Dr Helen Allars
Chairperson
Helen has always had a passion for medical research. She majored in Biochemistry and Chemistry and was the first Science student to do Honours in Cell Pathology at Sydney University. She followed this up with a Masters in Cell Pathology, conducting cystic fibrosis research at Children’s Medical Research Foundation (CMRF). A few years in the Clinical Pharmacology Department at St Vincent’s Hospital, mentored by Prof Denis Wade, saw Helen awarded a PhD for research into phospholipid turnover in dopamine receptors in guinea pig striatal nerve endings.
Helen spent some time teaching pharmacology at UNSW before the pharmaceutical industry lured her with a role as a CRA at SmithKline & French. Helen’s interest in statistics and collection of clinical data saw the introduction of the first computer into the SKF medical department. Family commitments encouraged Helen to work from home as a consultant while she studied statistics.
As clients became more plentiful, Helen was able to take on staff and Datapharm Australia was born in 1987. Since then, she has managed and mentored a diverse and enthusiastic team. As the company expanded, so have Helen’s abilities and today the company continues to thrive under her care now as Chairperson.
John Edington
CEO
Graduated as a Civil Engineer from Sydney University in 1972 and worked in design and construction roles with the Water Board and Federal Department of Construction. Created a hydraulic design consulting business and followed this as an environmental engineer/business development manager for a private engineering consulting company. Developed and implemented Datapharm’s administration and project management processes using the multi-discipline design office matrix organisation model. John was fortunate to have had 20 years in the Army Reserve and has been a keen water polo player for many years. John’s main interests are family, business, friends, building and innovating where ever possible.
Jim Sockler
Manager of Programming & Statistics, PhD
Texas born and bred, Jim taught sports physiology for some years at Colorado State University before coming to Australia in 1991 to become Assoc. Prof. and head of school at UNSW department of sport and leisure studies. In 1999, Jim became Principal at the Australian College of Physical Education (ACPE) at Homebush where he remained until 2003 when he left academia to pursue a career in statistics, a subject he had taught for over 20 years. He came to Datapharm in 2005 where, as Manager of Statistical Operations and Programming, he co-ordinates our team of statisticians and programmers. The team is well integrated and organised and the smooth operation of multiple projects is the norm under Jim’s expert care.
Contact Jim directly at jim.sockler@datapharmaustralia.com
Dr Matthew Borg
Biostatistician | MBBS, BMedSci(Hons), GBiostat, MBiostat, PhD
Dr Borg graduated from University of Adelaide as a medical doctor. He then pursued a career as a biostatistician, joining Datapharm in 2018 and completing a Master of Biostatistics as a Star Graduate and a PhD in Public Health with a Dean's Commendation. At Datapharm, he is responsible for planning, conducting and reviewing statistical analyses, and teaching statistics. He is highly knowledgeable with a broad range of statistical models spanning from simple t-tests to generalised linear mixed models, a fan of reproducible research and is multilingual with the statistical languages R, SAS and Stata.
Contact Matt directly at matthew.borg@datapharmaustralia.com
Dr Howard Geldard
Quality Manager & GCP Compliance Auditor
Dr Geldard graduated as a Veterinarian from Sydney University and has worked in every aspect of both veterinary and medical clinical trials since. He has been responsible for many advances in the development of key animal and human pharmaceuticals and has held senior management positions with Squibb, Glaxo UK, IDT and Datapharm Australia. He has worked in clinical trials in over 16 countries throughout Europe, Africa and Asia-Pacific. Dr Geldard is now working as Datapharm Australia’s Quality Manager & GCP Compliance Auditor.
Contact Howard directly at howard.geldard@datapharmaustralia.com
Frances Scroope
Monitors’ Support Manager/ Senior CRA
After graduating from Sydney University with a Bachelor of Education degree, Frances commenced her nursing training at the Royal North Shore Hospital in Sydney. She was able to combine her experience in Education and Nursing when she took on the role of Clinical Educator for the Post Graduate Cardiothoracic Course at the hospital in 1989. Frances’ next role as a Study Coordinator introduced her to the world of Clinical Research and from there to a CRA role at Roche Products Pty Ltd. Having gained valuable experience as a Senior CRA at Roche, Frances commenced at Datapharm in 2007. She now uses her English Literature, Clinical and Research backgrounds to mentor, train and support the monitoring team.
Contact Frances directly at frances.scroope@datapharmaustralia.com
Luke Edington
Clinical Project Manager and Business Development Manager
University of Sydney Honours Graduate in Pharmacology, also studied International Business, with a focus on marketing and international business strategy. Luke started at Datapharm Australia as a graduate, progressing in the clinical department as a CTA, CRA, Lead CRA, CCRA to Senior CRA , Clinical Project Manager and Head of the Monitoring Team. Luke now has over 10 years experience in clinical research, and manages projects both early and late phase clinical trials in various therapeutic areas. Luke has a passion for achieving goals, enjoys working with different people, and gains satisfaction from solving Sponsors’ challenges. Luke also plays an important role in business development activities for Datapharm Australia.
Contact Luke directly at luke.edington@datapharmaustralia.com
Dr Alison Chan
Medical Monitor and Australian Pharmacovigilance Contact Person
Alison holds an MBBS (Hons 1) from the University of Sydney and a BSc (Hons 1 and University Medal) from the Australian National University. She has over 15 years experience working in clinical research and in emergency medicine. Since 2018, Alison has worked at Datapharm, with responsibility for the company’s medical monitoring and pharmacovigilance services. She has a personal interest in brain health, autoimmune disorders, and neuro-oncology.
Contact Alison directly at alison.chan@datapharmaustralia.com