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Sharbaugh of PPD Elected ACRO Chair; Herring of Covance Chair-Elect
Date of Release: 7 January 2010
Sharbaugh of PPD Elected 2010 ACRO Chair
Herring of Covance to Serve as Chair-Elect
ICON Takes Seat on Board; Clinical Research Management Joins as Associate
January 7, 2010 – WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Association of Clinical Research Organizations (ACRO), which represents the global clinical outsourcing industry to regulators, biopharmaceutical clients, policy makers and the public, today announced its Board of Directors has elected Mr. William Sharbaugh, Chief Operating Officer of PPD, Inc., as Chair for 2010 and Mr. Joe Herring, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Covance, as Chair-Elect.
Mr. Sharbaugh joined PPD in 2007 after spending more than 16 years in the pharmaceutical industry, including senior management positions with Bristol-Myers Squibb and Merck & Co. As COO, he provides strategic direction and leadership to PPD’s Labs, Phase I and Phase II-IV clinical business and information technology and global performance optimization areas. Most recently, Mr. Sharbaugh spearheaded PPD’s expansion efforts in the Asia Pacific region. Mr. Sharbaugh is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.
“I am pleased to lead ACRO at a time when the association has heightened its advocacy efforts on behalf of the global CRO industry,” said Mr. Sharbaugh. “In 2010, ACRO will continue to engage stakeholders on issues of importance to the CRO industry and our biopharmaceutical clients and play a lead role in driving the discussion to improve the drug development process.”
Mr. Herring is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Covance. He joined the company in 1996 as Corporate Vice President and General Manager of Early Development North America. In 2001, he assumed the position of President and Chief Operating Officer and was elected to the Board of Directors in 2004. Previous to Covance, he spent 18 years at American Hospital Supply, Baxter International, and Caremark International in senior leadership roles.
ACRO is also pleased to announce that ICON plc has become a Regular Member of the Association and that John Hubbard, Ph.D., FCP, Global President of ICON Clinical Research, will assume a seat on the ACRO Board. Additionally, Clinical Research Management (CRM), Hinckley, Ohio, has joined as an Associate Member.
“We look forward to Bill’s and Joe’s enthusiastic leadership this year as the Association continues to grow and there is increased recognition of the vital role CROs play in drug development worldwide,” said Doug Peddicord, Ph.D., Executive Director of ACRO. “The expansion of our membership with the commitments of ICON and CRM demonstrates the value ACRO brings as the voice of the CRO industry.”
About ACRO
The Association of Clinical Research Organizations (ACRO) represents companies whose focus is clinical research. The association provides an active voice for the global CRO industry, which provides specialized services that are integral to the development of drugs, biologics and medical devices. Through its member companies, ACRO helps improve the quality, efficiency and safety of biomedical research. ACRO member companies employ approximately 70,000 professionals worldwide and annually conduct more than 9,000 clinical trials involving nearly 2 million participants in 115 countries. For more information, please visit www.www.acrohealth.org.