Pfizer, the world’s largest pharmaceutical manufacturer, hired former Al Gore adviser Gregory Simon as head of global policy starting June 1. Simon worked for Gore in the Senate and as the Vice President’s chief domestic adviser from 1993 to 1997. More recently, Simon joined the Obama Administration’s transition team for the Food and Drug Administration and National Institutes of Health. He runs FasterCures, a Washington-based nonprofit formed under the auspices of the Milken Institute, that works to speed drugs to market.

Novartis has appointed Jonathan Symonds Deputy Chief Financial Officer. He will join the Swiss drugmaker on September 1 after leaving his post as a Goldman Sachs Group investment banker. Symonds will report to Novartis CFO Raymund Breu until his retirement early next year. Symonds had previously worked eight years as CFO at AstraZeneca.

Follica, a developer of treatments for hair follicle and skin disorders, has appointed William D. Ju, MD, President and Chief Executive Officer. He succeeds Daphne Zohar, founding CEO of the Boston-based company. A board-certified dermatologist, Dr. Ju previously served as Chief Operating Officer at PTC Therapeutics. Prior to that, he was Vice President of Research and Development at Pharmacia and held executive positions in product development at Merck.

At Carbon, a CommonHealth professional advertising and promotion agency based in Parsippany, NJ, Mike Brune and Anne Squadrito have been promoted. Brune, a 13-year veteran of CommonHealth, assumes the position of Senior Vice President and Creative Director, Copy. With his new title comes responsibility for supervising his creative teams to ensure the quality of all copy. Squadrito, a vice president, takes on the role of Group Creative Director. In addition to managing creative teams, she will focus on new business.

Cadient Interactive, a Cadient Group company specializing in digital campaigns, tools, and services, has appointed Beth Hartzell Associate Creative Director. She will coordinate a team of art directors, designers, and production artists. Prior to joining Cadient, Hartzell was the art director at Digitas Health, where she designed interactive marketing pieces for pharmaceutical and healthcare companies.

MicroMass Communications, a Cary, NC-based marketing agency, has recruited two new hires from Rockett Burkhead & Winslow in Raleigh. Dean Logan, a repeat ADDY Award winner, comes on as Creative Director. His 18 years’ experience includes integrated campaigns, database-driven marketing, and multi-channel marketing. Logan is to oversee creative development and campaign management on all accounts. MicroMass’s new Network Systems Administrator, Paul Boehling, brings more than two decades of IT experience to the job. Boehling assumes responsibility for network infrastructure, network administration, and new IT projects. Both Logan and Boehling previously held similar positions at RBW.

Physicians Interactive, based in Libertyville, IL, has appointed President Lee Shapiro of Allscripts to its Board of Directors. The e-marketing agency has also promoted one of its co-founders, Devin Paullin, to EVP of Business Development and Product Innovation. Paullin is a co-developer of the e-detailing process and product.

Vox Medica announced the hiring of Grace Mandybur and Ed Keer. Mandybur joins the Philadelphia-based healthcare communications company as Director of Creative Solutions from her most recent position at GSW Worldwide. She previously earned three Rx Awards for Excellence and the J&J James Burke Award. Another addition to Vox’s creative team is Ed Keer, a linguistics PhD and former academic, as Senior Copywriter. His most recent post was at Dorland Worldwide.

Gullapalli & Associates, a Jersey City, NJ-based healthcare consulting firm, has introduced a first-of-its-kind service called Patient Centered CME, with Dora Ochsenbein joining the company as Manager of Educational Planning and responsible for developing and managing programs offered through the new service. She formerly served as director of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Phoenix, AZ, and as finance coordinator for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

A multimedia developer has joined the staff of Lanmark Group, a B-to-B advertising, marketing, and PR agency in Eatontown, NJ. In his new role, Edwin Decena will develop, test, and implement interactive media projects, including Websites, Web-hosted applications, videos, and multi-media presentations for all Lanmark clients. Previously, as the owner of his own studio, The Pure Productions, Decena specialized in short-run productions such as commercials, industrial videos, documentaries, and promotional videos.

Annals of Internal Medicine, the journal of the Philadelphia-based American College of Physicians, has appointed Christine Laine, MD, MPH, FACP, as the youngest Editor in the publication’s 82-year history. Laine, a Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine at Jefferson Medical College, where she continues to teach and see patients, will succeed Harold C. Sox, MD, MACP, upon his retirement in July. She was formerly Vice President and Senior Deputy Editor at Annals. “I want to publish practice-defining studies and cutting-edge commentary on current issues, while continuing to improve the number and quality of practical, summative articles that have immediate clinical relevance," said Laine. “I also plan to devote a great deal of energy to developing innovative electronic delivery of Annals content to our readers."
—Olympia Kyriakides

Have a question or a comment, send it to us here: Comments