Yissum Research Development Company, the tech-transfer arm of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, said this week that Yaacov Michlin will become its new CEO as of May 1.
Michlin is a former partner in the Israeli law firm of Tulchinsky Stern Marciano Cohen & Co. He holds a bachelor of law and economics and a bachelor of law from Bar-Ilan University, and an MBA from the Technion Israel Institute of Technology.
Michlin will assume responsibilities from Yehuda Yarmut, who has been serving as interim CEO since former president and CEO Nava Swersky Sofer left the organization in December (see BTW, 12/31/08). Yissum also said that Yarmut has been promoted to the position of deputy CEO. He previously served as executive vice president of licensing and IP.
Canadian specialty pharmaceutical company Biovail said this week that Rochelle Seide has been appointed vice president of intellectual property at Biovail Laboratories International SRL.
Biovail said that Seide has more than 23 years of experience as a patent attorney, mostly in the life sciences arena. Prior to joining Biovail, she was senior counsel at Schwegman, Lundberg, and Woessner, a Minneapolis-based law firm focusing on the biotechnology and pharmaceutical sectors.
Prior to this, she was a partner in the New York office of Arent Fox, where she practiced in the IP and life sciences groups. She also has served as co-head of the biotechnology practice in the New York office of Baker Botts.
Seide holds an MS in biology and immunology from Long Island University and a PhD in human genetics from Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York. She also holds a JD from the University of Akron School of Law.
The Kansas City Business Journal reported last week that Dan Getman has been named president of the Kansas City Area Life Sciences Institute. He will succeed Bill Duncan, the institute's first and only president, who is retiring on April 15.
Getman joins KCA-LSI from Pfizer, where he served as vice president of research at the company's St. Louis facility. He holds a PhD in organic chemistry from the University of Minnesota and a BS in chemistry from the State University of New York at Buffalo.
LifeScience Alley, a trade association serving the life science industry in the upper Midwest, said this week that Steve Mertens, senior vice president of R&D at Boston Scientific, has been elected chair of LifeScience Alley's board of directors.
LifeScience Alley also said that Doug Astry, general manager of diagnostics and drug discovery for SurModics, has been re-elected as secretary; and Ruth Lane, president and CEO of AllOut Marketing, has been re-elected as vice chair of the organization.
Other newly elected board members include Timothy Frischmon, principal at Furst Group; and James Woodburn, managing partner at Woodburn Health Consulting.
Other re-elected officers include Richard Creager, corporate vice president of Beckman Coulter; Charles Montreuil, vice president of enterprise rewards for Best Buy; and Stephen Snyder, global marketing director for Cargill.