Astellas names new head of medical excellence

Astellas has announced the appointment of Dr Shontelle Dodson as the new leader of its medical excellence function.

Dr Dodson, who has been with the company since 2012, has been appointed as vice-president for medical excellence within the medical affairs unit. She will be based at Astellas' global headquarters for its medical and development functions in Illinois.

Her role will encompass functions such as global medical communications, scientific publications, health economics and outcomes research, and medical affairs research and grants.

Since joining Astellas in 2012, Dr Dodson has led the firm's health economics and clinical outcomes research team in the Americas, overseeing a number of pioneering real-world data projects.

Dr Charlotte Kremer, executive vice-president for medical affairs at the company, said: "Her diverse experience across the different facets of medical affairs in industry roles and prior work in clinical settings will offer the insights needed to help Astellas continue to address the unmet needs of our patients."

This comes after the firm appointed Eric Terhaerdt as its new senior vice-president of global development operations earlier this year.