Tag Archive for: Diagnostics and Research

Bob Wassman, MD, Recruited to become Chief Medical Officer for Lineagen

Former Chief Medical Officer Rosetta Genomics

Life Science Partner recruited Bob Wassman, MD, to become Chief Medical Officer of Lineagen to lead The Company’s clinical direction, product strategy, medical affairs, and global trials and registration process for Lineagen’s products and services.

Previously, as Chief Medical Officer for Rosetta Genomics, Wassman played a critical role in building the commercial, clinical and reimbursement strategy for the Rosetta’s microRNA-based platform technologies. He partnered closely with CEO Ken Berlin to evaluate new technologies to build out a fully personalized medicine resulting in the acquisition of PersonalizedDx.

Wassman joined Rosetta after leading the pharmagenomics services program at CVS Caremark, after, It’s acquisition of Generation Health, to improve precision therapy management and guide program development. Throughout his career Wassman has served in several key genomic leadership roles for cutting edge companies such as Good Start Genetics, Celula, Genzyme, and Prometheus.

“With a successful track record in building CLIA-based laboratory businesses combining scientific and clinical knowledge, Wassman will be a critical asset for Lineagen’s future growth and development,” stated Tom Callaway, MD, President and Founder of Life Science Partner.

Wassman earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology from Yale University and his MD from Albany Medical College.

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Dan Merz Joins St. Jude Medical as Director, Clinical Affairs

ATLANTA, Georgia – March 14 2013

Life Science Partner announces the recruitment of Dan Merz to become Director, Clinical Affairs for St. Jude Medical. Merz is an innovative engineer who has created teams and processes to improve the speed of clinical development and product approval in the US and Japan.

Merz’s leadership capabilities will serve him well in his new role as Director, Clinical Affairs at St. Jude Medical, where he will have the responsibility for clinical trial monitoring, budget and clinical trial agreement process, as well as the responsibility for directly leading the teams accountable for the clinical program activities for the Portico TVH valve studies.

In his most recent role, Merz served as Director, Clinical and Regulatory Affairs for American Medical Systems (AMS) where he led the organizational redesign of AMS clinical research executive teams to align with Endo Pharmaceuticals. Since the realignment of the clinical organizations, Merz launched 292 patient randomized trials in Europe with 30 sites involving 11 nations.

“Merz is an articulate leader who has motivated teams to overcome regulatory hurdles and as to provide new tools for physicians to treat their patients,” noted Tom Callaway, MD, founder of Life Science Partner. “He has successfully built and led clinical organizations to move an innovative technology to the market.”

Merz earned his Bachelor of Science Degree in Biomedical Engineering at Northwestern University.

Recruiting Transformational Leaders

Life Science Partner is a specialized executive search firm that recruits transformational leaders for healthcare and life sciences companies. Our high-touch, partner-led process ensures an exceptional level of service, while our backgrounds as physicians and industry executives enable us to efficiently deliver the brightest candidates in the medical device, biopharmaceuticals, diagnostics, and healthcare technology fields.

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Robert Galemmo joins the Southern Research Institute as Senior Medicinal Chemist

Life Science Partner recruits former Senior Scientist at Elan Pharmaceuticals

 Life Science Partner announces the recruitment of Robert Galemmo, PhD, to the Southern Research Institute in Birmingham, Alabama.

Southern Research Institute is an independent, not-for-profit center for scientific research  organization with a focus on the discovery and advancement of new, small-molecule therapeutics from the design stage to the clinic, Southern Research Institute’s Drug Discovery Research Division has accomplished innovative research in the areas of cancer, infectious disease and neuroscience.

At Elan Pharmaceuticals, Galemmo oversaw the leadership of two chemistry efforts in the discovery of highly selective CNS penetrant kinase inhibitors for Parkinson’s disease.  Previously, he served as Senior Director and Head of Chemistry at Neuromed Pharmaceuticals, a Vancouver-based biotechnology company focused on calcium ion channel inhibitors.

“Galemmo is a talented medicinal chemist and experienced manager of diverse scientific teams,” noted Tom Callaway, MD, founder and president of Life Science Partner.  “His broad therapeutic area experience will serve the Institute well, as it builds upon its considerable success in drug discovery.”

Galemmo earned his Bachelor of Science Degree and PhD in Organic Chemistry from Ohio State University.

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Mark Suto joins the Southern Research Institute as Vice President of Drug Discovery

Life Science Partner recruits former Vice President, Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences at Icagen, Inc.

Life Science Partner announces the recruitment of Mark Suto, PhD, an experienced scientist and drug discovery executive, to the Southern Research Institute in Birmingham, Alabama.

Southern Research Institute.  With a focus on the discovery and advancement of new, small-molecule therapeutics from the design stage to the clinic, Southern Research’s Drug Discovery Research Division has accomplished innovative research in the areas of cancer, infectious disease and neuroscience.

Suto was previously Vice President at Icagen, a biopharmaceutical company focused on the novel small molecule drugs that target ion channels in diverse therapeutic areas. He was responsible for leading discovery and development chemistry activities, including medicinal, bioanalytical and computational chemistry for the company.  Previously, he served as Executive Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer at Neurion Pharmaceuticals.

