WCG’s MedAvante-ProPhase Adds Prominent Thought Leaders to its CNS Scientific Leadership Team

The WIRB-Copernicus Group’s (WCG™) Clinical Services Division has added internationally recognized thought leaders to its Scientific Leadership Team.  Reflecting multiple specialties within the therapeutic area of central nervous system (CNS), the specialists will provide expert guidance to WCG’s clients and will support the design and execution of the company’s technology-enabled solutions applied to clinical trials in neurodegenerative and behavioral health disorders.

“At WCG, we consider it our mission to lead through science,” said Donald A. Deieso, PhD, Executive Chairman and CEO of WCG. “We know that the success of a clinical trial is determined by the science upon which it is based. These leading authorities join an established team of experts within MedAvante-ProPhase, enabling us to bring even greater scientific and therapeutic expertise to the support of our clients, as we assist them in making the right decisions related to planning and conducting clinical studies. There is simply no substitute for decades of clinical experience.”

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Eight thought leaders will join the MedAvante-ProPhase Scientific Leadership Team, broadening and deepening the company’s clinical expertise in the most investigated neurodegenerative and behavioral health conditions, including: Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Dementia, Schizophrenia and Psychosis, Psychiatry, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Neurobehavior, Neurodevelopment, Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Autism, Social Anxiety Disorders and Rare and Orphan Disorders.

“The planning and execution of clinical research demands deep consideration,” said Jeffrey Litwin, MD, CEO of WCG’s MedAvante-ProPhase. “From protocol design to scale selection, every decision matters. Each choice can strengthen or erode the integrity of data collected. Our solutions are designed for clinicians, by clinicians, to maximize the validity and reliability of trial data. We are pleased to welcome this august group of clinicians and researchers to the MedAvante-ProPhase family, and we look forward to the contribution they will undoubtedly make to ensure the success of our clients’ research.”

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The following experts have joined the MedAvante-ProPhase Scientific Leadership Team as Lead Scientists in their respective fields of study:

Leslie Citrome, MD, MPH, Schizophrenia and Psychosis
Dr. Citrome is an Adjunct Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at New York Medical College in Valhalla, New York, whose primary research has centered on psychopharmacologic approaches to schizophrenia, management of treatment-refractory schizophrenia, and the management of aggressive and violent behavior.

Christoph Correll, MD, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Dr. Correll is a Professor of Psychiatry at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, and Medical Director of the Recognition and Prevention (RAP) Program at the Zucker Hillside Hospital in New York. Dr. Correll’s research and clinical work focus on the identification, characterization and treatment of adults and youths with severe psychiatric disorders.

Andrew J. Cutler, MD, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Psychiatry
Dr. Cutler is the Chief Medical Officer for Meridien Research and a Courtesy Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Florida, where he studies ADHD, as well as depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and other neuropsychiatric conditions.

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James E. Galvin, MD, MPH, Non-Alzheimer’s Disease Dementias and Neurobehavior
Dr. Galvin is a Professor of Integrated Medical Sciences and Associate Dean for Clinical Research at the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine at Florida Atlantic University, Founding Director of the Comprehensive Center for Brain Health and Executive Director of the Institute for Healthy Aging and Lifespan Studies (I-HeAL). Dr. Galvin’s research is centered on healthy brain aging, cognitive health, memory loss, Alzheimer’s disease, Lewy Body dementia, and related disorders.

Scott J. Hunter, PhD, Neurodevelopment, Autism and Rare & Orphan Disorders
Dr. Hunter is a Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, as well as Pediatrics, at the University of Chicago. He is also the University’s Director of Neuropsychology and Coordinator of its Child Psychology Training Program. Dr. Hunter is an expert in the neuropsychological and psychosocial aspects of many childhood-onset conditions, including learning disabilities, epilepsy, childhood cancers, hydrocephalus, neurofibromatosis and autism, and on the impact environmental and socioeconomic factors have on neuropsychological development.

Michael R. Liebowitz, MD, Social Anxiety Disorders 
Dr. Liebowitz is a Professor of Clinical Psychiatry at Columbia University and Founder of the Anxiety Disorders Clinic— the first of its kind — at the New York State Psychiatric Institute. An internationally recognized expert and pioneer in Social Anxiety Disorders (SAD), Dr. Liebowitz is the creator of the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS), which is now a widely used primary outcome measure in clinical research on SAD. Board-certified in Psychiatry and Neurology, he has devoted over thirty years to the research and treatment of anxiety, phobic, and affective disorders, making major contributions in the areas of social anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder, atypical depression, and rapid cycling mood disorders.

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Philip Scheltens, MD, PhD, Alzheimer’s Disease 
Dr. Scheltens is Professor of Cognitive Neurology and Director of the Alzheimer Center at the VU University Medical Center in Amsterdam. His main clinical and research interests are Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia, frontotemporal dementia, magnetic resonance imaging, PET imaging and biomarkers.

Leo Verhagen Metman, MD, PhD, Parkinson’s Disease
Dr. Verhagen Metman is a Professor at Rush Medical College and the Medical Director of the Neurosurgery Program for Movement Disorders at Rush University Medical Center. He specializes in the medical and surgical management of patients with Parkinson’s Disease and other movement disorders such as Essential Tremor and Dystonia.

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