{ Executive Leadership }
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Chris Rucker President Chris Rucker brings a broad range of high-level experience in pharmaceutical and device development research to his role as president. His responsibilities at DaVita Clinical Research (DCR) include leading strategic development involving more than 300 physicians, academic, and commercial partners. Mr. Rucker’s past positions include vice president of strategy and enterprise development, worldwide director of business process management, and director of global information technology for Rhodia Pharma Solutions, a global specialty chemicals company. He was also director of operations for Oread, Inc., a contract services organization offering drug development and manufacturing services to the pharmaceutical industry. Mr. Rucker received his BS in chemistry from Georgia State University.
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Mahesh Krishnan, MD, MPH, FASN Dr. Mahesh Krishnan’s invaluable industry knowledge includes the well-documented areas of internal medicine, epidemiology, nephrology, public health, the business of healthcare, health economics, and health policy. Prior to joining DCR, Dr. Krishnan held posts as the executive director of medical policy and global health economics and as the executive director of medical affairs at Amgen, Inc. He was also founder and managing partner of the Clinical Consulting and Research Center in Fairfax, Virginia. Widely published on a broad range of topics, Dr. Krishnan is on the editorial board of Nephrology News and Issues and is a member of the board of the Amgen Foundation. He received his MD from Thomas Jefferson University and a master’s in public health from Johns Hopkins University. He is currently pursuing an MBA in medical services management from the Carey School of Business.
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Harry Alcorn, Jr., PharmD As chief scientific officer at DaVita Clinical Research, Dr. Alcorn is responsible for clinical research operations, including management of the Early Clinical Research (Phase I-IIb) unit. Dr. Alcorn also designed and created the U.S. Renal Network, the first network of Phase I renal research sites in the U.S. He developed DCR’s site management organization (SMO) for clinical trials; today, DCR’s clinical network comprises over 120 physicians at over 180 sites. Prior to joining DaVita Clinical Research, Dr. Alcorn was director of clinical programs for GalaGen, Inc., and vice president of clinical programs/marketing at In Home Health, Inc. Dr. Alcorn is a clinical assistant professor at Virginia Commonwealth University School of Pharmacy and is on the adjunct clinical faculty at the University of Colorado, the University of Minnesota, Creighton University, and the University of Nebraska Medical Center. He received his undergraduate degree in pharmacy from Creighton University and his PharmD from the University of Nebraska Medical Center.
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Allen R. Nissenson, MD, FACP Chief Medical Officer Prior to joining DaVita Clinical Research, Dr. Nissenson was professor emeritus of medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, where he also served as associate dean and director of the dialysis program. A past president of the National Anemia Action Council (NAAC) and chair of the Southern California ESRD Network, Dr. Nissenson also consulted for the Rand Corporation and Pacificare on the development of capitation models for ESRD and served on the Dialysis Outcomes Quality Initiative of the National Kidney Foundation. He is the author of two dialysis textbooks, both in their fourth editions, and was the founding editor-in-chief of Advances in Renal Replacement Therapy. Among his honors are the President's Award of the National Kidney Foundation and the Lifetime Achievement Award in Hemodialysis, presented by the University of Missouri. Dr. Nissenson received his MD from the Feinberg School of Medicine of Northwestern University.
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Suzanne K. Swan, MD A triple-board certified physician, clinical professor in the College of Pharmacy at the University of Minnesota, co-editor of the American Journal of Kidney Diseases, and a well-known and widely published expert on renal topics, Dr. Swan holds the position of medical director at DaVita Clinical Research. Following her internship and residency, Dr. Swan received a Nephrology Fellowship at Oregon Health Sciences University, as well as research fellowships from the National Kidney Foundation and a clinical pharmacology fellowship from Indiana University Medical Center. Her major research interests include drug-dosing and prescribing in patients with renal failure and the pharmacokinetics of new pharmacologic agents in patients with impaired renal function. Dr. Swan received her medical degree from Northeast Ohio University College of Medicine.
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Amy Young Amy Young has been a vital part of DaVita Clinical Research for the past 10 years. While completing her degree, Ms. Young worked as a patient care associate and orientation facilitator. After receiving her BA degree in biology with a minor in chemistry, cum laude, from Augsburg College, she remained with DaVita Clinical Research, holding posts with increasing responsibilities as patient care technician, research associate, study coordinator, and project manager. Ms. Young took over as the Clinical Development (Phase IIb-IV) and nationwide Clinical Network manager in 2005 and was named director in 2007. She is certified by the Association of Clinical Research Professionals and is a member of the Tri-Beta National Biology Honor Society.
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Tracy Mayne, PhD Senior Director, Health Economics and Informatics Prior to joining DaVita Clinical Research (DCR), Dr. Mayne led various product teams in the health economics department for Amgen, where he was responsible for patient-reported and economic outcomes portions for drugs in various stages of development, among other duties. Dr. Mayne previously held posts as the outcomes research senior manager at Pfizer Pharmaceuticals and as the director of HIV epidemiology and surveillance for the New York City Department of Health. He was additionally an adjunct associate professor of psychology at New York University and Columbia University. After receiving a BA in psychology, magna cum laude, from the University of Buffalo, Dr. Mayne earned his PhD in clinical health psychology at Rutgers University. He interned at St. Peter’s Hospital in New Jersey, did his residency at the University of California, and completed a two-year fellowship studying co-factors of disease progression in France. He is the author or co-author of dozens of peer-reviewed publications, books, chapters, and presentations in the field of health economics.
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Beth Bennett A skilled manager with decades of experience in pharmaceutical research and clinical development, Ms. Bennett leads and manages the extensive DCR research portfolio. Prior to joining DCR, Ms. Bennett held posts as the senior director of business operations at Nektar Therapeutics, Inc., the director of regulatory affairs and director of clinical development at Inhibitex, Inc., and the site director and general manager of Oread, Inc., among other positions. A widely published author and co-author of articles and abstracts in numerous technical journals and a contributor to a number of books, Ms. Bennett has also made dozens of presentations and holds or has applied for more than a score of patents during her career. Ms. Bennett earned her BS in zoology from the University of Georgia at Athens.
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Amy Burdan Amy Burdan, a skilled and respected technical communicator, coordinates the development and publishing of numerous regulatory and scientific documents among other duties at DaVita Clinical Research. Prior to joining DCR as director of Medical Communication, Ms. Burdan was the manager of medical writing for AtheroGenics, Inc., and also held positions as senior medical writer for Inhibitex, Novartis Ophthalmics, and Eli Lilly. She was the manager of medical communications for Kos Pharmaceuticals among other career assignments. Ms. Burdan is a member of the American Medical Writers Association and the International Society for Medical Publication Professionals. She received a MS in technical and professional communication from the Florida Institute of Technology and a regulatory affairs certificate from the University of Georgia.
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Sharon Parker Director, Business Development
As director of business development, Sharon Parker develops productive collaborations and partnerships with pharmaceutical, biotechnology, virtual, and consumer healthcare companies. Prior to joining DaVita Clinical Research, Ms. Parker was regional director of business development for AAIPharma, Inc., with responsibilities for major pharmaceutical clients in the Central and Midwestern U.S. Ms. Parker held numerous other positions at AAIPharma, including associate manager in the project management group, client management supervisor, and customer service coordinator. Ms. Parker studied early childhood development at Cape Fear Community College and business administration at Mount Olive College. She continues to take a variety of courses and seminars in business development. |
