Insights

Worldwide Clinical Trials, Inc. (Worldwide), an award-winning, full-service CRO, today announced that Nikola Strumberger, MD, has joined the company as its first Vice President, Therapeutic Area Strategy Leads. The role was created to extend Worldwide’s ability to deliver uncommon value to emerging to midsize biopharmaceutical and pharmaceutical organizations seeking to avoid the trap of large CRO consolidation and commoditization.

As Vice President, Business Development, Therapeutic Area Strategy Leads, for Worldwide, Dr. Strumberger will leverage his broad global experience to lead the company’s therapeutic strategy experts to deliver strategies and solutions for clinical trials, ranging from small, complex studies to large, multi-service, multi-region studies – tailoring Worldwide’s services to the specific needs and challenges of each customer.

Dr. Strumberger, a general practitioner by trade, brings more than a decade of experience in global clinical research – from Phase I through Phase IV – to the role, with an emphasis on leveraging emerging European markets to rescue trial recruitment. He began his career as a CRA and moved on to regional leadership for Novo Nordisk. After founding a CRO in Eastern Europe, he joined Optimapharm, covering early phase research in Australia and last serving as Vice President, Business Development, for this fast-growing CRO.

“Nikola’s global insight into the drug development lifecycle and clinical trial operational delivery will be a great resource for our emerging to midsize bio pharma and pharma customers,” said Peter Benton, president and COO, Worldwide Clinical Trials. “He joins the uncommon team of professionals at Worldwide working hard to deliver what large, consolidating CROs cannot: speed, quality, exacting compliance standards, in-depth therapeutic specialization and outstanding customer service.”

Regarding his new role, Dr. Strumberger said, “No CRO is better positioned than Worldwide to deliver the exceptional responsiveness, flexibility and operational excellence emerging pharma organizations demand. I’m excited to join this highly adaptable, service-oriented, entrepreneurial team and capitalize on the demand we are seeing in this growing market.”

Dr. Strumberger is Worldwide’s latest high-profile hire in recent months, as the company continues to invest in expanding business development and operational resources. Earlier this month, Sara Davis joined as Senior Vice President, Business Development, U.S., and Chris Hill joined as Senior Vice President, International Business Development. Other recent additions to the Therapeutic Strategy teams include: C. Meghann Howland, as Vice President, Therapeutic Area Lead – Immune Mediated Inflammatory Diseases; Carla M. Lema Tome PhD, MBA, as Therapeutic Strategy Lead – Central Nervous System; Francis Jones, PhD as Therapeutic Strategy Lead – Immune-Mediated Inflammatory Diseases; and Heather Medlin, as Therapeutic Strategy Lead – Cardiovascular and Metabolic Diseases.