BIOTECH POOL Kelly BLACKBURN aTyr Pharma Expands Leadership Team aTyr Pharma has expanded its executive leadership team. Kelly Blackburn joins aTyr as VP, clinical affairs. Ms. Blackburn was formerly VP, clinical development operations, at Vertex Pharmaceuticals, where she was responsible for the operational plans and strategy for the full product portfolio, including Kalydeco and Incivek. She received her MHA from Quinnipiac College and M.Ed. from Cambridge College. aTyr Pharma develops autoimmune and rare disease products based on physiocrine biology. Dr. Joseph BOLEN Biotech Industry Veteran Joins Moderna Therapeutics Moderna Therapeutics, which is developing messenger RNA therapeutics, has named Joseph Bolen, Ph.D., as its president of research and development. He was previously the chief scientific officer and global head of oncology research at Millennium: The Takeda Oncology Company and had served in senior leadership positions at Millennium since 1999. Dr. Bolen oversees all aspects of R&D at Moderna, including discovery research, preclinical and clinical development, and clinical operations. His team drives the discovery and development of compounds to support research partnerships and internal efforts in rare diseases and oncology. Dr. Bolen earned a Ph.D. in immunology from the University of Nebraska and conducted his postdoctoral training in molecular virology at the Kansas State University Cancer Center. Dr. Krishna POLU Debanjan RAY CytomX Makes Executive Appointments CytomX Therapeutics, a biotech company developing a new generation of targeted antibody therapeutics, has appointed Krishna Polu, M.D., to the newly created position of chief medical officer. In this role, Dr. Polu oversees preclinical and clinical development of the company’s diversified pipeline of empowered antibodies. Before joining CytomX, Dr. Polu served as VP, clinical development, at Affymax. He received his M.D. from the University of Texas. CytomX also has promoted Debanjan Ray to the role of VP, business development and alliance management. He joined the company in 2011 as senior director, head of business development. Mr. Ray holds an MBA from the Wharton School University of Pennsylvania. BIOPHARM POOL Dr. Jeffrey JONAS Dr. Stephen KANES Sage Therapeutics Appoints CEO and CMO Sage Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical company developing novel medicines to treat central nervous system (CNS) diseases, has named Jeffrey Jonas, M.D., CEO. Dr. Jonas succeeds Kevin Starr, who has served as interim CEO since the company’s founding. Dr. Jonas was most recently president of regenerative medicine at Shire. He brings more than 20 years of scientific and business leadership in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. Sage also announced the appointment of Stephen Kanes, M.D., Ph.D., to chief medical officer. With broad CNS product experience in both acute care such as anesthesia and chronic indications such as migraine, osteoarthritis pain and schizophrenia, Dr. Kanes’ focus is on the clinical development of the company’s pipeline. He is a former practicing psychiatrist and previously served as the executive director/therapeutic area clinical director for the inflammation, neuroscience and respiratory GMED division of AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals. Dr. Jon WIGGINTON MacroGenics Appoints Clinical Development VP MacroGenics has appointed Jon Wigginton, M.D., as senior VP, clinical development. Dr. Wigginton most recently held dual leadership roles at Bristol-Myers Squibb in clinical development and discovery research of its oncology programs. During his academic career, he held several positions at the National Cancer Institute Center for Cancer Research (NCI-CCR), including head of investigational biologics section, pediatric oncology branch. Dr. Wigginton received his M.D. from the University of Michigan. EMERGING POOL Dr. Chad BEYER Promentis Pharmaceuticals Appoints President and CEO Promentis Pharmaceuticals, a private, emerging pharmaceutical company focused on developing a therapeutic platform for neuropsychiatric disorders, has selected Chad Beyer, Ph.D., as president and CEO. With almost 20 years experience, Dr. Beyer’s career encompasses research, discovery, and the business development of medications intended for CNS and neurological disorders. For more than a decade, Dr. Beyer worked in the discovery neuroscience group at Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, where he held multiple positions of increasing responsibility, including head of neurochemistry. Dr. Beyer earned his Ph.D. in pharmacology from Louisiana State University Medical Center and an MBA from the Rutgers School of Business. CRO POOL Dawn ANDERSON Dr. Martin BIRKHOFER inVentiv Health Clinical Expands Team inVentiv Health Clinical, a global supplier of drug development services, has appointed Dawn Anderson president, Phase II-IV development. With more than 20 years in the clinical field across various management positions, she most recently served as Cognizant’s global head of clinical operations and transformation. Her experience includes leadership roles across clinical development and operations, portfolio and program management, and process optimization at pharmaceutical and biotech companies, start-ups, and CROs. Martin Birkhofer, M.D., assumes the newly created position of chief medical officer. Dr. Birkhofer, a medical oncologist by training, oversees strategic investment in areas that expand upon inVentiv Health Clinical’s