Trestle Taps McKerlie and Montgomery for Advisory Board
Trestle Holdings Inc has appointed two experts to its medical advisory board. Colin McKerlie, PhD, brings extensive experience in the area of applied gene research, while Charles A. Montgomery, PhD, is an expert in the field of comparative pathology and the development of animal models for human disease.

“As Trestle continues to develop its digital pathology work flow business and its biopharmaceutical services, we are focused on providing products that not only allow for rapid and high-quality digital imaging, but also are designed to deliver efficiencies and improved work flow using digital imaging. Our customers are applying these products to drug discovery and safety, and quantitative histopathology,” says Maurizio Vecchione, CEO of Trestle Holdings Inc. “The track records of Drs McKerlie and Montgomery in these areas will assist Trestle in bringing to market new products and expanding the products around our new work-flow and imaging-services platforms.”

McKerlie is an associate professor in the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology at the University of Toronto, and a scientist at The Hospital for Sick Children and the Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute at Mount Sinai Hospital.

Montgomery’s broad experience in comparative and veterinary pathology includes 21 years as a leading pathologist in the United States Army and the United States Public Health Service, head of pathology for the Tennessee-based firm Biotherapeutics, and 10 years as director of comparative medicine at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. He is presently president of ComPath, a consulting firm in toxicology and toxico logic pathology.

ThermoSafe Brands Appoints O’Donnell
Kevin O’Donnell has been named technical manager for ThermoSafe Brands, a division of SCA Packaging North America. With more than 20 years of cold chain experience, O’Donnell will provide technical analyses and support for ThermoSafe account managers, ISC Labs test personnel, and customers. He will also help design and develop new products.

Tm Bioscience Adds New Board Member
Trevor L. Hawkins, PhD, chief science and technology officer at MDS Inc, has joined Tm Bioscience Corporation’s board of directors. Hawkins previously served as president of the molecular diagnostics business unit at GE Healthcare, where he oversaw GE Healthcare’s move into molecular diagnostics as part of its personalized medicine initiatives. Previously, he held the position of senior vice president of development and new business initiatives and senior vice president of genomics at Amersham Biosciences. Hawkins has significant expertise in the area of genomics, and he directed the US Department of Energy’s Human Genome Project at the Joint Genome Institute. He has published more than 50 papers and holds several patents.

“We are very pleased to welcome Dr Hawkins to Tm’s board of directors. His extensive experience and established relationships within the molecular diagnostics industry and the US genetic testing community will significantly strengthen our board,” says Greg Hines, president and CEO of Tm Bioscience. “Dr Hawkins’ valuable strategic insights, industry exposure, and executive-level experience will ensure that Tm continues to succeed in achieving its aggressive growth objectives.”

Hawkins replaces W. Geoffrey Beattie, who served on Tm’s board for 7 years.

Wathen Joins IBT Reference Lab
Lynne Wathen, PhD, has joined IBT Reference Laboratory as director of pharmaceutical services. She will help position IBT Reference Laboratory to respond to the increased demand for its specialized assay-development and testing services from pharmaceutical and biotechnology clients in support of clinical trials. She joins IBT from Amgen in Thousand Oaks, Calif.

Olson Joins Exagen Diagnostics
Dale Olson has joined Exagen Diagnostics Inc as director, finance and administration. He comes to Exagen with 14 years of health care industry experience, most recently as CEO of Lovelace Sandia Health System Rehabilitation Hospital of New Mexico. Before that, Olson served as principal/president of Sandia Consulting Inc, a health care consulting firm with clients in Arizona, California, Michigan, and New Mexico. He was also vice president/COO at Memorial Medical Center in Las Cruces, New Mexico, and administrator for Healthsouth Rehabilitation Hospital in Albuquerque.

Groton Biosystems Promotes O’Flaherty
Groton Biosystems has promoted Brian O’Flaherty, PhD, to sales manager. He will focus on key account management as well as the day-to-day management of the newly established European and Asian distribution network.

O’Flaherty joined the company in 2003 as senior sales engineer. “This promotion recognizes the outstanding customer service Brian has provided to our customers,” says Bill Dinardo, CEO of Groton Biosystems. “I have worked closely with him and am confident he will do an excellent job in his new position leading our international distributors.”

Labtronics Appoints Bushey
Labtronics Inc, provider of laboratory data-integration and management software solutions, has named William Bushey project manager. Bushey will oversee Labtronics’ implementation and validation services, ensuring that customers gain maximum benefit from their software investment and are in full compliance with all regulatory guidelines. He brings more than 15 years of validation, information technology, and laboratory experience to Labtronics.

Mediware Information Systems Outlines Division-Management Change
Mediware Information Systems Inc announces the planned transition of leadership in its Medication Management Division. Kevin Ketzel will become general manager of the division, replacing Michael Crabtree, the division’s president, effective March 31. Crabtree will continue to assist Ketzel with the transition and be actively involved in the company as executive vice president of Corporate Business Development.

“Mike has done a terrific job of building a top-notch team of people with great products. WORx®, MediMAR®, and MediCOE™ are well-positioned for success due to Mike’s significant contributions, and we are confident that Kevin, with his leadership skills and strong industry experience, will build on this success,” says James Burgess, Mediware’s CEO.

COLA Recognizes Vedadghavami
Prostate Oncology Specialists Inc’s Nahid Vedadghavami, MT, has met all criteria for laboratory accreditation by the Commission on Office Laboratory Accreditation (COLA). “Vedadghavami has earned COLA accreditation as a result of a long-term commitment to provide quality service to her patients,” says Mark Scholz, Prostate Oncology Specialists’ clinical lab director and medical director.

Vedadghavami has more than 15 years of experience as a clinical laboratory scientist. She earned a bachelor’s degree in biology at California State University at Northridge, and completed her medical-technology internship at Saint Mary’s Hospital in Long Beach, Calif. At Prostate Oncology Specialists, her primary duty is to run proficiencies to ensure that standards on all labs are 100% accurate. In 2001, she received a COLA Award for Excellence for her laboratory work.