People spotlight — December 2021

B Medical Systems, a manufacturer and distributor of medical refrigeration and vaccine cold chain technology, has appointed Marnick Dewilde as the chief sales officer for its medical refrigeration and blood management solutions portfolios. In his new role, Dewilde will be responsible for developing the global sales strategy for the medical refrigeration and the blood management solutions portfolios. He will also be responsible for establishing direct sales channels and nurturing the existing sales network.

Gamma Biosciences, a life sciences company serving the academic and advanced therapy market, has appointed Dale Gordon as its CEO of its operating company, Mirus Bio. He brings more than three decades of global leadership experience in life sciences to the new role, most recently as CEO of Gemini Biosciences. Prior to Gemini, Gordon held commercial leadership roles at GE Life Sciences (now Cytiva) and Merck Millipore.

Nicolette A. Louissaint, PhD, MBA. Credit: Healthcare Ready

The Healthcare Distribution Alliance (HDA) announced that Nicolette A. Louissaint, PhD, MBA, has been named the organization’s senior vice president of policy and strategic planning. In this newly created role, Dr. Louissaint will become a member of HDA’s executive management team and report to president and CEO Chester “Chip” Davis, Jr. She will join the HDA on Jan. 18, 2022, from her current role serving as executive director and president of Healthcare Ready in Washington, DC. In this leadership position, Louissaint will research and analyze policy issues impacting the healthcare distribution sector and lead the development of platforms that will inform and drive advocacy and member engagement.

H1, a company that provides a global healthcare network that connects healthcare professionals, disclosed that Mike Derezin has joined H1 as a member of its board of directors. Derezin is currently the COO of Chainlink Labs, a provider of open-source blockchain oracle solutions. Prior to Chainlink Labs, Derezin spent more than 10 years at LinkedIn as a market executive.

Dermot Kenny. Credit: STEM Healthcare

Caption Health, a company that uses artificial intelligence to improve heart ultrasound diagnostics, has added Joseph DeVivo, president of hospitals and health systems at virtual healthcare company Teladoc Health, to its board of directors. DeVivo brings extensive leadership experience from across the medical device industry. He was CEO of InTouch Health until its acquisition by Teladoc Health in 2020, and before his time with InTouch, he served as president, CEO, and director at AngioDynamics, which develops medical devices used by healthcare providers for vascular access, surgery, peripheral vascular disease and oncology.

Pharma and life sciences auditing firm, STEM Healthcare, part of Ashfield Advisory, has appointed Dermot Kenny as its new CEO. Kenny has extensive experience in the pharmaceutical industry spanning over 25 years. His most recent role was leading Novartis’ global clinical technology and innovation team. At STEM Healthcare, he will be responsible for driving growth, diversifying the company’s offering and expanding its geographic reach and global presence.

Coherus BioSciences, Inc., a commercial stage biopharma company, announced the addition of Theresa LaVallee, PhD, as its chief development officer. Dr. LaVallee will serve as a member of the company’s executive leadership team and oversee all regulatory matters and product development functions, reporting to Denny Lanfear, president and CEO of Coherus.