News from Acurian, AbelsonTaylor, and Novartis – People on the move
Canada's Research-Based Pharmaceutical Companies (Rx&D) has appointed Philip Blake as chairman of the board for 2011-2012.
Blake, who is currently president and CEO of Bayer Inc., has previously served in the roles of first vice-chair and chair of the Atlantic committee, as well as being a member of the membership, the by-laws, the nominating and HR committees.
He said: "Canadians will continue to benefit from the research-based pharmaceutical industry's role as a leader in R&D and innovation as we search for life-saving treatments. We never forget that patients are at the heart of our drive for innovative medicines."
Healthcare advertising agency AbelsonTaylor has hired Fran Buckley, Cassandra Searls, and Kathy Kubacki.
Buckley, who will become medical proofreader for the firm, will be responsible for marketing and collateral materials for physicians, consumers and sales representatives. She joins the team from educational publisher Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
New clinical research associate (CRA) Searls joins the team fresh from Haverford College. She will ensure the accuracy of articles related to chronic pain therapy, high cholesterol treatment and the management of HIV and CHC.
And Kubacki, also a new CRA, will be responsible for products related to autoimmune disorders, osteoporosis, vein disease and pulmonary arterial hypertension. She joins AbelsonTaylor as a graduate of Northwestern University.
Novartis have drafted in Timothy Wright as global head of development.
Wright joined Novartis in 2004 and most recently served as senior vice president and global head of translational sciences at Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research (NIBR).
Before Novartis, he served as the leader of Pfizer’s exploratory therapy area for inflammation.
Acurian's clinical trial liaison (CTL) team has named Maria DeVito Brouch as its newest member.
Prior to joining the company, she was in a clinical leadership and program management role with Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Care Network.
In her new role she will help provide specialised, localised and personalised service for oncology trial patient enrolment.
Edwin Watson, senior director of oncology at Acurian, said: “Maria's diversified and extensive background in nursing and education makes her a solid fit for this team. We are delighted to have her with Acurian.”
Linda Chang has joined PharmAthene senior VP and chief financial officer.
In her new role Chang is responsible for accounting, finance, information technology, and investor relations functions.
Prior to joining the firm she enjoyed an 11 year career at Human Genome Sciences, where she was most recently senior director of finance.
Eric Richman, president and CEO of PharmAthene, said: “We expect to leverage her experience as we continue to position PharmAthene for future growth.”
