CRI Worldwide

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• Clinical Quality System
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Meet Our Physicians

Quality care leads to quality results. Our knowledgeable, experienced medical staff makes the difference when it comes to thoughtful care, a critical eye to results, and good medicine. Get to know some of the people that make CRI the caring leader in clinical research.

A letter from one of our patients…

“To the Entire Staff:

I'd like to take a moment of your time and let you know what you have done for me. You know someone once mentioned that it is in the darkest skies when the brightest stars are seen. I now believe that, thanks to each and every one of you at CRI. You are without a doubt the most kind, caring human beings that I have ever been given the opportunity to meet. I thank the Lord for allowing our paths to cross and for you extending the hand of help and love in my direction. All that you have done and continue to do for me is greatly appreciated. I am sure that the Lord will see fit to reward each of you for the wonderful job that your heart guides you to do each day. Thank you so much for IMPROVING THE QUALITY of MY LIFE. Without your concern, I am sure that the genuine feeling that my life IS valuable would have never been placed in my heart as it is today. I love you all very much. Each and every one of you holds a special place in my heart.

With wholehearted sincerity”,
[name withheld]

• Dr. Howard Hassman

  Chief Scientific Officer, Principal Investigator

  Dr. Howard Hassman has over 25 years of experience in clinical research. He has teamed with the most respected organizations conducting studies that have led to numerous medical and technological breakthroughs. Dr. Hassman began conducting clinical trials in 1982 and is considered an expert in the field of psychopharmacology. He is Board Certified in Family Practice as an Osteopathic Physician and Surgeon in California, Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

  Dr. Hassman received his medical degree from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine in 1983. He conducted his rotating internship at the John F. Kennedy Memorial Hospital University of Medicine and Dentistry and trained as an investigator with W. George Case, MD, Director of Training in the Conduct of Clinical Research at the University of Pennsylvania. He also trained for 13 years as an investigator with Karl Rickles, MD, Chairman of the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Hassman worked as an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania from 1984 to 1993. While teaching, he also worked for The Prudential Insurance Company of America as a Medical Director for PruCare Plus of San Diego. From 1984 through 1997, Dr. Hassman worked as a General Practitioner at the Family Practice Associates of San Diego, Inc. Dr. Hassman also worked together with Dr. Karl Rickels at his research facility, CMCR, where he was the Medical Director during this time.

  In 1998, he established CNS Research Institute (now CRI Worldwide) and currently serves as its Chief Scientific Officer. Currently, he is on the Advisory Board at Eli Lilly & Co. for Atomoxetine in ADD and ADHD for pediatrics, adolescents and adults. He is also a member of the Scientific Advisory Group at Organon, Inc. for The New Treatment Option for the Mature Depressed Patient, and serves on the Advisory Panel for Adult ADHD at Novartis.

  Dr. Hassman’s many publications include his book, Alternative Treatments for Common Conditions, Copyright © 2000 by Quality Medical Publishing, Inc.; the posters, “Mirtazapine vs. Sertraline after SSRI Non-Response”, and “Mirtazapine vs. Paroxetine in Elderly Depressed Patients”; articles such as, “Antidepressants for the Treatment of Generalized Anxiety Disorder: A Placebo Controlled Comparison of Imipramine”, “Trazodone and Diazepam,” “Buspirone and Imipramine for Treatment of Major Depression in the Elderly”, “Adinazolam, Diazepam, Imipramine and Placebo in Major Depressive Disorder, A Controlled Study” and “Comparative Study of the Clinical Effectiveness of a Pyrethrin-Based Pediculicide with Combing Versus a Permethrin-Based Pediculide with Combing”; and the clinical abstract “Longterm Efficacy and Safety of Rosuvastatin: Results of a 52-week Comparator-Controlled Trial Versus Pravastatin and Simvastatin”, and “Multi-site, Open Label, Observational Study of the Effectiveness and Safety of Remeron SolTab (Mirtazapine Orally Disintegrating Tablets in Depressed Patients Who Are at Least 50 Years of Age)”. Dr. Hassman has lectured extensively on these and related topics.

• Dr. Steven J. Glass, MD

  Psychiatric Medical Director, Principal Investigator

  Dr. Steven Glass is highly qualified in the fields of psychiatry and mental health. He joined CNS Research Institute (now CRI Worldwide) as the Psychiatric Medical Director. He received an MD from Thomas Jefferson Medical College and a Bachelor of Arts in Biology from Swarthmore College. He completed a psychiatric residency at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, where he served as the Chief Resident in Psychiatry. He is licensed to practice in New Jersey and Pennsylvania and has extensive experience in CNS clinical research.