“Suto is a passionate and articulate individual, with an impressive background in drug discovery,” noted Tom Callaway, MD, founder and president of Life Science Partner.  “He will bring infectious enthusiasm along with 28 years of large pharmaceutical and biotechnology experience to the team at Southern Research.”

Suto earned his Bachelor of Science Degree and PhD in Medicinal Chemistry from the State University of New York at Buffalo.

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Mark Adler Joins Medtronic Diabetes as Director, Research and Development, Sensors Engineering

Life Science Partner recruits former Vice President of Manufacturing and Manufacturing Engineering at GluMetrics

Life Science Partner announces the recruitment of Mark Adler to become Director, Research and Development, Sensors Engineering for Medtronic Diabetes.

Medtronic Diabetes is the world leader in insulin pump therapy and continuous glucose monitoring.

In his most recent role at GluMetrics, Adler was responsible for building the intensive care unit glucose sensor product portfolio for the emerging medical device company.  He has a broad background in breakthrough device development in many different platforms – including coating vascular stents at Devax and creating a new sensor platform at DexCom as Senior Director of Manufacturing Operations and Engineering.  This new role is somewhat of a homecoming, as he was previously the Director of Advanced Engineering at Medtronic AVE.

Mark Adler

In his new role at Medtronic Diabetes, Adler will be responsible for determining and executing the overall strategic technology plan for the sensors development organization, as they help build the next-generation sensors and cutting edge continuous glucose monitoring solutions.

“Adler is a passionate, highly motivated engineering executive with an impressive background in sensor development for the diabetes market” noted Tom Callaway, MD, founder and president of Life Science Partner.  “He has broad management experience across all functions of a medical device organization and will bring leadership and quality execution to Medtronic Diabetes’ portfolio of continuous glucose monitoring solutions.”

Adler received his Bachelor of Technology Degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Rochester Institute of Technology and his Masters in Business Administration from Argosy University, Seattle.

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Neil Schauer, PhD joins Hospira as Senior Director, Biologics Process Development

Life Science Partner recruits former Director of DSP Research and Development at Millipore Corp

Life Science Partner announces the recruitment of Neil Schauer, PhD, a seasoned biopharmaceutical development leader and scientist, to become Senior Director, Biologics Development for Hospira’s biosimilars division.

Hospira is a global specialty pharmaceutical and medication delivery company that develops, manufactures and markets products that help improve the safety, effectiveness and costs of patient care.

In his most recent role at Millipore Corp, Schauer was responsible for scientific and managerial leadership of a large research and development organization with four functional areas focusing on DSP Research.  Prior to his tenure at Millipore Corp, Schauer served as the Director of Cambridge Manufacturing Sciences at Biogen Idec.  In his new role at Hospira, he will have overall responsibility for providing strategic and technical leadership to a large staff of pharmaceutical scientists responsible for the development of Drug Substance and Drug Product manufacturing for Hospira’s biosimilar products.

“Schauer is a versatile leader and scientist with a solid background in managing large teams in the identification and development of disruptive new technologies” noted Tom Callaway, MD, Founder and President of Life Science Partner.  “With his global knowledge and reach, he will serve Hospira well in its mission to become a global leader in providing biosimilar versions of the world’s most critical biological drugs.”

Schauer earned a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry and Biology and his PhD in Anaerobic Microbiology from the Virginia Polytechnic Institute, Blacksburg.

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Bill Frey joins Georgia Pacific as Vice President, Business Development, Disruptive Technologies

Life Science Partner recruits former President and Chief Executive Officer of Qteros

Life Science Partner announces the recruitment of William  (Bill) Frey, PhD, most recently President and Chief Executive Officer for Qteros, to Georgia Pacific to lead a new business development initiative on disruptive technologies across the company. 

In this role, Frey will be responsible for key areas of investment, such as the use of biotechnology in processing of wood products, materials sciences to create new products, and process engineering to reduce water and energy utilization for a more sustainable business enterprise.

Frey is well qualified to develop this initiative at Georgia Pacific from his leadership at Qteros, a cellulosic ethanol technology company dedicated to accelerating the global commercialization of renewable biofuels.

Previously, Frey served as Global Business Director at DuPont Biofuels where he led global business activities and commercialization of Advanced Biofuels and New Cellulosic Process technologies for the company, resulting in the formation of DuPont Biofuels.   Frey has a significant track record for championing innovation during his 28 years at DuPont, including the creation of new biotechnology-based businesses.

“Frey brings his broad experience and successful insights in identifying and executing transformative opportunities in biofuels and sustainable chemicals and materials to the company,” noted Tom Callaway, President of Life Science Partner.  “His unique blend of developing strategic partners from both sides – large company to small and small company to large – will serve him well in his new role.”

Frey earned his Bachelor of Science Degree in Chemistry from King’s College in Wilkes-Barre, PA.  He received a PhD in Organic Chemical with an Enzymology and Biochemistry focus from Pennsylvania State University.  He completed his Postdoctoral Fellowship at Harvard Medical School.

