PRINCETON, NJ - Oct 2, 2014 - WIRB-Copernicus Group (WCG), the world's largest provider of regulatory and ethical review services and software to support clinical research, announced today that Lindsay McNair M.D., M.P.H., M.S.B., has been promoted to chief medical officer.

“As a physician, clinical investigator, consultant, and former academic institutional review board (IRB) member, Dr. McNair brings her extensive experience of both drug development and the ethical oversight of research to our organization,” said WCG Chairman and CEO Donald A. Deieso, Ph.D. “With this powerful background, Dr. McNair will support WCG’s clinical professionals and clients in making decisions that create efficient and effective clinical development programs that respect and protect the well-being of clinical trial participants.”

Dr. McNair will guide the activities of more than 50 clinicians including physicians, nurses, and biosafety experts. She has more than 15 years’ experience providing medical guidance on clinical development strategies and study designs for new drugs. In her previous roles in the pharmaceutical industry, she has delivered medical oversight for all phases of clinical studies in a variety of therapeutic areas, including multiple oncology indications, hepatitis C, psoriasis and multiple sclerosis. In addition, Dr. McNair provides exceptional ethical guidance, having founded the Human Subject Protection Committee at Vertex Pharmaceuticals.

Actively involved in her field and co-author of more than 40 published papers and abstracts, Dr. McNair most recently has a paper in press in Annals of Surgery, entitled, “Assessing Awareness and Implementation of a Recommendation for Surgical Innovation Committees: A Survey of Academic Institutions.” She is also an associate editor for the Journal of Empirical Research on Human Research Ethics, and a peer reviewer for the Journal of Law, Medicine and Ethics.

Dr. McNair serves as an adjunct associate professor at the Boston University School of Public Health, and was a member of the Boston University Medical Center IRB. She is also a member of The World Council for Ethical Standards; the Ethical Protocol Development Committee at the Multi-Regional Clinical Trials (MRCT) Center, which is administered by Harvard; the ethics committee for Care Dimensions, formerly known as the Hospice of North Shore and Greater Boston; and Public Responsibility in Medicine and Research (PRIM&R).

Dr. McNair graduated from the University of Connecticut School of Medicine and trained in general surgery at Boston University Medical Center. She has a master of public health degree from Boston University School of Public Health, and a master of science in bioethics degree from Union Graduate College.

About the WIRB-Copernicus Group

WIRB-Copernicus Group (WCG) is the world's largest provider of regulatory and ethical solutions for clinical research, including Institutional Review Board (IRB) and Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) review. The pioneer of independent ethical oversight, WCG continues to drive progress in the clinical research space. Today, WCG’s solutions are built upon the foundation of ethical review, but have grown to include a suite of complementary services and technologies. These offerings include electronic informed-consent solutions, interactive Part 11-compliant online learning management solutions for clinical research professionals, and software compliance and research oversight solutions for institutions. WCG leverages its industry insight to stimulate growth, foster compliance, and maximize efficiency for those who perform clinical trials.

For more information, please visit www.wcgclinical.com or follow us on Twitter @WCGClinical.