  Dr. Glass also has vast experience in the healthcare industry and academia. He worked as the Medical Director for Inpatient Services at Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital, as President of Rainbow Healthcare Associates, as Medical Staff Director of the Mental Health Unit at Rancocas Hospital, as Chairman of the Department of Psychiatry at Bridgeton Division of the South Jersey Hospital System and as Medical Director of the Mental Health Unit at Underwood Memorial Hospital. Academically, he has held positions as Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Robert Wood Johnson School of Medicine, as Adjunct Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at Thomas Jefferson University, as Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Temple University School of Medicine and as Education Programs Faculty for the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations.

• David G. Krefetz, DO, MBA, FAPA, FACN

  Director of the Pediatric Center for Excellence, Principal Investigator

  Dr. David Krefetz is Board Certified in Psychiatry and in Child Adolescent Psychiatry by both the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, as well as by the American Osteopathic Board of Neurology and Psychiatry. He also has certification in Administrative Psychiatry by the American Psychiatric Association. Dr. Krefetz is currently the Director of the Pediatric Center for Excellence and has been a Principal Investigator at CRI Worldwide since 2004.

  He received his medical degree in 1985 from Des Moines University College of Osteopathic Medicine and Surgery in Iowa. He completed his undergraduate education at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, and graduated in 2002 from the Temple University-Fox School of Business Executive MBA program in Philadelphia. Dr. Krefetz completed his internship at Memorial Hospital in York, PA, and completed his Psychiatry Residency, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship at the Medical College of Pennsylvania/Eastern Pennsylvania Psychiatric Institute in Philadelphia.

  Previously, Dr. Krefetz was the Director of Education in Psychiatry at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey School of Osteopathic Medicine. Dr. Krefetz remains on the voluntary faculty at UMDNJ. Dr. Krefetz has clinical experience working in a variety of settings including inpatient, outpatient, community and schools. He has a special clinical interest in disruptive behavior, mood, and anxiety disorders in youth, as well as with patients of all ages with HIV illness. He has been the author of research studies on the evaluation of mood disorders in youth, as well as on the evaluation of depression and pain in persons with HIV illness.

  Dr. Krefetz has been a frequent presenter at both national and regional professional meetings including the annual meetings of the American Psychiatric Association and of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. He also served as Program Director of the Atlantic Regional Osteopathic Convention in 1996. Dr. Krefetz lectures frequently to the and, community and is a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and a Fellow of the American College of Neuropsychiatrists. He is a member of the Sigma Sigma Phi National Osteopathic Honor Fraternity and the Beta Gamma Sigma National Business Honor Society and has been a recipient of the Teaching Service Incentive Award at UMDNJ.

• Daniel Gruener, MD

  Director of the Center for the Research of Pain Disorders, Principal Investigator

  Dr. Daniel Gruener completed his psychiatric training at Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia in 1991 and served as Chief Resident in Psychiatry during his last year of residency. He has received additional training and is certified in psychiatry and pain medicine and has been on the volunteer teaching faculty of Jefferson Medical College since 1992. Dr. Gruener currently serves as Director of the Center for Pain Research and Principal Investigator at CRI.

  Active both academically and clinically, Dr. Gruener has divided his time between the fields of psychiatry and pain medicine. He is active in clinical and administrative work in psychiatry, and served as President of the Medical Staff of Friends Hospital in Philadelphia for two years and as Medical Director of Inpatient Services for several years. Dr. Gruener was also a member of the Board of Managers at Friends Hospital for four years where he founded the Friends Hospital Chronic Pain Management Program and served as its medical director.

  In addition to his administrative posts, Dr. Gruener is involved in clinical research, teaching, clinical practice, and writing in the fields of pain management and psychiatry. He has chaired numerous conferences, continuing medical education programs, advisory boards, and similar activities both nationally and internationally, and is a frequent invited lecturer. Active in many causes related to pain medicine, he is the immediate past President of the Greater Philadelphia Pain Society, the Mid-Atlantic branch of the American Pain Society. In addition, Dr. Gruener recently coauthored the textbook, Cognitive Therapy with Chronic Pain Patients, with Dr. Aaron Beck of the University of Pennsylvania.

  Also active in clinical practice, he continues serving a patient population. He was named one of the “Top Docs” by Philadelphia Magazine in 2002. His recent projects include serving as senior editor on a guide to treating pain in the primary care setting, Pain Control in the Primary Care Setting, which was published by the American Pain Society. Dr. Gruener also recently completed a guide to treating acute pain for Medscape, an Internet-based medical journal, and reviewed a guide book on pain pharmacology which is currently in press. Dr. Gruener performs consulting work, and his current activities include editing Emerging Solutions in Pain, a pain management Website for physicians; developing slide kits; and providing conference planning from a content perspective and marketing input from a clinical perspective for several medical education companies and pharmaceutical companies.

