Slone Partners Lands Chief Medical Officer for Clinical Genomics
February 7, 2017 – Executive search firm Slone Partners has placed Dr. Michael Dugan as chief medical officer of Clinical Genomics. Dr. Dugan is a well known biotechnology leader with extensive clinical experience in both commercial and academic settings.
In his new role, Dr. Dugan will lead medical affairs and clinical trials, develop key opinion leader relationships, and build a scientific advisory board. In addition, he will serve as a member of the Clinical Genomics executive team responsible for establishing business and payer strategies.
With over 20 years of experience, Dr. Dugan is an acclaimed healthcare leader and clinical operations expert. Prior to joining Clinical Genomics, he served as president and chief executive officer of MCDXI Medical Diagnostics International where he worked with advanced biotechnology companies in oncology and other clinically related applications to bring novel diagnostic tests to market. Before that, he was the senior vice president of clinical development and medical affairs at Exact Sciences Corporation. He also served as medical director at Quest Diagnostics Nichols Institute, chief medical officer at bioTheranostics, VP and chief medical officer at Roche Molecular Systems, and VP of pathology services at Genzyme Genetics.
“Dr. Dugan’s unique background will further strengthen the leadership team we have in place,” said Dr. Lawrence LaPointe, the organization’s president and CEO. “He brings years of clinical, commercial and management experience that will contribute to the sustained growth of Clinical Genomics and to the development of clinically actionable, evidence-driven colorectal cancer recurrence monitoring tools.”
He also noted that the “ongoing strategic collaboration with Slone Partners was instrumental in securing Dr. Dugan’s placement and we look forward to a long-term continuing partnership,” with the search firm.
Clinical Genomics is a biotechnology company that develops innovative products for colorectal cancer diagnosis. With a broad intellectual property portfolio including more than 20 patents, the organization delivers products to improve early cancer detection.
Finding Genetics Leaders
Genetics, the study of genes, genetic variation, and heredity in living organisms, is generally considered a field of biology. But its intersection with the life sciences means that it has gone mainstream, thereby making it an important emerging area for executive recruiters looking to expand their specialization in the market. Career opportunities abound in the field, from chief medical officers and clinicians to highly paid researchers. But for top level recruiters, the main action takes place in the chief executive officer and board of directors suite. Here, the jobs pay seven figures and the fees created are some of the largest in the recruiting sector. Overseeing the business from the recruiting end are those with strategic skill sets who have a capacity to deliver ….. Here’s some further reading from Hunt Scanlon Media.
Slone Partners Appoints CEO
Executive search firm Slone Partners named Leslie Loveless as its new chief executive officer last summer. She succeeds founder Adam Slone. Ms. Loveless joined the firm Partners in 2007 and was promoted to chief operating officer in 2014.
Slone Partners is no stranger to finding leaders for the expanding genetics sector. Over the past several months, the firm has recruited Peter Maimonis Ph.D., as senior vice president and chief science officer of Metamark Genetics; a chief clinical laboratory officer for personalized medicine company Celmatix; a chief medical officer at commercial stage, molecular genetics diagnostic company Signal Genetics; a VP of managed care at medicine company Genomind; and the president of North America at cancer detection company Abcodia.
The firm is a nationally recognized senior level recruitment provider that specializes in delivering executive, management and leadership talent for the diagnostic, biopharmaceutical, healthcare information technology and laboratory testing industries. It has offices in Boston, New York, Washington, D.C., and San Francisco. Later this week, Slone Partners is being named to Hunt Scanlon Media‘s ‘Top 50 Healthcare & Life Sciences Search Firms’ ranking.
Chief Medical Officers
CMOs, like the one just recruited at Clinical Genomics, are typically cited as the senior government official designated head of medical services, sometimes at the national level. The post is held by a physician who serves to advise and lead a team of medical experts on matters of public health importance.
According to recruiters, the role of the chief medical officer has evolved in recent years, and organizations, as in this case, are looking for leaders with broader skill sets. “Today’s CMO needs to have professional experience gathered from different players in the drug development industry, since he or she needs to understand the objectives of the key players in the field,” said Marc Salzberg, CEO of Airway Therapeutics. “That is, academia / clinical practice, the pharma industry, regulatory authorities and third-party vendors such as contract research organizations in order to successfully cooperate with those partners.”
A number of executive search firms have placed CMOs in recent months:
Coulter Partners tapped Dr. Giles Campion as CMO of Albumedix. Managing partner Arnaldo De Lisio led the search. Dr. Campion brings with him more than 25 years of experience in drug development from both large pharma and biotech companies having worked in senior development positions in the U.S. as well as Europe. Previously, he was CMO at Prosensa Holdings.
Strawn Arnold & Associates placed R. Alberto Avendano M.D., to serve as CMO of Osiris Therapeutics, Inc. Dr. Avendano brings to Osiris expertise in medical education and communication, academic and industry clinical research, pharmacovigilance and regulatory affairs.
Quick Leonard Kieffer recruited Thomas Tracy Jr. MD as CMO at Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center in Hershey, PA. Managing partner Dr. Robert Kuramoto led the search. Dr. Tracy spent almost two decades with the Lifespan system and Brown University in Rhode Island.
Witt/Kieffer placed Ghassan Jamaleddine, MD, as CMO of Alameda Health System (AHS). The search was led by consultant Steve Yamada and associate Sue LeGrand. Dr. Jamaleddine came to AHS from New York City Health + Hospital/ Kings County Hospital in Brooklyn, New York.
Contributed by Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor, Hunt Scanlon Media
