Talent Pool By Ann Grey Pharma Pool Dave Lemus Sigma-Tau Pharmaceuticals Names CEO Sigma-Tau Pharmaceuticals Inc. has promoted Dave Lemus to the newly created position of CEO. Mr. Lemus had served as chief operating officer of the company since March 2012 and he joined the company as VP of finance in July 2011. Sigma-Tau Pharmaceuticals Inc. is a U.S. based, wholly owned subsidiary of the Sigma-Tau Group and is dedicated to the global development and commercialization of medicines for patients with rare diseases. Biotechnology Pool Dr. Spyros Artavanis-Tsakonas Biogen Idec Appoints Chief Scientific Officer Biogen Idec has appointed Spyros Artavanis-Tsakonas, Ph.D., chief scientific officer (CSO). Dr. Artavanis-Tsakonas had served as interim CSO while on sabbatical from Harvard Medical School. He now continues in this role in a permanent capacity and also leads the company’s research strategy, capabilities, and discovery platforms. Dr. Artavanis-Tsakonas continues to serve as a professor of cell biology at Harvard Medical School, where he was the founding director of the developmental and regenerative biology graduate program. Dr. Artavanis-Tsakonas obtained his M.Sc. in chemistry from the Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich, and a Ph.D. in molecular biology from the University of Cambridge, England. Dr. Artavanis-Tsakonas is the scientific co-founder of Exelixis Pharmaceuticals, Cellzome, a GSK company, and Anadys Pharmaceuticals. Dr. David Liu Protagonist Names Chief Scientific Officer Protagonist Therapeutics has appointed David Liu, Ph.D., chief scientific officer. Protagonist is a biotechnology company pursuing the discovery and development of disulfide-rich peptides (DRPs) as well-differentiated alternatives to biologics. A 26-year veteran of the biotechnology industry, Dr. Liu was most recently chief operating officer and co-founder of Trenovus, as well as a strategic advisor to several other biotechnology companies. Dr. Liu received his Ph.D. in microbiology and immunology from Michigan State University. Dr. Keith Nolop Kite Pharma Appoints Medical Officer Kite Pharma, a clinical stage biotechnology company focused on developing engineered autologous T cell therapy products for cancer, has appointed Keith Nolop, M.D. as chief medical officer. Dr. Nolop, who brings to Kite more than 20 years of drug development experience at both biotechnology and global pharmaceutical companies, was previously senior VP of development and chief medical officer at Plexxikon, a member of the Daiichi Sankyo Group. Dr. Nolop received his M.D. with honors from Vanderbilt University, where he completed his residency and fellowship. John Reynders Moderna Names Chief Information Officer Moderna Therapeutics, a company developing messenger RNA therapeutics to enable the in vivo production of therapeutic proteins, has named John Reynders its first chief information officer. Mr. Reynders joins Moderna from AstraZeneca, where he served as VP of R&D information, and he has held senior leadership positions over the past decade at Johnson & Johnson, Lilly, and Celera Genomics. Biopharma Pool Dr. Bruce Goldsmith Lycera Appoints Chief Business Officer Lycera Corp., a biopharmaceutical company pioneering the development of breakthrough oral medicines to treat autoimmune diseases, has appointed Bruce Goldsmith, Ph.D., as chief business officer. In this new position, Dr. Goldsmith works as part of the executive team to implement the company’s corporate strategy and leads the company’s business development efforts. Dr. Goldsmith has more than 15 years of experience in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. Most recently, he served as senior VP, corporate development, at Allos Therapeutics. Dr. Goldsmith holds an MBA from Columbia Business School and a Ph.D. in neuroscience from the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Patrick Griffin Synergy Appoints Chief Medical Officer Synergy Pharmaceuticals, a developer of new drugs to treat gastrointestinal disorders and diseases, has appointed Patrick Griffin, M.D., chief medical officer. Dr. Griffin is responsible for guiding Synergy’s clinical programs, particularly the plecanatide Phase III program on chronic idiopathic constipation (CIC) and the ongoing Phase IIb trial of plecanatide in irritable bowel syndrome with constipation (IBS-C). Dr. Griffin is a board-certified physician in both internal medicine and gastroenterology, and he is a fellow of the American College of Physicians. He received his medical degree from Columbia University, completing a residency in internal medicine at Presbyterian Hospital and a fellowship in gastroenterology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. He has held positions of increasing