ICON appoints new Chief Medical Officer

ICON has appointed Dr. Kristen K. Buck as the new Chief Medical Officer (CMO), who joined from Optum Insights .

DUBLIN–(BUSINESS WIRE)–ICON plc, (NASDAQ: ICLR) a leading global provider of drug and device development and commercialisation services to the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device industries, today announced that Dr. Kristen K. Buck has been appointed Chief Medical Officer.

Kristen joins ICON from Optum Insights (part of the United Healthcare group) where she was SVP & Chief of Clinical Development. Kristen led the clinical operations and regulatory groups to create a Real-World Evidence and Outcomes clinical trial business. Her experience ranges over multiple therapy areas including GI, neuroscience, dermatology, ophthalmology, oncology, cardiovascular/metabolic, immunology, renal, women’s health, orphan diseases, liver, and psychiatry.

Kristen is a board certified and licenced physician from the Pennsylvania State University School of Medicine, and completed her Internship and Residency in Internal Medicine at Abington Memorial Hospital, before working as a primary care practitioner in a private practice. From there Kristen moved to the FDA in the GI and Hematology division, where she was responsible for reviewing efficacy and safety for all new indications, as well as post-marketing safety for over 40 drugs. Kristen spent time working at AstraZeneca in clinical development and in its Innovative Medicines group.

“We are delighted to appoint Dr Kristen Buck as our new Chief Medical Officer,” said Steve Cutler, ICON’s Chief Executive Officer. “Kristen’s appointment will improve coordination and access to the significant medical and scientific resources and expertise we have at ICON. We will focus this expertise on helping our customers negotiate challenges, as we constantly strive to improve our services and respond to the latest issues and developments in science and medicine.”

“I’m excited to be leading ICON’s position on clinical development trends, and reviewing and advising on our medical risks as the world wrestles with the Covid-19 pandemic,” said Dr. Buck. “Patient centricity is ever more important in the current climate and I look forward to working with the wider ICON team to broaden our insights and expand our expertise.”