NCLifeSci Life Sciences Luncheon and Forum - Contract Research and Development

Christopher Crean, chief executive officer, Xyzagen

Crean began his career in the pharmaceutical industry in 1995 in toxicology at MPI Research, now Charles River. He has worked for large pharma, small biotechs and midsize pharma across diverse therapeutic areas before going back to the CRO business as a consultant in 2013. Crean is also a biotech entrepreneur having developed and then sold azetukalner to Xenon Pharmaceuticals in 2017. In his current role as founder and CEO of Xyzagen, a boutique CRO and pharmacokinetics consultancy, he advises clients on nonclinical and clinical pharmacology development strategies and analyzes pharmacokinetic data for phase 1, 2 and 3 clinical trials. He has been involved in over 50 IND submissions and five drug approvals. Crean received his bachelor’s degree from Michigan State University and his masters in clinical research from Campbell University.                                       

Gerry Klein, M.D., principal, MedSurgPI

Dr. Klein began his career in industry by serving as a PI conducting numerous clinical trials in diverse therapeutic areas. He then founded the San Diego Clinical Research Association (SDCRA) and served as its chief executive officer and chief medical officer. The SDCRA was acquired by Quintiles (IQVIA), and Klein served as a senior vice president and worked in both global drug development and medical affairs. He also founded Pathway Diagnostic, Klein Medical News Service, Entera Health and MedSurgPI. Additionally, he serves as an adjunct professor in the Department of Pharmacology at East Carolina University's Brody School of Medicine. Klein has been and is currently a member of the board of directors of a few biotech companies. He received his bachelor's degree from the University of Florida and his M.D. from Vrije Universiteit Brussel.

Jamie Lazar, principal safety committee specialist, PPD clinical research business of Thermo Fisher Scientific 

Lazar began her career in the clinical research industry in 2008 serving as a data monitoring committee (DMC) coordinator with government-funded infectious diseases studies. With the commitment to continuing her professional growth and to the success of PPD, she moved into the industry side of DMC coordination working with large pharma and biopharma companies in a variety of therapeutic areas. In 2018, Lazar made the move to a lead role for the opportunity to further her experience in committee management and has since served as principal coordinator for a variety of different committees with the central goal of patient safety.                                  

Rich Shea, president and chief operating officer, Basking Biosciences

Shea joined Basking Biosciences shortly after its founding in 2019. He is an experienced life sciences entrepreneur and has been involved in the creation and growth of multiple life science start-up and growth companies for over the last 20 years. Shea began his career at Merck. He received his MBA from Duke University and his B.S. from the University of Notre Dame. Prior to attending Duke University, Shea served for five years as a Submarine Officer in the U.S. Navy.