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Company Leadership
Akaza's accomplished and rapidly growing team is focused on increasing the productivity of your clinical research. Company staff comprises people with diverse backgrounds in clinical research, information technology, and customer relations. Our trainers have clinical experience. Our support is handled in-house by highly trained employees. Our technologists are sought after in their fields. Together, we deliver a new standard for successful clinical research.
Cal Collins
Chief Executive Officer
Cal Collins has served as Chief Executive Officer of Akaza Research since 2003 and was elected to the Akaza’s Board of Directors in 2006. During this time he has spearheaded the development of OpenClinica, the world’s leading open source system for Electronic Data Capture (EDC) in clinical studies. Mr. Collins has also led clinical informatics collaborations with the National Cancer Institute, the National Center for Research Resources, and the NIH’s Center for Information Technology. Prior to Akaza, Cal served as the Chief Technology Officer of a consulting firm where he oversaw diverse engagements across the spectrum of clinical research. Mr. Collins is a graduate of Harvard University.
Benjamin Baumann
Director of Business Development
Mr. Baumann brings a history of successful entrepreneurial ventures to Akaza Research and joined the company at its inception in 2003. Previous
to his role at Akaza Research, Mr. Baumann ran a consulting company that provided technology consulting and implementation services to leading
life sciences institutions such as the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, and several leading academic medical centers.
Mr. Baumann holds a degree in economics from Harvard University.
Tom Hickerson
Senior Project Coordinator
Mr. Hickerson holds a BA from the University of Texas at Austin, and an MS in Computer Science together with an MA in Law and Diplomacy from Tufts University. At Akaza, Mr. Hickerson focuses on development of the OpenClinica platform, including architecture, planning, development, releases, and resources management.
In 2001, Mr. Hickerson successfully completed studies at ArsDigita University, an initiative founded by MIT professors to grant a computer science degree in an intensive, eleven-month curriculum. He is one of only 36 people to have earned this distinction.
Prior to joining Akaza, Tom worked at ETS/financialcampus.com, developing online education solutions for financial clients including New York Life, AXA Advisors and Waddell & Reed. Mr. Hickerson is fluent in Russian, having spent over five years in Russia and the Ukraine.
Jeff Halperin
Account Executive
Jeff Halperin has extensive experience in the managing software development and IT projects in support of clinical trials. Prior to joining Akaza, Jeff worked at Phase Forward, where he led domestic and offshore development teams in EDC projects for clients ranging from the largest pharmaceutical companies to startups in biotechnology and medical devices. Previously, Jeff worked for Japan's second-largest pharmaceutical company, Daiichi Sankyo, where he led the acquisition and implementation of a project/portfolio management system, used by more than 100 employees worldwide. This project was one of the fastest implementations of Planisware OPX2 Pharma on record, delivering data that was used to plan the consolidation of drug development projects with combined budgets of over $100 million during the merger that formed Daiichi Sankyo.
Prior to Daiichi Sankyo, Jeff managed software development and internationalization services projects and international business development for companies including Extraction Systems, Basis Technology, and Charles View Software, which was acquired by Microsoft. Jeff is fluent in Japanese, and has studied at Babson College's F.W. Olin Graduate School of Business, and Waseda University in Tokyo. He holds a B.A. in East Asian Studies from Harvard.
Bob Palladino
Director
Bob Palladino has served in executive roles at leading public and private healthcare and biotechnology companies. He has served as COO and CFO of medical device maker Microsulis, a 3i portfolio company, and as Executive Vice President and CFO of BioSphere Medical (NASDQ: BSMD) where he led equity offerings that raised over $60 million. In 1999, as CFO of Coretek, Inc., Mr. Palladino raised $20 million in private funding and oversaw sale of the company to Nortel. From the mid-1980’s through the 1990’s he held executive positions at three public companies where his responsibilities included operations management, mergers and acquisitions, financings, and strategic planning. Mr. Palladino earned an MBA in Entrepreneurial Studies and Finance from Babson College. He serves on the audit committee of Boston Biomedical Research Institute, Chairs the Advisory Committee of MedStart Solutions, Inc., and is a member of the MIT Enterprise Forum.
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