As strategic advisors, Olson and Hancock contribute to Advanced Clinical’s Industry Leading R&D Performance (ILRDP) framework that seeks to make the “business of R&D” more effective and efficient for Life Sciences companies. Partners in life and business, Olson and Hancock offer specialized but complimentary roles. Olson specializes in clinical support and clinical projects, and has held leadership roles at both Immtech Pharmaceuticals and Abbott Laboratories. Hancock’s area of focus is medical writing, and he has held leadership roles at Takeda Global Research & Development and Pharmacia/Searle. After years of experience of conducting industry research and providing medical care, they joined together to offer pharmaceutical consulting services under an umbrella company, Sapphire Oak Consultants.
“The goal of Sapphire Oak Consultants is to provide a positive impact in the pharmaceutical industry,” said Carol Olson. “By teaming up with Advanced Clinical, we have a broader audience and a broader opportunity to have that positive impact on the industry.”
In Olson’s career, the most rewarding and influential products she worked on were developing drug treatments for Helicobacter pylori, the bacteria that causes an infectious peptic ulcer disease, and for African sleeping sickness, a potentially fatal disease for which millions of residents of sub-Saharan Africa are at risk. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation supported the African sleeping sickness program, and Olson gained unique experience in directing the clinical and regulatory aspects of the program that addressed this significant neglected disease.
“I have a strong understanding of what I’m trying to accomplish and hold a high standard for ethical conduct in my work,” said Carol Olson. “I know what I know, and I’m not afraid to admit what I don’t. For this reason, I have gained a reputation over the years of providing solid, ethical judgment and leadership, as well as building highly functioning teams.”
For Hancock, his influential moment came when he received confirmation that his team had contributed to Takeda’s successful submission of their first New Drug Application (NDA) in Common Technical Document (CTD) format. This moment validated Hancock’s leadership in building the company’s medical writing capability and crystallized for him the importance of recognizing and managing the complex interactions required to submit drug applications and address the challenges associated with developing a new format.
“In the pharmaceutical industry, you cannot prejudge what the results will be in a project,” said Larry Hancock. “Judge results and experiences as they stand individually. Then take that knowledge to the next project so that you can work from a more global perspective. Recognize that there are other possibilities available and new paths to follow.”
As a team, they consistently challenge widely accepted opinions to make progress in the pharmaceutical industry, a trait they each learned at the University of Chicago, where they first met.
“We are not willing to just go with the flow. The quest of knowledge is more important than having the praise of the dominant group,” said Olson.
Hancock added, “From a medical writing perspective, you have to build a case and a conclusion. The whole concept of how you’re analyzing programs and systems is to look at everything objectively, rather than coming with the bias and baggage and an inflexible way of doing things. Many in this industry can be focused on doing things quickly rather than doing things efficiently. They begin to focus on arriving at milestones, rather than measuring the progress being made toward achieving a final result.”
Carol Olson and Larry Hancock are looking to make a positive, sustainable impact on the life sciences industry as members of Advanced Clinical’s strategic advisory ecosystem.
About Advanced Clinical: Advanced Clinical provides consulting services, strategic sourcing (CRO), talent management, and technology solutions to the Life Sciences industry. With 15+ years of experience, Advanced Clinical is an established presence in the clinical research field, providing services specifically for Pharmaceutical, Biopharmaceutical,
Biotechnology and Medical Device organizations. Advanced utilizes a value-based, “One Team” approach. To learn more, visit http://www.advancedclinical.com.
Contact: Rosemarie Truman rtruman@advancedclinical.com 1200 Lakeside Drive Bannockburn, IL 60015 Ph: 202-438-2208
