PHT Corporation Appoints Dr. Susan Dallabrida Senior Scientific Advisor

BOSTON & GENEVA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--PHT Corporation continues to attract the clinical research industry’s most esteemed scientists. The company announced that Dr. Susan Dallabrida has joined as Senior Scientific Advisor in PHT Consulting Services.

“Adult Oncology: Clinical Outcome Assessments (COAs) & Patient-Reported Outcomes (PROs)”

PHT Corporation is the leading provider of innovative technology systems used to collect patient-driven eData for clinical research.

Dr. Dallabrida provides scientific guidance and analysis. She liaises with PHT clients and internal teams to expedite and expand PHT’s technology deliverables, and to facilitate study design.

She brings more than 10 years of experience as a Senior Scientist and Project Director in R&D, clinical trial design and strategy, and product development. She has led cross-functional drug discovery and product development teams and collaborations in a wide range of therapeutic areas including oncology, cardiovascular disease, hemophilia, dermatology, obesity, and vascular disorders. Dr. Dallabrida has significant regulatory experience in the US and internationally for biologics. She has a broad background in scientific presentations and writing with 20 publications, 14 grants, 3 patents, 18 awards, 26 conference presentations, and 14 abstracts to her credit.

Dr. Dallabrida explained why she joined PHT: “We’ve achieved a critical mass in the eCOA field. There are so many opportunities for research, education, development, and technology advancement to new and existing patient populations. When you look at the possibilities for eCOA technology, you see that the future is at PHT. My goal is to merge science with technology and continue bringing scientific consulting to the forefront of our organization to improve clinical trial data quality for the ultimate goal of better patient outcomes and efficient drug development.”

An important part of Dr. Dallabrida’s charter focuses on education to move clinical trial sponsors away from paper diaries and questionnaires and to utilize eCOA. She said, “As a scientist, I see a huge opportunity to educate the market about the benefits of eCOA technology for collecting high quality data. Paper isn’t time stamped, and thus, often not contemporaneous. Paper data is prone to being illegible and having incomplete data entries. Paper also contains more inaccurate data due to the fact that paper tends to be filled out after an event and therefore is subject to recall bias and the limitations of short term memory. Further, the capacity for electronic signatures, usernames, and passwords enables eCOA data to be attributable. All of these elements, which are enabled electronically, are being increasingly recognized by regulatory authorities to be requisite for the collection of quality clinical trial COA data. eCOA technology captures more events than paper, can reduce the number of patients needed for clinical trials, and gets to endpoints faster.”

As part of PHT Consulting Services, Dr. Dallabrida will lead webinars and interact with sponsors, biotech, pharma, and academia to promote eCOA awareness, especially in therapeutic areas where eCOA systems are currently underutilized. These therapeutic areas include oncology, cardiovascular disease, ophthalmology, dermatology, and obesity. For example, oncology is an area that has many associated symptoms that are burdensome on the patient. Electronic collection of COAs offers an opportunity to collect and monitor symptoms in real time, resulting in improved patient quality of life and a rapid elucidation of the impact of novel treatment modalities.

PHT Vice President of Technical Operations Lisa Anne Markel said, “We’re excited that a world class scientist of Susan Dallabrida’s caliber chose to join PHT. She understands all facets of clinical research technology across the spectrum, from design and development to patient usage. Her excellent reputation, insights and accomplishments in science and technology will be a tremendous contribution as we continue driving innovation in clinical research that collects clinical outcome assessments.”

Previously Dr. Dallabrida was a biotechnology and clinical trial consultant and strategic advisor working with Biogen Idec, Rubin Anders Scientific, Zafgen, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and Children’s Hospital of Boston. She holds a BS in Biology and BA in Chemistry from Bloomsburg University and a PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Pennsylvania State University. Dr. Dallabrida conducted her post-doctoral training at Harvard Medical School (HMS). Following her post-doctoral studies, she had a translational laboratory at HMS for 7 years before moving to biotechnology.

Dr. Dallabrida and Ethan Basch, MD of MSc will present a DIA webinar, “Adult Oncology: Clinical Outcome Assessments (COAs) & Patient-Reported Outcomes (PROs)” December 11, 2012, from 11:00am – 12:30pm EST. Register at http://www.bit.ly/SbNiII.

About PHT Corporation

PHT Corporation helps pharmaceutical companies and CROs conduct clinical studies with greater confidence, ease and accuracy. We enable our clients to gain insights, through measuring how patients feel and function, that help speed therapies to market and improve lives. From our 550+ global trial experiences including 16+ regulatory approvals, we offer the breadth, history and scientific expertise today’s market demands. PHT's proven Systems collect patient-driven eData via smartphones, tablets and the web. This data, available via PHT’s StudyWorks® online portal, provides sponsors and clinicians with a real-time window to patients between visits for improved protocol compliance and safety monitoring. For more information on Patient Driven eData, review the interactive content and demonstrations at phtcorp.com. Follow PHT on Twitter.