Leaders in innovation

Kazuya Iwamoto, MD, PhD, MBA, FACP, is Senior Medical Director for Fortrea in Osaka, Japan. He provides medical and scientific expertise to oncology study teams on clients’ drug development projects and contributes to the development of medical strategies and execution of clinical trials. Dr. Iwamoto has more than 25 years of experience as a physician, research clinician and medical director. 

Before joining Fortrea, he was Head of the Medical Division, including Clinical Development and Medical Affairs, for Hospira Japan in Osaka. He previously served as Head of the Medical Division for Biogen Idec, Head of Medical Affairs for Bayer Yakuhin, and Clinical Research Physician for Eli Lilly in Japan. Currently President and Fellow of the Japanese Association of Pharmaceutical Medicine, Dr. Iwamoto joined our company in May 2016.

James Joyce is a Delivery Director within the Biopharma group of Global Project Delivery, specializing in Phase Ib through Phase III studies in Obesity as well as Liver Disease including MASH/MASLD (metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease), Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis and Primary Biliary Cholangitis and Cirrhosis indications. James brings extensive core lab imaging experience, biopsy histology and pathology management, sponsor portfolio oversight and governance. He has worked for 25 years in the pharmaceutical industry, 15 years of which have been at Fortrea (formerly Labcorp and Covance) in Project Management and Director roles. He is based in Atlanta, Georgia, USA.

Juan Jure, MD, is a Medical Director based in Buenos Aires, Argentina at Fortrea, where he serves as project physician. Dr. Jure brings extensive experience in medical and safety oversight of clinical trials, with a strong therapeutic experience in oncology (solid tumors Phases I-III) and cancer supportive care as well as developing, reviewing, and revising protocols and project-specific tools. 

Prior to his current position, Dr. Jure held positions where he gained expertise in medical monitoring demonstrating a commitment to ensuring the safety and well-being of study participants, as well as maintaining high standards of data quality and site compliance.

 Dr. Jure holds an MD degree from Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Argentina, and completed his postgraduate degree in Clinical Oncology at Municipalidad de San Isidro. Furthermore, he has completed a Master's in Business Administration from Universidad del Salvador, Argentina. 

Dr. Juan Jure's diverse experience and commitment to patient care, make him a valuable asset in the field of clinical research and drug development. He joined our company in March 2023.

Jeanelle Kam, MD, is a trained OB/GYN with more than a decade of CRU drug development experience across multiple indications. As a CPI and Medical Director at the Phase I Dallas CRU, Dr. Kam conducted over 200 trials in BE, DDI, FE, FIH, Japanese Bridging and TQT studies. In 2022, she joined the CPS Medical Scientific Team as a Phase I Medical Monitor. Her expertise in Women’s Reproductive Health include serving as PI on OC-DDI studies, consultation of endometriosis, lactation and post-menopausal studies. She was the lead author for Fortrea’s birth control guidance, “Evidence-Based Guidance for Contraceptive Use in Phase I and Clinical Pharmacology Trials Including Women of Child-Bearing Potential” and presentation of the guidance at the 2015 Annual Meeting for ACCP poster session.

Louise Kearney is an Executive Director of Fortrea’s Rare Diseases, Advanced Therapies and Pediatrics Team (RAPT) and Chair of Fortrea's Cell and Gene Therapy Long-term Follow-up Workstream. She has 23 years of experience, across sites, biotech, pharmaceutical and CRO companies. She has worked at Labcorp (now Fortrea) for 19 years, including 10 years within Project Management. Her operational expertise spans a wide variety of complex rare disease and pediatric trials including leading a rare, pediatric program.

Jinju Kim, MD, PhD, is a Medical Director of Oncology for Fortrea, based in Seoul, Korea. Dr. Kim has over 10 years of clinical development/clinical research experience in pharmaceutical industry and academia including a broad range of clinical drug development activities and cross functional collaboration. 

Dr. Kim earned her medical degree from Hanyang University and majored in Internal Medicine at Hanyang University Graduate School, Korea. In addition, she completed her internal medicine residency and fellowship training at Hanyang University Hospital and then worked as clinical physician and research professor. She has worked for various clinical and project-facing roles as a medical lead at both global pharmaceutical and innovative biotech companies since 2015. She joined our company in 2022.