capabilities. A 19-year veteran of Bristol-Myers Squibb, Dr. Birkhofer most recently served as VP, business development, leading global search, evaluation, and diligence for worldwide business development. He led the development team responsible for the U.S. registration, launch, and life cycle management of Erbitux in colorectal cancer, as well as head and neck tumors. David HERRON BioClinica Appoints Head of Imaging Core Lab BioClinica, a global provider of clinical trial management services, has appointed David Herron to the position of executive VP and president of the company’s Imaging Core Lab division. Mr. Herron is responsible for the global strategic planning and operations of BioClinica’s medical imaging management solutions, which include software and services for the electronic transfer, management, and independent review of medical images for clinical trials. Before joining BioClinica, Mr. Herron served as an executive in residence with DW Healthcare Partners. Dr. David JOHNSTON PPD Names Veteran Leader to Direct Global Laboratory Services Pharmaceutical Product Development (PPD), a global contract research organization providing drug discovery, development, lifecycle management and laboratory services, has appointed David Johnston, Ph.D., as executive VP of global laboratory services. Dr. Johnston directs PPD’s laboratory services, including bioanalytical, vaccines and biologics, cGMP, and central laboratories. A biopharmaceutical industry veteran, Dr. Johnston joins PPD from LabCorp, where he served most recently as senior VP and global head of the clinical trials business. He earned a doctorate in microbiology and immunology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Dr. Richard KOENIG Rho Hires VP of Operations Rho, a privately held contract research organization, has named Richard Koenig as VP of operations. He brings close to 30 years of operations management and clinical development experience and was most recently VP, operations, for ClinStar. In this position with Rho, Mr. Koenig leads a growing team of research professionals, including principal investigators, clinical research associates, data managers, biostatisticians, statistical programmers, project and program managers, and others. ASSOCIATION POOL Barbara Lopez KUNZ DIA Names Global Chief Executive The Drug Information Association has named Barbara Lopez Kunz global chief executive. Ms. Kunz was president of the global health and life-sciences business at Battelle, an international science and technology nonprofit organization. A leader on numerous corporate and nonprofit boards, she has presided over the board of The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. DIA is a global, professional, and member-driven association of nearly 18,000 professionals. AGENCY POOL Kim COSENZA Mike HAWKINS Dudnyk Announces Two Key Promotions Dudnyk, a full-service healthcare advertising agency that supports biotech, biopharma, and medical device companies, has made two key promotions. Kim Cosenza has been promoted to senior account executive and Mike Hawkins has been promoted to art supervisor. Ms. Cosenza’s promotion recognizes her work with agency clients. As art supervisor, Mr. Hawkins oversees art directors. He originally joined Dudnyk as a designer, and has taken on increasing responsibility with each promotion. Todd FORTE Amanda LOVE Coyne PR Expands its Pharmaceutical Expertise Coyne Public Relations, a full-service public relations agency, has appointed healthcare communications veterans Todd Forte and Amanda Love. Mr. Forte, who has been appointed VP, joins Coyne PR with more than 20 years of senior-level experience. Ms. Love, who has been appointed account supervisor, brings her knowledge and expertise in global pharmaceutical practices, regulatory environments, and programming to Coyne PR. She spent three years as a global healthcare communications professional at Fleishman-Hillard. Diane MONTROSS MMG Names New VP, Outreach Services to Leadership Team MMG, a full-service global health communications company specializing in clinical trial patient recruitment and retention, has promoted Senior Director Diane Montross VP, outreach services. Ms. Montross brings to the role more than 15 years of experience in the pharmaceutical/biotech industries and has implemented hundreds of recruitment outreach campaigns in support of clinical studies. TECHNOLOGY POOL Betty MICHELSON IMS Health-Appature Names Sales Executive IMS Health-Appature, a provider of SaaS platforms for life-sciences marketers, has appointed 25-year pharma industry veteran Betty Michelson to the role of sales solution executive. Ms. Michelson will be a key member of IMS Health-Appature’s business development team. Before joining IMS Health-Appature, Ms. Michelson served as VP, business development, for Informed Medical Communications. Donna ThomaS NxLevel names VP NXLevel Solutions has named Donna Thomas as VP of client development. Ms. Thomas, who was most recently the president of Axiom Professional Health Learning, is responsible for introducing the company products and services to life-sciences clients. Ms. Thomas has more than 25 years of experience and has primarily been focused on training and development management and client development. NXLevel Solutions develops learning solutions and products for the life-sciences industry. BIOTECH POOL Lewis (Lew) BARRETT Synthetic Biologics Appoints VP, Commercial Strategy Synthetic Biologics, a developer of biologics focused on the prevention and treatment of serious infectious diseases, has appointed Lewis (Lew) Barrett as its senior VP, commercial strategy. Mr. Barrett, former assistant VP, established products at Pfizer, brings his expertise in the development, commercialization and launch of infectious disease product candidates to the Synthetic Biologics’ team. Mr. Barrett earned an MBA from Temple University. SPECIALTY POOL Barry LABINGER Emergent BioSolutions Appoints Executive VP Emergent BioSolutions, a specialty pharmaceutical company, has named Barry Labinger executive VP of the company and president of the biosciences division, reporting directly to President Daniel Abdun-Nabi. Mr. Labinger is responsible for the strategic direction and management of the company’s biosciences division, including the development, manufacturing, and commercialization of biosciences product candidates; the advancement of partnering initiatives around Emergent’s biosciences programs and platform technologies MVAtor (modified vaccinia ankara) and Adaptir (modular protein technology); and the integration of future product acquisitions into the division. Mr. Labinger served as executive VP and chief commercial officer at Human Genome Sciences from 2005 to 2012. He received his MBA in marketing, finance, and management policy from Northwestern University. CRO POOL Dr. Alan COPA Novum names VP to Lead Clinical Expansion Alan Copa, Pharm.D., has joined the leadership team of Novum Pharmaceutical Research Services as VP. Novum is a contract research organization that provides Phase I through IV clinical research, data management, statistical, and reporting services. Before joining Novum, Dr. Copa was the chief scientific officer of Pracs Institute. In his 20-year tenure at the company, he served in numerous clinical and operational lead roles and was principal investigator presiding over 1,000 projects spanning early-phase, dermatology, pharmacokinetic, and other study disciplines. Dr. Copa received a doctor of pharmacy degree from the College of Pharmacy, University of Minnesota. Cheryle EVANS Advanced Clinical Names VP, Clinical Operations Advanced Clinical, a provider of clinical research solutions, has appointed Cheryle Evans, VP, clinical operations. Ms. Evans is responsible for strategic planning and tactile operations in project management, clinical monitoring, site activation, and document management. Before joining Advanced, Ms. Evans served as VP, clinical operations for North America with a top CRO. Ms. Evans is a registered nurse and has been in the clinical research industry for more than 25 years. AGENCY POOL Brian CONWAY Sean HARTIGAN Jordan LICHAY Lauret MALETSKY Adrienne PALMIERI-JOHNSTON Stacey SCHWARTZ Gail SEREY Ogilvy CommonHealth Promotes and Hires Ogilvy CommonHealth Worldwide, the health behavior group of Ogilvy & Mather, has made several promotions and new hires. Ogilvy CommonHealth Medical Marketing has promoted Brian Conway, who has tenured with OCHWW for more than seven years, from the position of account group supervisor to that of VP, account group supervisor. Mr. Conway is overseeing a multidisciplinary team delivering multichannel healthcare communications. Sean Hartigan joins Ogilvy CommonHealth Worldwide as a senior VP, digital multichannel strategist for Ogilvy CommonHealth’s Digital/RM service group. In this new role, Mr. Hartigan leads the analytics team to establish key performance indicators and establish a measurement plan for all solutions in order to report successes to clients. Before coming to Ogilvy CommonHealth, Mr. Hartigan worked as a liaison ensuring cross-agency integration for two pharmaceutical agencies, D&R Communications and Group DCA. Jordan Lichay has moved from account coordinator to assistant account executive in the company’s medical marketing service group. Ms. Lichay, with the organization since 2010, is responsible for collaborating with pharmaceutical clients to develop targeted strategies intended to result in seamless tactical executions of brand plans and product launches. Ogilvy CommonHealth Worldwide welcomes Lauret Maletsky to Ogilvy CommonHealth Wellness Marketing as a senior VP, management supervisor. Ms. Maletsky is the account lead responsible for oversight, coordination, and management of consumer promotions for a women’s healthcare product franchise. Most recently, Ms. Maletsky was a senior VP, group account supervisor at Grey Healthcare Group, a healthcare advertising company. Adrienne Palmieri-Johnston has advanced from VP, management supervisor to senior VP, management supervisor within Ogilvy CommonHealth Worldwide’s Medical Marketing group. Ms. Palmieri-Johnston has been with the company for three years and is managing multiple health brand teams. Stacey Schwartz, an OCHWW employee for nearly five years, has been promoted from senior project manager to associate director, project management within the digital center. Her new responsibilities include planning project specifications, budgets, objectives and designs, as well as analyzing the requirements of resources during all project phases. Gail Serey comes to Ogilvy CommonHealth Medical Education as a VP, group account director. In this position, Ms. Se ey is responsible for leading her team, providing strategic and account management services to clients, along with overseeing and managing medical education programs. Before joining OCHWW, she was employed as VP, client services at Health and Wellness Partners, a promotional medical education company. John DUFF Marie FITZSIMMONS Howard KANTER Rick KELLY Laura KLEIN Heather