• Neil M. Sussman, MD, FAAN

  Executive Director, Neurologic Research Services

  Dr. Neil Sussman recently joined CRI Worldwide as Executive Director, Neurologic Research Services. Dr. Sussman is a Neurologist with subspecialty training in epilepsy and electroencephalography and has over 30 years of experience in clinical research.

  Dr. Sussman is Board Certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and is a Member of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine of the Royal Colleges of Physicians of the United Kingdom. Dr. Sussman completed a fellowship in the Comprehensive Epilepsy Program at University of Minnesota and a Fellowship in Neurology at University of Pennsylvania.

  Dr. Sussman has worked as a senior executive in Development and Medical Affairs with several pharmaceutical companies and Clinical Research Organizations (CRO’s) including Marion Merrell-Dow, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Forest Laboratories, Abbott Laboratories, PRA International, Kyowa Pharmaceuticals, and Biovail Pharmaceuticals.

  In addition to his extensive industry experience, Dr. Sussman conducted clinical practice within an academic setting at The Graduate Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and at The Medical College of Pennsylvania, both in Philadelphia, PA. Dr. Sussman has served as Associate Professor at the Medical College of Pennsylvania and an Adjunct Clinical Associate Professor at Yale University, both in the Department of Neurology.

  Dr. Sussman has been a member of several relevant medical societies including the American EEG Society, American Epilepsy Society, Movement Disorder Society, and the American Academy of Neurology.

  Dr. Sussman is the author or co-author of over 100 scientific articles, abstracts, and book chapters in the areas of Neurology, Psychiatry and Pain. Also, Dr. Sussman has written six patent applications, has one patent for CNS diseases, and has made important contributions to the NDAs for vigabatrin, escitalopram, and istradefylline.

  Dr. Sussman received a B.A. degree in Biology from Hofstra University in New York, and an M.D. from New York Medical College. He served in the Uniformed Services of the US as principal neurologist at the Public Health Service Hospital in Boston.

• Richard Fruncillo, MD, PhD

  Senior Director, Early Phase Research

  Dr. Richard Fruncillo has over 30 years of experience in clinical research. He joined CRI Worldwide as Senior Director, Early Phase Research, after spending almost 20 years as the head of Wyeth's Phase 1 Research Unit in Philadelphia where he was Principal Investigator for over 200 studies.

  Dr. Fruncillo is Board Certified in Internal Medicine and Clinical Pharmacology. Dr. Fruncillo received a B.A. degree in Chemistry from the University of Pennsylvania, and an M.D. from Hahnemann University. He began his career in clinical research as a medical student and received the Upjohn Research Award for his work on drug metabolism in inflammation. Later, Dr. Fruncillo went on to complete a Family Medicine Internship and received a Ph.D. in Biochemical Pharmacology while at Hahnemann.

  Subsequently, Dr. Fruncillo completed a fellowship in Clinical Pharmacology at Thomas Jefferson University where his research interest mainly involved Clinical Pharmacology of Cardiovascular agents. He then finished an Internal Medicine residency at Mercy Catholic Medical Center in Darby, Pennsylvania.

  Dr. Fruncillo has taught Basic and Clinical Pharmacology courses at both Hahnemann and Thomas Jefferson University. He has worked as an intensive care unit physician for almost 20 years, and has been a consultant to the legal profession in the areas of Clinical Pharmacology and toxicology.

  While at Wyeth, Dr. Fruncillo was Principal Investigator for many types of sophisticated Phase 1 studies, including first-in-man biologicals, CNS psychometric testing, elderly, renal failure, as well as many other complex therapeutic areas.

  Dr. Fruncillo is the author or co-author of over 60 scientific articles, abstracts, and book chapters in the areas of Clinical Pharmacology, Toxicology, Pharmacokinetics, and Pain Management. He has received numerous awards in Chemistry, Pharmacology, and Clinical Research. He is currently a member of the American Society for Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics (ASCPT), Phi, Beta Kappa, and American Mensa.

• Mark Novitsky, MD

  Sub-Investigator & Rater

  Dr. Novitsky has been a Principal Investigator, Sub-Investigator, and a Rater at CRI Worldwide since 2006. He is Board Certified by the American Board of Psychiatry & Neurology and specializes in CNS clinical research. Dr. Novitsky received his BS in Biology from Kings College in Wilkes-Barre, PA in 1975. He did coursework at Temple University in Philadelphia in 1977 and received his MD from Wake Forest School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, NC in 1982. Dr. Novitsky has extensive experience in geropsychiatric services including his work as the Medical Director of Geropsychiatric Services at the University of Pennsylvania Health Systems. He is also a member of several societies including the American Psychiatric Association, the Pennsylvania Psychiatric Society and the Philadelphia Psychiatric Society.