SynteractHCR, a full-service, international contract research organization (CRO), has appointed three new senior-level managers to strengthen its leadership team internationally. The new hires include James Cappola, MD, PhD, as medical director, U.S., Gary Urban as director of quality assurance and Barbara Falk as safety surveillance manager, EMEA.
James Cappola, MD, PhD, medical director, U.S., has spent more than 25 years in clinical development in increasingly responsible positions in pharmaceutical companies and CROs. Previous positions include working at the Harvard Clinical Research Institute, Cephalon, BASF Knoll Pharmaceutical, Medeva, Merck International and most recently, TransTech Pharma. Dr. Cappola earned his experience in medical affairs, clinical protocol development and all phases of clinical trials in various locations around the world. His extensive medical background and involvement in the global pharma community will complement SynteractHCR’s experienced leadership team.
New Director of Quality Assurance, Gary Urban, has nearly 20 years of experience working at CROs. He joins SynteractHCR from WCCT Global where he was executive director of corporate compliance and quality. Urban’s career has provided him with an expansive knowledge base of biomedical and clinical research operations. He has held senior management positions with global responsibility in quality assurance, clinical and corporate operations, and information technology. He will be based in SynteractHCR’s corporate headquarters in Southern California and will be responsible for managing daily operations to maintain global standards of quality assurance.
Barbara Falk is also an experienced member of the pharma community. She has spent more than 12 years of her career in drug safety and medical research for pharmaceutical companies and CROs. Her past experience working with large CROs includes Research Pharmaceutical Services (RPS) and PRA Health Sciences, where she was responsible for providing worldwide safety regulatory reporting requirements. Her years in the industry have provided an extensive background in drug safety and regulatory affairs, which will be an important asset for her new position as Manager, Safety Surveillance, EMEA. Falk will be based in Germany and will be working closely with the team in the U.S. to ensure that safety practices remain consistent across the organization.
“Our goal has been to expand our leadership team with internationally experienced managers who are experts in guiding clients through clinical trials,” said Wendel Barr, CEO. “We are confident that the experts we are adding will help us continue to provide harmonized, high quality service throughout the world.”
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About SynteractHCR (www.synteracthcr.com)
SynteractHCR is a full-service contract research organization with a successful two-decade track record supporting biotechnology, medical device and pharmaceutical companies in all phases of clinical development. SynteractHCR has conducted Phase I-IV studies on six continents and in more than 50 countries, offering expertise across multiple therapeutic areas, with notable depth in oncology, CNS, infectious disease, endocrinology, cardiovascular and respiratory, among other indications. With its “Shared Work – Shared Vision” philosophy and Intelligent Clinical Development platform (ICD+), SynteractHCR provides customized services collaboratively and cost effectively, ensuring on-time delivery of quality data so clients get to decision points faster.
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