Ryan Kirby has over two decades of industry experience, with more than 12 years at Fortrea. As a founding member of Fortrea’s Digital Health & Innovation group, he is recognized as a leader and subject matter expert within the Digital Health field. He has been instrumental in the organization’s advancement and adoption of digital solutions and works with industry partners to champion innovative strategies that enable Fortrea to deliver clinical trials. Ryan specializes in leveraging technology to create efficient digital strategies designed around optimized data workflows to enhance the trial experience for all stakeholders.

Michiel has over 21 years of drug development and clinical research experience in both pharma and CROs. He joined Fortrea in 2011 providing project management and delivery leadership oversight across many CVMER projects, from Phase I through Phase IV, including registrational and post-marketing programs. Michiel heads up the delivery team and overall accountable for the successful execution of the portfolio in cardiovascular, metabolic, endocrine and renal diseases. Michiel fosters relationships across the CVMER industry, including Fortrea’s sponsors and vendors, collaborating on their clinical development programs and understanding their key needs.

Dr. Korchak has more than 23 years of drug development industry experience across broad indication of neuroscience, supporting studies for small molecules, biologics and cell and gene therapies. Her expertise extends from early phase development through late phase/post-marketing studies in capacity of investigator, operational leader and head of clinical development of autologous cell therapy at a biotech company. As an investigator, Dr. Korchak held various COA certifications, e.g., EDSS, ADAS-cog, MMSE and CDR. Her expertise encompasses neurodegenerative, acute and rare neurology and various psychiatry diseases.

Marcin Koziej, MD, is a medical director of oncology for Fortrea based in Warsaw, Poland. Dr. Koziej has more than 33 years of experience in medical onco-pulmonary research centers, CROs and the pharmaceutical environment. His roles have included physician and investigator, clinical operations professional and project management leader of pan-European and global teams, medical monitor and advisor, clinical strategist, business advisor and mentor. 

Dr. Koziej earned his medical degree from the Warsaw Medical School, Warsaw, Poland and completed his internal medicine fellowship at the National Research Institute for Tb and Lung Disease in Warsaw, Poland. In 2016 he joined Chiltern, which then became part of Labcorp in 2020 and is now Fortrea.

Carlo Lanza, MD, PhD, is Executive Medical Officer for Fortrea, based in Lugano, Switzerland. Dr. Lanza performs medical monitoring and safety assessments on Phase I-IV clinical trials for Fortrea clients. He leads early phase and translational research early development programs with targeted therapies, small molecules, biologics and gene therapy. Dr. Lanza also oversees development of late-stage development strategies, delivery and approval of registrational programs. He brings more than 20 years of experience in clinical research and development as a physician and medical director, specializing in pediatrics and oncology. 

Before joining Fortrea, he served as Medical Director for Medicines for Malaria Venture in Geneva, Switzerland. Dr. Lanza has also held leadership positions with Novartis Oncology, Pfizer Global R&D, and AstraZeneca UK. Carlo joined our company in 2012.

Kah Leng is an Associate Director in Digital Health and Innovation. She has over 20 years of experience in clinical research including clinical operations, project management, and PMO. In her current role, Kah Leng focuses on leveraging digital health technology and innovation to transform the delivery of clinical studies

Chunyan Li, MD, is an associate medical director of oncology for Fortrea, based in China, Shanghai. Dr. Li has solid background and experience in Oncology, she is a board certified oncologist and has 7 years of clinical experience in Shanghai's top hospitals and has served as medical monitor in CROs since 2018 for studies that include solid tumors (non-small cell lung cancer, small cell lung cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, gastrointestinal stromal tumor, colon cancer, head and neck squamous cell carcinoma) as well as lymphomas (classical Hodgkin’s lymphoma, mantle cell lymphoma, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma). 

Dr. Li received her bachelor degree of clinical medicine from Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine and master degree in oncology from Tongji University and Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine. She completed the standardized training for residents and standardized training for oncology specialist in Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center and Shanghai 10th People’s Hospital. She joined our company in May 2021.