MAHER Kristen SERAPHINE Emil VERNAREC Natrel Communications Adds to Staff Natrel Communications, a healthcare advertising agency that serves pharmaceutical companies and brands, has made a number of new appointments. John Duff has been named group art supervisor. He has been in the pharmaceutical advertising industry for more than 30 years. Before working at Natrel Communications, he served as VP, group art supervisor, at Harrison and Star and Bozell Global Healthcare. Marie Fitzsimmons has been promoted to account executive from assistant account executive. She is a three-year Natrel Communications employee. Howard Kanter has been appointed account group supervisor. He has spent more than 20 years building his skills as an account director and group account supervisor at agencies such as ICC and BIG Communications. Rick Kelly has been named VP, account group supervisor. A registered pharmacist, he returns to Natrel after his tenure as VP and account management supervisor in payer marketing at Ogilvy CommonHealth Worldwide. Laura Klein has been named senior editor. A board-certified editor in the life sciences, she has more than 15 years of experience as a medical writer and editor. Before joining Natrel Communications, she worked at Strategic Healthcare Alliance and Advogent. Heather Maher has been appointed copywriter. She joins Natrel from Beacon Healthcare Communications, where she wrote and edited copy for print and digital projects. Kristen Seraphine has been name account executive. She is a 15-year veteran in the pharmaceutical advertising industry and comes to Natrel Communications from Fougera Pharmaceuticals, where she was a business development associate. Emil Vernarec has been named senior copywriter. He previously was articles editor at RN Magazine and copy supervisor at Torre Lazur Healthcare Group. SERVICE POOL Dan CORCORAN Within3 Names VP Within3, a provider of digital collaboration for healthcare and life-sciences institutions, has named Dan Corcoran as VP of client success. In this new position, he will lead the team that seamlessly integrates Within3’s technology solutions into client operations, ensuring meaningful, measurable results are delivered. With a career spanning more than 25 years of client relationship management, operations, and various leadership roles, Mr. Corcoran brings considerable experience to his new position. Geeta DEVGAN CircleScience Appoints VP Geeta Devgan has been named VP, medical and scientific services, at CircleScience, a division of KnowledgePoint360 Group, a provider of healthcare information and communications. In this new role, Ms. Devgan leads the medical and scientific services team based in the New York office, providing strategic support to CircleScience’s major clients. Her medical education career included roles at two New York agencies before joining KnowledgePoint360 in 2010. Ms. Devgan’s scientific training includes a doctorate in molecular, cellular, and developmental biology from Yale University and a post-doctoral fellowship at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC). Jeff PRIMOVIC FFF Enterprises Names Senior VP, Strategic Relationships FFF Enterprises, a distributor of plasma products, vaccines, and critical-care biopharmaceuticals, has appointed Jeff Primovic to the position of senior VP, strategic relationships. With more than 20 years of executive-level experience in the healthcare industry, Mr. Primovic was director of strategic accounts at Octapharma, where he created the strategic accounts initiative, an integrated delivery system designed to drive sales of the company’s IVIG product TECHNOLOGY POOL Tony CLICK Clinverse Appoints Chief Technology Officer Clinverse, a global technology and eclinical commerce network for clinical trials, has named Tony Click as chief technology officer. He is responsible for all technical and architectural aspects of Clinverse’s software and eclinical commerce network. He brings more than 20 years of experience developing customer software solutions across many industries including finance, insurance, publishing, telecom, construction and utilities. Before joining Clinverse, Mr. Click provided outsourced CTO services for early-stage startups and served as the VP of enterprise architecture at Merkle, a database analytics company. He received an MBA from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business. James (Jim) CORRIGAN ERT Expands Executive Management Team ERT, a leading global solution provider, has appointed James (Jim) Corrigan as the company’s executive VP and chief operating officer. He is responsible for overseeing, developing, and setting the strategic direction for the day-to-day operations of ERT to deliver accurate, cost-effective and convenient support systems for the collection of timely, regulatory-compliant patient endpoint data. He joins ERT from General Electric (GE) where he spent more than 25 years in senior management roles leading broad functional teams to significant growth. Michael O’BRIEN AMC Health Names Head of Newly Formed Clinical Trials Division AMC Health, a provider of end-to-end telehealth solutions, has appointed Michael O’Brien as president of its clinical trials division, signaling the company’s commitment to expand telemonitoring into broader areas of healthcare. Mr. O’Brien has 30 years of broad-based C-suite experience in the life-sciences and information technology industries. Before joining AMC Health, Mr. O’Brien was the president and CEO of Beardsworth, a contract research organization.
