier Research and SCP Communications,” says William M. Passano III, CEO, at New Yorkbased SCP Communi cations, a provider of a broad range of clinical research, medical education, and journal pub lications to the healthcare industry. “Steve has played an integral role in doubling the num ber of clinical trials conducted at Premier Research since year 2000. We are delighted to have Dr. Silber serving in this capacity on SCP Communications’ executive team.” Dr Silber received his M.D. from John Hopkins University School of Medicine in 1976. He completed his residency in internal medicine, his fellowship in general internal medicine, and his chief residency at the hospi tal of the University of Pennsylvania. Talent pool 81 PharmaVOICE A p r i l 2 0 02 Kathleen KILLMEYER Dimensional Healthcare selects sales and marketing professional to lead business development Sales and marketing professional Kathleen Killmeyer has joined Dimensional HealthCare, a designer and imple menter of community based trials, as VP of busi ness development. Ms. Killmeyer has more than 18 years experience in the health care industry, spanning new business develop ment, strategic, and tactical planning, and client services. “Our goal is to bring innovation and pro fessionalism to the conduct of community based trials, and Kathleen’s experience and strong skills will be an asset in developing winning concepts and resultsoriented pro grams for our clients,” says Michael Morales, president and CEO of Cedar Knolls, N.J. based Dimensional HealthCare. Dr. Michael E. WOEHLER Parexel International selects president of clinical research services Parexel International Corp., one of the world’s largest biopharmaceutical outsourcing companies, has promoted Michael E. Woehler, Ph.D., to presi dent of clinical research services. Dr. Woehler most recently served as Parexel’s senior VP for clini cal research services in North America. He has experience in seniorlevel management, busi ness development, and research in the pharma ceutical and biotech industries. Before joining Parexel, he served as president and CEO of Mosaic Technologies, a private company mar keting DNA analysis technologies. “Dr. Woehler’s focus is on strengthening Parexel’s worldwide clinicalresearch opera tions and enhancing the company’s reputation for clientfocused service,” says Carl A. Spald ing, president and chief operating officer, at the Bostonbased company. “Since joining Parexel, Dr. Woehler has made important con tributions to generating new business and improving operational effectiveness.” Dr. Woehler received his B.S. in biology and chemistry from Northwestern University and a Ph.D. in immunology from Marquette University. Media POOL Amy CLARKE Carol JAXEL Thomson Medical Economics announces two promotions Thomson Medical Economics has promot ed Carol Jaxel to VP of sales and customized program management, and has promoted Amy Clarke to VP of marketing and brand management within the medical education and communications group (MEGG). In her new position, Ms. Jaxel is responsible for sales for the entire group. She also maintains her responsibilities for the customized medical education programs operation. In 1985, Ms. Jaxel joined Thomson Medi cal Economics — which provides about 170 highquality healthcare information products and services, including magazines, directories, references, newsletters, and online services — as promotion coordinator for Drug Topics and RN magazines. She then served as account manag er for Red Book, Medical Laboratory Observer, and Drug Topics before becom ing national sales manag er in 1996. Ms. Jaxel was promoted to publisher of Drug Topics and Hospital Pharmacist Report in 1999. Last year, she was named VP of marketing and brand management with in MECG. Ms. Jaxel earned the prestigious Lansing Chapman Award for excellence in sales in 1994 and a Rolex Award as one of the top salespeo ple in 1996. In 2000, the Healthcare Busi nesswomen’s Association honored her as a “ris ing star.” “Carol has demonstrated a remarkable track record in her career at Medical Economics, both as a highly decorated salesperson and as a very successful manager,” says Terrence W. Meacock, senior VP at MECG. As VP of marketing and brand manage ment, Ms. Clarke is responsible for key func tions, including circulation, research, and pro motion, as well as overall management of MECG’s brands. Ms. Clarke joined Montvale, N.J.based Medical Economics in 1993 as account man ager for Contemporary Pediatrics. She was pro moted to senior account manager in 1995 and became national sales manager for the three Talent pool 82 A p r i l 2 0 02 PharmaVOICE Agency POOL Jessica AGONERESSA Dr. Steven J. CALLY Tara DIMILIA Jamie KEITH KerriAnn MCLEES Dr. Nicholas A. SQUITTIERI Susan SUCHCICKI Lisa TAGLIARENI Catalyst