responsibility, first at Forest Laboratories, and subsequently at Sanofi-Aventis. Dr. Scot Harper Endocyte Appoints Clinical Operations VP Endocyte, a biopharmaceutical company developing targeted small molecule drug conjugates (and companion imaging diagnostics for personalized therapy in cancer and other serious diseases, has appointed Scot L. Harper, Ph.D., VP of clinical operations. Dr. Harper is responsible for all operational aspects of advancing Endocyte’s clinical pipeline, including continued enrollment in the Phase III PROCEED and Phase IIb TARGET trials for vintafolide and etarfolatide, and the three new drug candidates scheduled to enter the clinic before the end of 2014. Dr. Harper brings more than 25 years of clinical operations experience to his position at Endocyte. He joins the company from Parexel, where he was the global portfolio director for oncology. Dr. Harper holds a doctorate in cardiovascular physiology from Indiana University School of Medicine, a master’s degree in physiology from Indiana University School of Medicine, and a master’s degree in business from the University of South Alabama. Dr. Mani Mohindru Curis Appoints Investor Relations VP Curis, an oncology-focused company seeking to develop next generation targeted drug candidates for cancer treatment, has appointed Mani Mohindru, Ph.D., as VP of corporate strategy and investor relations. In this role, Dr. Mohindru leverages her expertise and experience to support the development and execution of corporate strategy and provide key leadership roles in product strategy, corporate development, investor relations and corporate communications. Prior to joining Curis, Dr. Mohindru spent several years as a Wall Street equity research analyst covering the biotechnology sector. She received her Ph.D. in neurosciences from Northwestern University, as well as a M.S. in biotechnology from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India. Specialty Pool Steve Davis Dr. Barry Quart Robert Rosen A.P. Pharma Appoints New Management Team A.P. Pharma, a specialty pharmaceutical company, has appointed Steve Davis executive VP and chief operating officer. Mr. Davis was most recently executive VP and chief operating officer at Ardea Biosciences. Barry Quart, Pharm.D., has joined the company as CEO. Dr. Quart was most recently president and CEO of Ardea Biosciences. He received his Pharm.D. from the University of California, San Francisco. Robert Rosen has joined A.P. Pharma as senior VP and chief commercial officer. Mr. Rosen served as global head of oncology at Bayer HealthCare, where he was responsible for the development of the global oncology business unit for regions that included the Americas, Europe, Japan, and Asia Pacific from 2005 to 2011. Emerging Pool Dr. David Apelian Dr. Milind Deshpande Kevin Kucharski Achillion Makes Several Appointments Achillion Pharmaceuticals has appointed David Apelian, M.D., Ph.D., to the position of executive VP and chief medical officer. Dr. Apelian assumes responsibility for the clinical development of Achillion’s portfolio of compounds to treat HCV. Most recently, Dr. Apelian served as senior VP of research and development and chief medical officer at GlobeImmune, where he was responsible for clinical development, regulatory affairs, clinical immunology, development of companion diagnostics, as well as target discovery and preclinical research. He completed his residency training in pediatrics at New York Hospital, Cornell Medical Center. He received his M.D. from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, and his Ph.D. in biochemistry. He also holds an MBA from Quinnipiac University. The company has appointed president of research and development and chief scientific officer, Milind Deshpande, Ph.D., to the role of president and CEO and to the board of directors. He is replacing president and CEO Michael Kishbauch, who is retiring. Dr. Desphande joined Achillion in September 2001 as VP of chemistry, and he was named president of research and development in 2011. Additionally, Achillion has expanded its clinical operations group. Kevin Kucharski, formerly head of clinical operations at Pharmasset, recently joined the company and serves as senior VP of clinical operations. Dr. Dorothy Bray Cannabis Science Appoints Development Expert Cannabis Science has named Dorothy Bray, Ph.D., CEO and director. Dr. Bray served as head of scientific business development of The Medical Research Council Clinical Trials Unit in the UK. She also held various positions of responsibility at GlaxoSmithKline and holds an honorary senior lecturer position at the Royal Free School of Medicine, University of London, and acts as the European Commission’s scientific expert. Cannabis Science is conducting cannabinoid-based