Worldwide Clinical Trials Expands Early Phase Leadership Team

Strategic Appointments Enhance Industry-Recognized Early Phase Clinical Trial Services

Research Triangle Park, N.C. – 2 December 2021 – Worldwide Clinical Trials, Inc. (Worldwide), the industry’s leading global, midsized, full-service contract research organization (CRO), has announced the addition of three key leadership roles to its early phase clinical trials team: Andrew Cunningham, Ph.D., Vice President, BioAnalytical; Ingela Danielsson-Sanden, MD, Ph.D., MBA, CHCQM, Vice President of Early Phase Medical Management; and Austin Sansbury, MBA, PMP, Strategic Project Officer.

Worldwide was rated an overall top CRO for phase I-III trials in the most recent ISR Report, earning specific top-performer rankings for budget factors, delivery factors, accessibility, services, and staff characteristics. Worldwide’s strategic approach to the critical early phase study research in normal volunteers and specialized patient populations lays the groundwork for these high marks – during the early phase, sponsors are focused on proving the viability of novel drug and scientific concepts, particularly regarding measures of exposure and selected pharmacodynamic endpoints while ensuring subject safety. This period is foundational, and these key early phase leadership team additions within Worldwide’s Clinical Pharmacology Unit and BioAnalytical Services are a testament to the company’s recent investment to further enhance the CRO experience for pharmaceutical and biotech organizations for translational medicine services, setting the stage for advanced phases of their studies.

“At Worldwide, we are building on our commitment to ensuring the success of our sponsors’ early phase research with the addition of top scientific, medical and technical talent to our growing team,” said Mike Mencer, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Early Phase Drug Development, Worldwide. “The combined intellectual capital of our team – their breadth of knowledge and experience in early phase research as well as their ability to adapt and innovate – is invaluable. Sponsors need a team that can strategically guide them through the complexities of early phase studies and ensure safety and efficiency during this critical stage. These additions to the Worldwide team are aligned with that focus.”

Andrew Cunningham, Ph.D., Vice President, Bioanalytical

Cunningham joins Worldwide with more than 25 years of health care and pharmaceuticals experience. Prior to Worldwide, he led multi-site operations at two nationally recognized pediatric hospitals – Phoenix Children’s Hospital and Children’s Hospital Colorado. Throughout his career, Cunningham has served in roles of increasing responsibility and leadership in the areas of bioanalytical labs, central labs, and clinical operations at three global CROs, and has key experience with pharmaceuticals R&D and academic research institutions. With a strong background in biochemistry, Cunningham studied leukemia biology for his Ph.D.

Ingela Danielsson-Sanden, MD, Ph.D., MBA, CHCQM, Vice President, Early Phase Medical Management

Dr. Danielsson’s diverse medical experience spans more than three decades and includes community and government health care, research, and senior medical roles in corporate and start-ups. During her seven years at National Institutes of Health, her responsibilities included conduct and leadership of translational research through Phase II and Phase III clinical trials. Dr. Danielsson has been active in the development of multiple central nervous system treatments including Trileptal, Zonegran, Lyrica, and vagal nerve stimulation for epilepsy and treatment resistant depression. Her experience includes drug development, registration, medical affairs, and lifecycle management across neurology and psychiatry programs. Dr Danielsson is triple board certified in neurology, electrophysiology/epilepsy, and sleep medicine. She holds an MD and Ph.D. from the University of Gothenburg in Sweden. She also earned an Executive Master of Business Administration from Rice University in Houston, Texas.

Austin Sansbury, MBA, PMP, Strategic Projects Officer

Sansbury will apply his more than 20 years of professional and industry experience to lead Worldwide’s early phase strategic projects. Before joining Worldwide, he served as Chief of Performance Improvement for the U.S. Department of Defense, stationed in Germany. Prior to that, he held roles of increasing responsibility at Owens and Minor Distribution, Inc., and Lehigh Valley Health Network, among other companies. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Technology as well as a Master of Business Administration.

Learn more about Worldwide’s industry-recognized early phase and phase I clinical trial services.

About Worldwide Clinical Trials

Worldwide Clinical Trials is a global, midsize contract research organization (CRO) that provides top-performing preclinical and Phase I-IV clinical development services to the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries.

Founded in 1986 by physicians committed to advancing medical science, our full-service clinical experience ranges from early phase and bioanalytical sciences through late phase studies, post approval, and real-world evidence. Major therapeutic areas of focus include cardiovascular, metabolic, neuroscience, oncology, and rare diseases. With infrastructure spanning 60 countries and offices in North and South America, Eastern and Western Europe, Russia and Asia, Worldwide is powered by its more than 2,600 employee experts.

For more information, please visit www.worldwide.com or connect with us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram.