




Healthcare Industry News: Living Cell Technologies
News Release - October 20, 2009
Advanced BioHealing Announces Key Executive Promotions
Promotions from Within Demonstrate Depth and Experience of Executive Team for Continued Success in Commercial ExecutionWESTPORT, Conn. & LA JOLLA, Calif.--(HSMN NewsFeed)--Advanced BioHealing, Inc. (ABH), a leader in commercializing the promise of regenerative medicine, today announced four key promotions within the Company’s executive management team, demonstrating its confidence that the individuals’ experience and skills will continue the Company’s outstanding growth.
- Therésa Dixon has been promoted to Vice President of Government Affairs & Health Economics, where she is responsible for leading the Company’s government affairs, health policy and health economics initiatives. Since joining ABH in January 2007, Dixon has spearheaded the development of the Company’s industry-leading reimbursement and government affairs team. In her new role, she is charged with continuing to build ABH’s government relations capabilities while also developing organizational expertise in health outcomes and comparative effectiveness. Dixon is a 15-year veteran of the biotechnology industry and has held Health Economics responsibilities for Smith & Nephew and Covance Health Economics & Outcomes Services (previously Corning Inc.).
- Kathy McGee, who joined the Company in May 2006 when ABH purchased Dermagraft® and TransCyte® from Smith and Nephew Wound Management LLC, has been promoted to Vice President and General Manager (La Jolla facility). McGee has been involved with these products for over 17 years and is a globally recognized expert in the manufacture and distribution of cell-based products. Previously, she served as Director of Manufacturing Operations at Smith & Nephew, and was instrumental in renovating and revalidating ABH’s manufacturing facility. Prior to joining Smith & Nephew, McGee held several positions in Manufacturing and Quality Control at Advanced Tissue Sciences. (McGee explains the manufacture, science and safety of Dermagraft in video interviews on the ABH website.)
- Keith O’Briant, formerly ABH’s Vice President of Sales, has been named the Company’s new Senior Vice President of North American Sales. O’Briant, who built the Company’s sales force to over 80 professionals in nine regional teams during the past three years, is now responsible for accelerating the recruitment and training of a North American sales team that will include over 100 professionals by year-end 2009. A veteran of healthcare commercialization, O’Briant held a variety of commercial and sales leadership positions within Pfizer. (O’Briant shares more about building the ABH sales team and his talent strategy in a video on the ABH website.)
- Dean Tozer, responsible for creating ABH’s initial commercialization strategy, has been promoted to Senior Vice President. In this position, he will oversee ABH’s marketing, corporate development, reimbursement, government affairs and product development. Tozer joined the Company in 2006 as Vice President of Marketing and Corporate Development. A former independent consultant to the biopharmaceutical industry, Tozer also spent 10 years in the global pharmaceutical arena and was a commercial team lead for the global launch of Celebrex. He also held a variety of management positions with G.D. Searle, a division of Monsanto. (Tozer discusses future growth for ABH and opportunities for Dermagraft in video interviews on the ABH website.)
“The promotions of Therésa, Kathy, Keith and Dean come at an inflection point for ABH as we continue to accelerate commercialization of Dermagraft in the U.S., while also expanding its potential clinical applications,” said Kevin Rakin, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “Each of these individuals has played a critical role in developing an infrastructure that supports more than 1,000 advanced wound care centers and outpatient offices throughout North America. They are now tasked with supporting a strategic plan that calls for continued growth of our U.S. sales and expanding Dermagraft’s utility in other areas of regenerative medicine.”
About Advanced BioHealing, Inc.
Advanced BioHealing develops and commercializes Living Cell Technologies that repair damaged human tissue and enable the body to heal itself. A privately held company with more than 200 employees, Advanced BioHealing maintains corporate offices in Westport, CT and a 70,000 sq. ft. manufacturing facility in La Jolla, CA. To meet Advanced BioHealing’s executives and learn more about the Company, please visit the Company’s web site at www.ABH.com.
Source: Advanced BioHealing
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