therapeutic research and development to address neglected pandemic oncological manifestations of pandemic infectious diseases. Charles McDermott Kala Pharmaceuticals Appoints Business Development VP Kala Pharmaceuticals, a developer of products that rapidly and effectively penetrate the mucosal barrier to enable effective local treatment of serious diseases, has appointed ophthalmic industry veteran Charles McDermott as executive VP of business development. Mr. McDermott is responsible for leading and executing the company’s business development strategy for Kala’s Mucosal Penetrating Product (MPP) technology platform as it continues toward first-in-human clinical studies. Mr. McDermott recently served as VP of business development, eye care, and drug delivery at Allergan. He earned his MBA at the University of San Diego, a master’s degree in molecular, cellular and developmental biology at the University of California at Santa Barbara and his bachelor of science in biochemistry and molecular biology from the University of California, Santa Cruz. Agency Pool T.J. Cimfel Christopher DeProfio Eleanor Flores Wolfgang (Wolf) Gallwitz Colin Gildea Kevin Hess Dr. David Kaminsky Dr. James McGuire Denis O’Keefe Jeffery Pazen Simriti (Simi) Ranajee Sarah Russe Elizabeth (Liz) Russell Anna Schmidt Alexandra Stojiljkovic Keith Ulrich Kelley Wright Discovery Chicago Makes Promotions and Welcomes New Employees Discovery Chicago, a high-science marketing and communications agency, has made several new promotions and additions to its staff. T.J. Cimfel has been promoted to the role of VP, creative director. In this expanded role, he oversees the entire Discovery Chicago creative department, managing the overall operations and output of branding, content and design and continues to provide creative leadership for key accounts. Christopher DeProfio has joined Discovery Chicago team as a VP, account director. In this role, he assumes responsibility for leading client account teams, ensuring the delivery of cohesive and innovative strategic medical communication/ professional plans through flawless program execution. Eleanor Flores has joined as an account executive. In this role, she is responsible for leading the development of many aspects of medical communications programming, as well as contributing to budget development, maintenance and reconciliation, managing external suppliers, and providing ongoing updates to internal team and client contacts. Wolfgang (Wolf) Gallwitz has joined the Discovery Chicago team as senior VP, chief scientific officer. In this role, Mr. Gallwitz is responsible for the review, development and quality of all scientific content, demonstrating an in-depth understanding of all assigned therapeutic areas within the company. Most recently, he served as VP, account director for GSW Worldwide. Colin Gildea has been promoted to director of interactive technologies. In this new role, he is responsible for leading the development and production of agency digital work (websites, mobile applications, and software applications), and in helping clients use interactive solutions to meet their strategic needs. Kevin Hess has been promoted to senior account executive. In this role, he is responsible for budget development, maintenance and reconciliation, managing external suppliers, keeping programs on time and focused on primary objectives, providing ongoing updates to internal team members and client contacts, and resource management. David Kaminsky, Ph.D., has joined Discovery Chicago team as a scientific director. In this role, he collaborates with the VP, group account services team and background product and/or therapeutic category research. He manages associate scientific directors and medical writers and is responsible for their training, mentoring, and development. James McGuire, Ph.D., has been promoted to senior VP, executive creative director for the Discovery brand. In this senior management role, he oversees creative strategy across the entire agency’s client roster and leads a team of creative directors, copywriters, art directors, designers, and production and editorial specialists to deliver innovative, results-driven creative solutions for all Discovery clients. Denis O’Keefe has joined as group creative director. In this role, he manages and provides direction on key agency accounts in the area of branding, content, and design. Jeffery Pazen has been promoted to senior VP, digital strategist. In this role, he is responsible for creating, developing, and leading digital strategies to deliver creative e-health solutions across multiple clients’ brands within Discovery Chicago and Discovery as a global brand. Simriti (Simi) Ranajee has joined Discovery Chicago as senior VP, account