Peter Kirk, CEO of SERMO, Named PM360 ELITE Disruptor of 2015

NEW YORK, May 27, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- SERMO CEO, Peter Kirk, has been named a PM360 ELITE Disruptor of 2015. This is the first year that PM360, the premier magazine for pharma marketing, has honored individual leaders in the field. The Disruptor category was awarded to "the fearless individuals who disrupt the status quo to revolutionize the industry."

In a constantly evolving market like healthcare, acting quickly and aggressively is critical to success. Kirk's ability to consistently meet and exceed aggressive targets and remarkable agility has drawn admiration and recognition from not only PM360, but also his colleagues, partners and advisors.

As the CEO of WorldOne, Kirk saw the potential of combining his company's leading panel and research capabilities with SERMO's innovative social platform. When WorldOne acquired SERMO, now the top growing global social network of more than 340,000 doctors, Kirk grew the business that he originally founded in 2000 -- with just five employees in one office into a powerhouse of physician engagement including social media, crowdsourced medicine and market research, all while growing the company to more than 300 employees managing more than 3,500 projects in 12 global offices. Under Kirk's leadership, SERMO membership doubled from 20 percent of US physicians in 2012 to approximately 40 percent in 2015. Patient cases solved using SERMO's integrated medical crowdsourcing platform, SERMOsolves, also increased fivefold over the same period. Kirk's vision for SERMO is making the company a growing force in shaping the face of modern medicine.

Doctors are increasingly specialized and isolated in a sea of increasing uncertainty due to new diseases, medications and changing regulations. In fact, 73 percent of US SERMO doctors and 87 percent of European doctors polled in the G5 said that at least 1 of out 5 of their cases required feedback from their peers to move them out of the "grey area," a dangerous place where the medical parameters are undefined and there is no clear path forward. Kirk saw SERMO a digital means of breaking through the isolation and reducing the grey area.

Crowdsourcing medicine is at the heart of Kirk's vision for the future of SERMO. The development of SERMOsolves, a program that allows doctors to post their cases and ask for feedback has been one of Kirk's most impressive achievements at the company's helm. Last year alone, 3,500 challenging patient cases were posted, viewed 700,000 times, and received 50,000 comments. Most posted cases received responses within 1.5 hours and were resolved within a day. The cases saw an average of nearly 200 years of combined medical experience converging around a single patient at no additional cost to the healthcare system.

"While SERMO has already helped evolve the industry, it would not have been possible without Peter's qualities as a disruptor," says Osnat Benshoshan, SVP of Marketing and Strategy at SERMO. "He is a medical futurist and change catalyst whose experiences have given him the conviction to drive SERMO's globalization forward."

About SERMO

SERMO is the United States' top ranked social network for fully verified, licensed physicians. SERMO has now also opened its doors in the UK. SERMO is the place for doctors to talk about real world medicine. Founded in 2005, SERMO's mission is to unite physicians and provide them with a safe, private, and trusted platform for free and open discussions. SERMO is a virtual doctors' 'lounge' where doctors candidly share their true feelings about their profession and lives. With over 305,000 verified US physicians from 93 specialties, representing 40 percent of the American physician community and 38,000 UK physicians representing 16 percent of the UK physician community, SERMO harnesses the collective wisdom of doctors, enabling medical crowdsourcing, knowledge sharing and thus the advancement of medicine.

Media Contacts:

Osnat Benshoshan, SVP, Marketing & Strategy, SERMO
[email protected]; +1.805.479.8343

Victoria Khamsombath, SHIFT Communications
[email protected]; +1.617.779.1859

Kristin Polman, Shine Communications
[email protected]; +44 7768 649 655

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SOURCE SERMO