Communications adds scientific and promotional talent Catalyst Communica tions Inc., an independent healthcare agency, has made several new account staff additions, including Nicholas A. Squittieri, M.D., and Steven J. Cally, Ph.D., both scientific directors. Dr. Squittieri joins Catalyst, South Plainfield, N.J., from Accel Health care Communications, where he also held the position of scientific director. Dr. Squittieri has more than eight years of pharmaceutical market ing experience working with several pharmaceuti cal clients. Dr. Cally has worked in different aspects of health communications for more than four years, providing counsel to clients such as Novartis, ScheringPlough, and Pharmacia. He also was with Integrated Commu nications Inc., where he served as associate medi cal director. Before enter ing healthcare communi cations, he performed biomedical research at the University of Penn sylvania. In addition, Catalyst also announced other key staff appointments. Tara DiMilia joins as associate project director from the healthcare public relations firm of Belsito & Co., where she was VP. Lisa Tagliareni joins Catalyst as senior project manager from Innovative Medical Edu cation, where she was a program manager. Jamie Keith joins as associate m a n a g e r , s p e a k e r s bureau. Ms. Keith was previously project/event coordinator at Advanced Communications & Edu cation. Susan Suchcicki joins as senior project coordinator from the Sawtooth Group, where she held the title of assis tant account executive. KerriAnn McLees joins the agency as senior pro ject coordinator from Novartis Pharmaceuti cals, where she was pro motional manager. Among key promo tions at the agency is Jes sica AgoneRessa, who has been named VP, copy supervisor. Ms. Agone Ressa, who joined Cata lyst in 1999, has more than 10 years of pharma ceutical marketing expe rience. Kathy ARNAUER Gail JOHNSON John D. KOHUTKA Kathleen MURPHY David RAUBE Neil WASSERSTEIN Ted Thomas Associates announces new executive positions Healthcare advertising agency Ted Thomas Associates, a Philadelphiabased division of Vox Medica, has made several new appoint ments. Neil Wasserstein has been named senior director of market research. Mr. Wasserstein has more than 27 years of market research experience and was previously with Arbor Inc., a market research firm. Mr. Wasserstein graduated magna cum laude with a B.S. in economics and marketing and has taken grad uatelevel courses in economics. Other appointments include David Raube as VP and associate creative director of art. Mr. Raube was formerly creative director at KF Dunn & Associates and has 18 years experi ence in businesstobusiness advertising, mar keting pharmaceutical brands, as well as con sumer products. Mr. Raube has worked on pharmaceutical brands such as Sandostatin, Cardiolite, Apligraf, and Stocrin. Mr. Raube has contributed to the winning of various awards during his career, such as six BMA Penny Awards and a Silver Award from the Art Directors’ Club in Philadelphia. Gail Johnson has been named VP and asso ciate creative director of copy. Ms. Johnson, formerly associate creative director of copy at The Hal Lewis Group, has more than 18 years experience in both international and domestic healthcare and pharmaceutical promotion and advertising. Ms. Johnson graduated from Lawrence University, magna cum laude and is a member of Phi Beta Kappa. Kathy Arnauer, who has been appointed as senior copywriter, was formerly a copywriter at Dorland Sweeney Jones. Kathleen Murphy is the agency’s new pro duction art director. Ms. Murphy was former ly a graphic designer at Domsky & Simon Advertising. John D. Kohutka has been appointed account supervisor. Mr. Kohutka was formerly a promotion manager at Merck & Co. Paul O’NEILL Integrated Communications selects agency veteran to oversee management and strategic development Integrated Communications, a Lowe Healthcare company, has appointed Paul O’Neill to the position of executive VP and director of client services. Mr. O’Neill is responsible for the management and strategic development of the agency’s clientservice function and assumes a lead role in identifying and developing new business opportunities. Mr. O’Neill joins Integrated, Parispanny, N.J, from Cline Davis & Mann, where he held the position of senior VP and managing direc tor, overseeing such brands for Novartis, Pfiz er and GlaxoSmithKline, Abbott, Bausch and Lomb, Merck, Procter & Gamble, and Wyeth Ayerst. He has broad category experience that complements the Integrated Communica tions’ current product assignments, including Alzheimer’s disease, antifungals, anti psychotics, hormone replacement therapy, and osteoporosis. Please send your personnel announcements to [email protected].

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