director. Ms. Ranajee is responsible for assisting the growth of advocacy and other business offerings to gain new client accounts and developing new business opportunities in support of Discovery Chicago’s revenue goals. She brings more than 25 years of progressive experience in marketing, business development, management direct sales, and channel sales to Discovery Chicago. Ms. Ranajee comes from Abbott, where she served in both an advocacy and global commercial marketing role in companion diagnostics. Sarah Russe has been promoted to the role of VP, advocacy strategy. In this role, she is responsible for leading client account teams, ensuring delivery of cohesive and innovative strategic medical communication/professional planning through flawless programming execution. Anna Schmidt has joined as a senior account executive. In this role, she is responsible for managing all aspects of medical communications projects, as well as for budget development, maintenance and reconciliation, managing external suppliers, keeping programs on time and focused on primary objectives, providing ongoing updates to internal team members and client contact(s), and resource management. Keith Ulrich has been promoted to editorial director after having served as editorial department manager for two years. In this role, he leads quality control efforts in the development of all agency-produced print, web, and interactive materials. Kelley Wright, Alexandra Stojiljkovic, and Elizabeth (Liz) Russell have each been promoted to account directors. They each are responsible for overseeing all aspects of account management teams. Falon Ferraro Shaun Webster Fingerpaint Adds Two Employees Falon Ferraro has joined Fingerpaint’s account service team after stints at Massachusetts-based Ward Hill Marketing and Mansfield Sales Partners, where she managed accounts in the technical, information security and telecom indu tries. Before her career in marketing, Ferraro was an editorial assistant for Thomson Delmar Learning/Cengage Learning. Shaun Webster joins Fingerpaint’s interactive team from Web Valve where, as owner, he led website, custom application and mobile development for a full spectrum of clients across multiple industries. Before founding Web Valve, Webster was lead developer at Burst Marketing, where he managed front- and back-end development, as well as intranet, CRM and POS systems. Fingerpaint is a strategic and creative advertising agency. Amy Graham Ogilvy CommonHealth Worldwide Recruits Executive VP Amy Graham has been hired as executive VP, director of client services at Ogilvy CommonHealth Specialty Marketing, the network’s full-service professional advertising and promotion company. Ms. Graham is responsible for developing and maintaining the group’s ongoing client activities, relationships, and services. Most recently, Ms. Graham served as executive VP, management director at GSW. Alex Humes Allison Kind AbelsonTaylor Appoints Executives Alex Humes has been appointed senior account executive at AbelsonTaylor, an independent advertising agency. In this new position, he directs all digital and promotional tactics for a pain management product, helping to extend the brand and expand new target audiences. Mr. Humes joins AbelsonTaylor from CAHG Worldwide Healthcare Communication. Allison Kind has been promoted to the position of account executive. Since joining AbelsonTaylor in 2011, she has worked in the areas of gastroenterology, chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), and hepatitis C. She has an MA in public communication from American University. CRO Pool Alecia Barbee Lisa Bull Dr. Manuela Niewel Chiltern Makes Appointments Chiltern International, a global contract research organization, has promoted Alecia Barbee to the position of VP, global biometrics. In this role, Ms. Barbee has global oversight of data management, data programming, biostatistics, and e-clinical functions. She joined Chiltern in 2006. Before her promotion, Ms. Barbee was responsible for oversight of all biometrics activities in the U.S. Lisa Bull has been appointed director of strategic partnerships in the business development function and joins Chiltern with more than 20 years experience. Dr. Manuela Niewel has been appointed medical director to serve as therapeutic expert in the oncology area in the medical department. She is a medical oncologist with more than 20 years experience in clinical research in oncology and other major therapeutic areas. Dr. Niewel holds a diploma in pharmaceutical medicine and is a member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the American Association of Clinical Research, the European Society of Medical Oncology and the German Society of Cancer. Connie Wierman Theorem Appoints New VP Connie Wierman, an executive with more than 25 years of biopharmaceutical experience, has been named VP of biopharmaceutical development for Theorem Clinical Research, a midsized provider of comprehensive clinical research and development services. She leads the company’s oncology therapeutic focus for the biopharmaceutical business unit. Ms. Wierman held a number of executive posts at leading industry firms before joining Theorem, including VP of clinical development in oncology for INC Research. She was also responsible for developing and leading a team of medical science liaisons in 12 territories across the U.S. for ILEX (now Sanofi-Aventis) to support the research and educational goals for oncology agents under development and those recently launched. Ms. Wierman received an MBA in marketing from the University of Wisconsin. Service Pool Stephane Bancel Flagship Ventures Names Partner Flagship Ventures, a leading venture capital and venture creation firm, has appointed Stephane Bancel as a senior sartner. In this role, Mr. Bancel provides strategic counsel and support to portfolio companies. Mr. Bancel also serves as president and CEO of Moderna Therapeutics, a Flagship VentureLabs-founded company. Moderna is developing messenger RNA therapeutics, an entirely new in vivo drug modality that produces human proteins or antibodies inside patient’s cells. Before joining Flagship, Mr. Bancel served as CEO of bioMerieux, a leader in the diagnostics industry. Martin Coulter PatientsLikeMe Names CEO PatientsLikeMe, a patient network that improves lives and maintains a real-time research platform that advances medicine, has appointed Martin Coulter to the position of CEO. He was previously executive VP and general manager of The Advisory Board Company, where he served a range of hospital and healthcare system clients. Mr. Coulter holds an MBA from Harvard University. He also holds a master of science degree in banking from University College, Dublin and a bachelor of arts degree in economics from Trinity College, Dublin. Danielle DeForge Sydney Rubin inVentiv Health Adds to Communications Staff inVentiv Health, a provider of clinical, commercial, and consulting services to the healthcare industry, has appointed Danielle DeForge as director of corporate communications. Ms. DeForge’s communications experience, forged at Chandler Chicco Companies, spans the health and wellness spectrum. inVentiv Health has also appointed Sydney Rubin as chief communications officer. Ms. Rubin oversees corporate reputation, internal communications, media relations, and public affairs. Ms. Rubin has managed public relations programs for a broad range of corporate and institutional clients in the pharmaceutical and healthcare, consumer products, technology and financial services sectors. She moves up to inVentiv Health’s corporate team from Chandler Chicco Companies, part of inVentiv Health, where she provided senior counsel in corporate reputation, content development, crisis communications, executive training and public affairs. Dr. Kari Edwards Dr. Anne Peters Precision Health Economics Expands Leadership Team Kari Edwards, Ph.D., has joined Precision Health Economics (PHE) as VP of research and business strategy after nine years at Amgen including, most recently, serving as national strategic lead for the oncology medical science liaison team. Previously, Dr. Edwards was a management consultant specializing in healthcare market analysis and communications. Dr. Edwards received a master’s degree from Yale and obtained her Ph.D. from the University of Michigan. Anne Peters, M.D., has joined PHE as a senior clinical consultant. She is a professor at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California and director of the USC Health Care System’s clinical diabetes programs. She is a principal investigator on the UCLA-USC Center for Population Health and Health Disparities’ Family and Neighborhood Interventions to Reduce Heart Disease Risk in East LA project. Her unwavering commitment and benchmark work resulted in her selection for the National Minority Quality Forum’s 2010 Bernardo Houssay Award. Technology Pool Steven Wilhite Medidata Solutions Appoints Chief Marketing Officer Medidata Solutions has appointed Steven Wilhite, chief marketing officer and executive VP. He is responsible for all global marketing activities for the company. Medidata is a global provider of cloud-based clinical development solutions. Before joining Medidata, Mr. Wilhite held senior marketing and executive leadership roles at a number of premier global brands, including Apple, Volkswagen, Nissan, and Hyundai. He also served as CEO of Jumpstart Automotive Group. He has an MBA in marketing and accounting from the University of California, Berkeley.