Xiaoling Li, MD, is the senior medical manager, oncology for Fortrea, based in Wuhan, China. Xiaoling has more than 15 years of experiences in industry, including hospital, pharmaceutical companies and CRO, focused on providing drug development expertise to the medical strategy and execution of the programs, performing medical and safety monitoring on the projects. Xiaoling earned her master degree of Hematology from Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science & Technology in 2008. She joined our company in Jan 2021.

Dr. Naidan Luo M.D Ph.D is based in Beijing, China with 25 years as a trained ophthalmologist and 21 years of clinical trial research experience in Phase I, II, III, IV in a wide variety of therapeutic areas, focusing on medical monitoring in ophthalmology indications including Glaucoma, ocular hypertension, wet/dry AMD, Dry eye disease, Conjunctivitis, Blepharitis, refractive error, Corneal Transplantation, NAION, LHON gene therapy, Stargardt disease, ataxia, Parkinson Disease, AD,woman health, COPD etc. 

Education 

Ph. D in Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, The Ohio State University, OH, USA, 1999-2002 

7-years Elite Program in Clinical Medicine, Trained Ophthalmologist, Shandong Medical University, Jinan, China. 1990-1997 

Key Publications: 

• Luo，Naidan as 1st Author, PNAS 2005 Jan 18；102（3）：541-6.
• Luo，Naidan as 2nd Author, Appl Environ Microbiol. 2003 Sep;69(9):5372-9.
• Luo，Naidan as 1st Author, Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy. 2003 Jan; 47(1):390-4.
• Luo，Naidan as 1st Author, Plasmid 45, 127-13
   

Board-certified medical oncologist and nuclear medicine physician with over 20 years of hands-on experience in medical oncology and nuclear medicine and 15 years in the pharma industry. Her expertise spans various domains, including clinical development, regulatory affairs, safety, and medical affairs. Orchestrated successful product launches across diverse therapeutic areas including immunotherapies, targeted therapies, and cellular therapies. 

As a medical affairs expert, she has collaborated with healthcare professionals, patients, and payers to optimize treatment outcomes. Her deep understanding of trial design, patient recruitment, and data analysis has been instrumental in bringing novel treatments to patients.

Patrick McLeroth, MD, is the Vice President and Global Therapeutic Area Head for Infectious Diseases and Critical Care and is based in Pennsylvania, U.S. Dr. McLeroth has more than 23 years of clinical trial experience including as a principal investigator and roles of increasing responsibility at Fortrea focused on planning and execution of infectious disease and critical care clinical development from first-in-human (FIH) to registration and post marketing trials. Dr. McLeroth has provided significant contribution to several approved antibiotics and has co-authored more than 20 papers in infectious disease. Since 2008, he has worked as the lead medical monitor on multiple protocols covering all aspects of infectious disease, including HIV, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, influenza, bacterial infections, fungal infections, tuberculosis and vaccines. 

Prior to joining Fortrea, he worked at Chase Brexton Health Services, Inc. in Baltimore, MD, as Director of HIV Medicine and Research, and was Principal Investigator on more than 30 protocols between 2002 and 2008. Dr. McLeroth completed his MBBCh degree at the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa and his internship at the Baragwanath-Chris Hani Memorial Hospital in Johannesburg. Dr. McLeroth completed his fellowship in infectious disease and his residency in internal medicine at St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital in New York City, one of Columbia University’s hospitals. Dr. McLeroth has been with Fortrea, formerly Labcorp, since July 2008.

Friedrich is a board-certified Endocrinologist and Internal Medicine specialist who has >25 years experience in clinical trials and medical practice. He was trained in clinical research and Internal Medicine while working at the Medical University Vienna (Austria) where he was Associate Professor for Clinical Pharmacology. In 2009 he gained an MSc in Public Health from the University of London. He published >50 research papers in peer reviewed journals. His clinical research focus is on Diabetes, Obesity, Endocrinology and Liver Disease (MASLD/MASH, cholestatic liver disease).