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Seema Kumbhat, MD, joins Hospira as Medical Director, Device Development – Clinical Decision Support

Life Science Partner recruits former Vice President, Medical Affairs at McKesson Provider Technologies

Life Science Partner announces the recruitment of Seema Kumbhat, MD to Hospira to become Medical Director, Device Development – Clinical Decision Support.

Hospira is a $5 B global specialty pharmaceutical and medication delivery company based in Lake Forest, Illinois.   In this new role, she will be responsible for the customer-relations and the clinical-insights into Hospira’s increasingly sophisticated drug delivery systems.

Kumbhat comes well prepared for the role, as she has led clinical teams and customer relationships in the leading healthcare IT companies.  As Vice President of Medical Affairs at McKesson Provider Technologies, Kumbhat served as the key clinical liaison across large healthcare systems and physician practices for the company.

Earlier, Kumbhat served as Enterprise Clinical Manager and Physician Consultant for GE Healthcare IT Solutions where she managed a team of content experts in software configuration for specific clinical specifications.  She joined industry directly from her surgical residency program to help EPI Systems develop their surgery, anesthesia and enterprise medical record systems.

“Kumbhat is articulate and passionate about making healthcare IT solutions that serve the physicians and hospital-based caregivers with efficiency and real-world solutions,” noted Tom Callaway, MD, President of Life Science Partner.  “Her broad background as a physician liaison and her direct experience in the field of product development and customer support will be a great asset to the Medical Device team at Hospira”

Kumbhat earned her Bachelor of Science Degree (Magna cum Laude) from the University of Miami and her Medical Degree with Research Distinction in Surgery at the University of Miami School of Medicine.

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Life Science Partner Recruits Mark Brecher as Chief Medical Officer for the Laboratory Corporation of America

Former Professor and Vice-Chair of the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Director of McLendon Clinical Laboratories Joins LabCorp.

Life Science Partner announces the recruitment of Mark Brecher, MD, formerly Director of McLendon Clinical Laboratories at the University of North Carolina Hospitals, to the Laboratory Corporation of America (LabCorp).

LabCorp is one of the world’s largest clinical laboratory networks with scientific expertise in esoteric testing, genomics, and clinical and anatomic pathology.  LabCorp performs more than one million tests on approximately 400,000 samples each day.  LabCorp is a pioneer in the commercialization of new diagnostic technologies, with more than 35 years of experience in serving physicians and their patients. Brecher will fill the role of retiring Chief Medical Officer, Myla Lai-Goldman.

Brecher has been with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill since 1992 where he most recently served as Professor and Vice-Chair of the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Chair of the McLendon Clinical Laboratories, Director of Clinical Pathology and the past Director of Transplantation and Transfusion Services.

In his new role at LabCorp, Brecher will have primary responsibility to oversee the clinical pathologists and laboratory technicians, lead quality for the organization, and provide insight into new technologies and services that will make LabCorp the continued leader in the clinical diagnostic arena.

“Brecher is a demonstrated leader in academic medicine – and in providing leadership to physician-led organizations,” noted Tom Callaway, President of Life Science Partner.    “While he has a national reputation in transfusion medicine, but he has built a solid program at Chapel Hill of outreach to physicians seeking esoteric testing services.”

Brecher was awarded his Bachelor of Science Degree in Chemistry at Emory University and his Medical Degree from the Pritzker School of Medicine at the University of Chicago.   He completed a Surgical Residency, as well as Clinical and Anatomic Pathology Residencies, at the University of Chicago School of Medicine where he served at Chief Resident.

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Steve Walsh joins Carticept Medical as Vice President of Research and Development

Life Science Partner recruits biomaterials expert to lead synthetic cartilage product development

Life Science Partner announces the recruitment of Steve Walsh, PhD, a senior biomaterials technology and development expert, to Carticept Medical to become Vice President, Research and Development for the company. 

Carticept Medical is an Atlanta-based medical device company developing novel therapies designed to address the shortcomings of current conservative and surgical treatment options for patients with osteoarthritis or cartilage injuries.

In his previous role at Cyrolife, another Atlanta-based biotechnology company, Walsh was responsible for leading Biomaterials Technologies and Product Development for the company’s implantable biological devices, surgical adhesives and biomaterials for use in cardiac, vascular, general and reconstructive surgery.

Before his tenure at Cyrolife, Walsh served as Manager of the Implantable Device Development Engineering Group at BioControl Technology in Indiana, PA.   In his new role at Carticept, Walsh will have key responsibility for managing R&D efforts for the company’s synthetic cartilage products and the pipeline portfolio of novel therapeutic solutions.

“Walsh is a talented biomaterials scientist with a deep intellect and passion for his work,” noted Tom Callaway, MD, founder and president of Life Science Partner.  “His deep knowledge base and broad development and process abilities will greatly benefit the important clinical and commercial efforts at Carticept.”

Walsh earned his Bachelor of Science in Plastics Engineering at the University of Lowell in Lowell Massachusetts and his Masters and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in Macromolecular Science at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio.

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