Morrisville, N.C., June 15, 2021 — Premier Research, a global clinical research and development company, has named Ashley Herrick, Ph.D., as Executive Director, Oncology Strategy. Herrick joins Premier’s team of oncology experts who have led more than 170 oncology and hematology studies over the last five years, including more than 40 rare oncology and hematology studies and 19 cell and gene oncological projects.
Herrick brings more than 13 years of oncology development and research experience to her new role, where she will report to Senior Vice President, Clinical Development Services, Krista Armstrong, Ph.D. Herrick will be responsible for planning and directing strategy for Premier Research’s oncology capabilities and providing support and input to operational teams for best practices, risk assessment and management, and study design challenges. She was most recently Director, Operational Strategy Management at Precision for Medicine (formerly Precision Oncology) and previously served as Senior Clinical Research Program Coordinator at MD Anderson Cancer Center.
In recent years, the industry has witnessed exceptional growth in immuno-oncology (IO) studies. As a result, IO is driving cancer innovation with more than 4,700 IO agents identified in August 2020, a 233 percent increase since 2017 (CRI, Immuno-Oncology Landscape). And cell therapies are outpacing all other immunotherapeutics — the global cancer cell therapy pipeline included 1,483 active agents in March 2020 (Carolina Biooncology Institute, Trends in Immuno-Oncology 2019-2020).
“With the explosive demand for research for advanced therapies in oncology, Ashley will be instrumental in strengthening our focus on the emerging biotech and specialty pharma sponsors driving development in this space,” said Armstrong. “Building on Premier Research’s established therapeutic experience, agile processes, and seamless technology integration, Ashley brings the determination and skill to circumvent challenges and select the best solutions for our customers’ oncology development programs.”
Herrick earned her Ph.D. in molecular biology from Baylor College of Medicine, is a member of The Society of Clinical Research Associates (SOCRA), and is certified by SOCRA as a Certified Clinical Research Professional (CCRP).
About Premier Research
Premier Research, a clinical research and development company, is dedicated to helping biotech, specialty pharma, and device innovators transform life-changing ideas and breakthrough science into new medical treatments.
As a global company, Premier Research specializes in the use of innovative technologies for smart study design and trial management to deliver clean, conclusive data to sponsors.
Whether it’s developing product lifecycle strategies, reducing clinical development cycle times, securing access to patients, navigating global regulations, maximizing the impact of limited rare disease data, or providing expertise in specific therapeutic areas, Premier Research is committed to helping its customers answer the unmet needs of patients across a broad range of medical conditions. Visit premier-research.com.