Mario Pennisi – Chief Executive Officer
Mario has extensive experience managing laboratory medicine services. In the mid 1990s, in affiliation with US and German-based organisations, he established the first Queensland-based ‘central laboratory’ in order to service international trials in the Asia-Pacific region. He was also a founding member of Queensland’s first contract research organisation (CRO).
Later, as National Business Development Manager for an Australian multinational pharmaceutical/diagnostics company, he collaborated with numerous international sponsors and service providers to achieve significant clinical trials growth in Australia.
Mario believes that the comprehensive range of high quality services available, together with the relatively untapped potential of numerous investigators and patient populations, provide exciting opportunities for the development of clinical trials in Queensland.
Otto Damsma – Business Development Manager
Prior to joining QCTN, Otto fulfilled several international management roles in the field of clinical research and development. Notably, he has held the positions of Director of Clinical Data Management and Biostatistics and European Director of Information Management for a major international pharmaceutical company. His broad management experience includes having had responsibility for all aspects of information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure and business applications. He has introduced information systems and quality management practices consistent with GCP/ICH guidelines and the American FDA guideline called 21CFR part11 on electronic records and electronic signatures.
Otto believes that Queensland’s high level of medical care and research, low costs, well regulated environment and result-oriented culture combine to provide a very efficient setting in which companies can place their clinical trial programmes with confidence.
Management Committee
Professor Tony Webber – President
Formally both the Dean of Health and Dean of Science at Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Professor Webber has significant experience in haemostasis and thrombosis research. He was instrumental in establishing and managing the early biotechnology spin-off companies MabCo (now Agenix Ltd) and GeneCo. whose core single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) technology is still an essential tool in accelerating drug discovery and development.
Professor Webber is an active member of the Australian clinical research industry via his role as Chief Executive Officer of Clinical Network Services, a Queensland-based clinical research organisation.
Professor Wayne Hooper – Vice-President
Wayne Hooper trained as a chemist (B.Sc., 1965; M.Sc., 1972) and moved into clinical pharmacology early in his career (Ph.D., 1975). He held various research appointments in the Department of Medicine of The University of Queensland from 1966 until 2002. During his academic career he published more than 120 papers. He was promoted to Professorial Research Fellow in 2000, and was from 1998 until 2002 Joint Director (with Professor Ronald Dickinson) of the Centre for Studies in Drug Disposition.
In 2002 he resigned from his university appointment to take up his current position as Managing Director of the new Phase I/II clinical trials company, Q-Pharm Pty Ltd. Q-Pharm is a full service Phase I and II clinical trials provider which conducts trials on therapeutic, diagnostic and prophylactic agents for the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. The company employs approximately 50 staff across its two operating divisions (clinic and bioanalytical laboratory) and administrative support team.
Vincent McFarlane - Treasurer
Vincent McFarlane is a CPA having obtained his Bachelor of Business (Acc) from Deakin University after switching from a Science degree at Melbourne University. In 2004 Vincent also completed an MBA in marketing from Deakin University.
Vincent’s professional career began in 1985 as a branch manager in the financial services sector and, except for a 5 year stint as an accountant in the automotive industry, Vincent has since worked mainly in management roles in the financial services industry extensively for Credit Unions (not for profit).
In 2002 Vincent moved to Queensland, and in October 2005 took up the position of General Manager of The Wesley Research Institute, an independent medical research institute attached to The Wesley Hospital, one of Queensland’s largest private hospitals. The Wesley Research Institute directly employs over 40 staff in research positions and has research programmes that engage more than 150 researchers. The Institute has an expanding Phase II Clinical Trials Centre.
Professor Maree Smith – Secretary
Professor Maree Smith is the Executive Director of TetraQ, the commercial arm of the Centre for Integrated Preclinical Drug Development at The University of Queensland. TetraQ was established in May 2005 to undertake contract preclinical research and development (R&D) studies across the four core preclinical disciplines, viz ADME/bioanalytical services, efficacy, pharmaceutics and toxicology. TetraQ provides contract R&D services to both on-shore and international biotechnology and Pharma companies. TetraQ has NATA R&D accreditation (ISO17025) and GLP recognition for our ADME and Toxicology laboratories.
Prior to taking up her current appointment as Executive Director of TetraQ, Professor Smith was a full-time academic in the School of Pharmacy for 15 years and she has extensive expertise and know-how in the pain research field as well as in pharmacokinetics and drug metabolism. During those years, she gained considerable experience in the undertaking of contract R&D studies for a range of biotechnology companies as well as commercialization of her own intellectual property.
In 2003, Prof Smith was awarded a “Trailblazer Challenge” award by Uniquest, and in 2006 she received an “Honourable Mention” for the Biotechnology Star Award at the Inaugural Women in Biotech Awards.
Professor John Prins - Department of Tourism, Regional Development & Industry (DTRDI) Representative
As Chair of the Centres of Health Research on the Princess Alexandra Hospital Campus, Prof. Prins role involves coordinating the campus-wide research strategy, fostering research, facilitating the recruitment of researchers to the campus and integration of research and clinical activities wherever possible.
As director of the University of Queensland Centre for Diabetes and Endocrine Research, Prof. Prins has 5 research groups and 45 scientists working in the fields of obesity, Type 2 Diabetes, liver disease and osteoporosis. As an active clinicial-scientist, Prof. Prins is a Diabetes, Obesity and Endocrinology key opinion leader in Australia and sits on numerous scientific, clinical and educational committees and boards for NHMRC, NGOs and Industry.
As a Smart State initiative, the Queensland Government maintains an active role by providing a representative to work together with QCTN to attract clinical trial activity and investment. Visit the DTRDI website.