Medical Affairs Professional Society Announces First Major Board Expansion

GOLDEN, Colo., Feb. 24, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Medical Affairs Professional Society (MAPS), the premier non-profit global society of Medical Affairs professionals, announces the first major expansion of its Board of Directors.

Joining current MAPS Board Chair Dr. Charlotte Kremer, Executive Vice President (EVP) and Head of Medical Affairs at Astellas, Dr. Kirk Shepard, Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Head of Global Medical Affairs, SVP OBG at Eisai, and Chief Executive Officer Travis Hege, are Directors Prof. Dr. med. Iris Loew-Friedrich, Dr. Ameet Nathwani, Dr. Danie du Plessis, Dr. Peter Piliero, and Ann Ford, Esq.

"As MAPS enters its fourth year of existence, and we continue to experience tremendous growth fueled by our early grass-roots efforts and development of high-quality educational content for the profession, it was important for the Board to add additional executive leaders with the experience and passion for Medical Affairs necessary to advance the mission established by the founding members, allowing MAPS to take the profession to new heights," says Board Chair, Dr. Kremer.

As MAPS' governing body, the Board of Directors works collectively to determine and periodically re-affirm MAPS' mission and purpose, sets MAPS' strategic direction, ensures effective long-range planning and identification of annual strategic priorities, and assesses MAPS' performance in achieving its mission and strategic objectives. The Board works with the CEO to develop and implement a sound fund development plan and strategies to secure the organization's current and future ability to fulfill its promises and mission, reviews the alignment of MAPS' services, support functions, and financial resources with the organization's strategic direction, priorities, and annual operating plans, including the budget.

Ann Ford, Esq. joins the Board as Director and Legal & Compliance Advisor. She is a partner at Hall Prangle & Schoonveld. Ms. Ford recently served as Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer at Medline Industries, Inc., where she oversaw the global ethics and compliance program and was intimately involved with the development of a Medical Affairs function.

Prof Dr. med. Loew-Friedrich is CMO for UCB, a member of the company's Executive Committee and Head of Development Solutions. At UCB, she provides strategic global leadership for world-wide clinical development, Medical Affairs, regulatory affairs, real world evidence, patient safety/pharmacovigilance and quality. She is active in industry associations, a member of different supervisory boards, including the boards of TransCelerate and the PhRMA Foundation.

Dr. Nathwani is CMO and EVP, Medical and Chief Digital Officer for Sanofi. Dr. Nathwani has more than 20 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry beginning in 1994 when he joined Glaxo Group Research. He then served as Senior Vice President and Global Development Head of the Cardiovascular and Metabolic Franchise at Novartis, where he held a number of senior development and commercial positions including the Global Head of the Critical Care Business Franchise. He was appointed Global Head of Medical Affairs Novartis Pharma AG in June 2014 and became an extended member of the Pharma Executive Committee where he led the establishment of a Real-World Evidence Center of Excellence and Digital Medicine capability. Dr. Nathwani was appointed CMO for Sanofi in 2016 and Chief Digital Officer 2019.

Dr. Piliero is VP of Field and Scientific Affairs at Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals, having responsibility for a diverse field Medical team and medical education, investigator-initiated studies, and strategic alliances. He is recognized as a Medical Affairs expert with over 15 years of experience having held various leadership positions at Merck & Co. and Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. At Merck, he initially led Global Medical Information and subsequently US Medical Affairs. Prior to joining Merck, he was VP of General Medicine and Scientific Affairs in US Clinical Development and Medical Affairs at Boehringer Ingelheim.

Dr. du Plessis is EVP, Medical Affairs (Europe, Middle East & Africa) at Kyowa Kirin, and is a senior pharmaceutical executive with 26 years' experience, primarily in Medical Affairs. He has a passion for modernizing Medical Affairs and a track record in leadership, people development, capability building and coaching. Prior to joining Kyowa Kirin, he had extensive experience building international teams, driving change and working in regulated markets for GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) across Europe, the Americas, Middle East, Africa, Australasia and Japan. He also worked for Eli Lilly & Company for 17 years in various Medical roles. Dr. du Plessis also serves as MAPS region President for Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

The MAPS Board is extremely pleased to announce the addition of its newest members and looks forward to the positive impact their collective expertise will bring to future endeavors. To learn more about MAPS, visit www.medicalaffairs.org.

About MAPS
MAPS is a non-profit global society of Medical Affairs professionals with over 2,000 members from over 170 life sciences companies, as well as those who provide valuable support to Medical Affairs organizations. Its mission is to advance the Medical Affairs profession and increase its impact across the life sciences industry by:

• Promoting excellence across Medical Affairs functions
• Developing guidelines to support industry standards and best practices
• Fostering advocacy for the Medical Affairs position
• Building capabilities and provide a platform that supports the practice of Medical Affairs

Media Contact:
Catherine Starr
Phone: +1 303.495.2073
Email: [email protected]

Related links:
MAPS Membership Information: http://www.medicalaffairs.org/membership/
MAPS Leadership Members: https://www.medicalaffairs.org/leadership/

SOURCE Medical Affairs Professional Society

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