Caldwell Recruits CEO for Dr.Evidence

January 23, 2023 – Jim Bethmann and John Blank of Toronto-based Caldwell has placed Rose Higgins as the new chief executive officer of Dr.Evidence, a medical intelligence platform for life sciences companies. She will take over from co-founder and CEO Bob Battista. Mr. Battista has led the company since its founding in 2004 and will remain on the board of directors.
“Rose possesses the requisite leadership, strategic, and operational skills we were looking for in a new CEO to drive growth and continued development of the Dr.Evidence platform,” said Joseph Boystak, chairman of Dr.Evidence. “She has a wealth of experience in successfully scaling and positioning companies for strategic growth combined with a deep healthcare IT and clinical background.”
“This background will ensure we capitalize on the continued exponential growth of healthcare-related data sources and the unmet market need for more evidence-based insights, empirical metrics and precise solutions to drive decision-making and resource allocation, all enabled by AI-based technology,” said Mr. Boystak. “I look forward to Rose taking the helm and having a significant impact for the company’s clients, partners, and shareholders.”
Ms. Higgins was most recently CEO of HealthMyne, a pioneering radiomics company whose IP and technology assets were acquired by Genentech (a Roche company) in 2022. She began her career in nursing at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, followed by advancing roles in clinical and care management. Transitioning to leadership in healthcare IT organizations, Ms. Higgins took on executive roles with increasing responsibility in organizations including McKesson Corporation and SCIO Health Analytics (acquired by EXL Service Holdings) over a successful 20-year period.
Pivotal Moment
“I am joining Dr.Evidence at a pivotal moment, with the company uniquely positioned to meet the pressing demand in life sciences for AI-based technology to accelerate research and development, meet regulatory requirements, and effectively reach healthcare providers as we expand the global ecosystem of the clients and partners we serve,” said Ms. Higgins. “My immediate focus will be further understanding client needs, product-market fit, and how we create valued-added solutions for our clients using the Dr.Evidence platform. I look forward to working with this incredibly talented and dedicated team in addressing these critical market challenges and client demands.”
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Headquartered in Santa Monica, CA, Dr.Evidence has over 18 years of experience working as a trusted partner to life sciences organizations, including the majority of the top 20 pharma companies. The company says it was founded on the belief that robust, reliable evidence and insights can lead to game-changing health outcomes.
Mr. Bethmann is managing partner of Caldwell’s technology practice. He has 30-plus years of hands-on leadership experience – include 23 years in leadership consulting, executive search, compensation analysis, and organizational assessment. Mr. Bethmann is an industry specialist in the broader technology verticals of software, services, hardware and systems, telecom services and networks, to include SaaS, PaaS, CCaaS, UcaaS, as well as managed IT services, cybersecurity, outsourcing, and broader cloud services. He also serves the spectrum of the defense industry vertical with experience in the three-letter agencies, DOD, civilian agencies and healthcare IT.
Mr. Bethmann focuses on all leadership consulting services across the board and C-suite in the above industry segments as well as in the CIO, CISO, CDO, and CTO functions globally. He has placed over 100 presidents and CEOs in the past 20-plus years and consulted with over 400 clients.
Mr. Blank, who is co-leader of Caldwell’s life sciences and healthcare practice, has more than 20 years of executive search experience. He specializes in recruiting board directors, CEOs, and senior executives for private equity-backed high-growth healthcare, healthcare technology, managed care, and provider service portfolio companies. His experience includes board and C-level cross-border recruitment for global private equity firms and their portfolio companies, pre-IPO, and spin-off companies.
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Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; and Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media