Scope of Things

Podcast Host

Deborah BorfitzDeborah Borfitz
Deborah Borfitz serves as host of The Scope of Things podcast. She is also senior science writer for Cambridge Healthtech Institute and is the lead contributor to Clinical Research News, Bio-IT World, and Diagnostics World News. Deborah has a long and varied career in journalism, much of it as an independent writer with a heavy focus on healthcare and clinical research. She was introduced to the world of clinical trials 25 years ago by advisory board member Ken Getz and in 2001 co-authored a book with him on the informed consent process.

Advisory Board

Ken Getz, MBAKen Getz, MBA
Ken Getz is the executive director and a professor at the Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development, Tufts University School of Medicine, as well as founder and chairman of the nonprofit organization CISCRP dedicated to educating and raising public and patient awareness of the clinical research enterprise. He additionally serves as president of the Otsuka Patient Assistance Foundation. Ken is an internationally recognized speaker who has published extensively on the topic of clinical research and holds numerous board appointments in the private and public sectors. CenterWatch, a leading publisher in the clinical trials industry, is one of several businesses he has created and sold.

Ramita TandonRamita Tandon
In her role as chief clinical trials officer for Walgreens, Ramita Tandon enables next-generation clinical trials that efficiently match diverse patient populations to sponsor-led trials, thereby reducing trial operational complexities and patient burdens. Ramita has more than 25 years of leadership and operational experience across a portfolio of industry-leading businesses and services in real-world evidence and patient-centered health outcomes. She is an internationally recognized speaker and author focused on bridging the gap between commercial and clinical development and was formerly chief operating officer at Trio Health and executive vice president of commercialization and outcomes at ICON.

Joseph Kim, MBAJoseph Kim, MBA
Joseph Kim serves as chief strategy officer for ProofPilot and brings with him more than two decades of pharmaceutical expertise, including most recently his role as a senior advisor in Lilly’s Digital Health Office. He has worked across all phases of clinical research and for a wide variety of organizations, including multiple industry sponsors (e.g., Merck and Takeda), contract research organizations, and technology vendors. Joseph made the “The Medicine Maker Power List” and has been recognized by CenterWatch as one of the “20 Innovators Changing the Face of the Clinical Trials Industry.”

Ramona Burress, PharmD, MBARamona Burress, PharmD, MBA
Ramona Burress is head of patient engagement and insights in the Center for Health Equity and Patient Affairs at Takeda Pharmaceuticals. She is a licensed clinical pharmacist and accomplished leader with more than two decades of experience advancing positive patient outcomes and equity within healthcare. Previously, Ramona served as director of diversity and inclusion in clinical trials at Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson where she designed external stakeholder partnerships critical to increasing participation of underrepresented and underserved populations. She mastered her results-driven approach in a former role as a healthcare specialty supervisor for Walgreens.

Shamim RuffShamim Ruff
Shamim Ruff is chief regulatory officer and senior vice president of quality at Stoke Therapeutics, and previously served in the same role at Sarepta Therapeutics. She has more than 25 years of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry across a multitude of therapeutic areas and modalities, and her expertise in domestic and international regulatory affairs spans all stages of drug development and fields of study. Shamim’s regulatory knowhow was honed while holding senior positions with industry leading companies Sanofi, Amgen, Abbott, and AstraZeneca.