mdgroup, the leading global provider of personalised clinical study services, has appointed Dr Arthur Lazarus as Medical Director.
Dr Lazarus will also be speaking at SCOPE 2022 on Thursday 10th February,11.30am ET, discussing how proper selection of healthcare providers for remote patient visits improves data integrity and monitoring. He will be sharing how the latest medical technologies meet patient care to create remarkable patient experiences, and the important factors to consider when selecting Healthcare Professionals for mobile health patient visits.
Dr Lazarus was a practising psychiatrist for 20 years before becoming interested in population healthcare and global impact, leading to careers in health insurance and the pharmaceutical industry. He has been referred to as a ‘double agent’ – working for large corporations while simultaneously advocating for patients, helping them overcome barriers and access better treatments.
“I’ve always been an advocate for patients,” said Dr Lazarus. “When I worked in health insurance, people told me I’d gone to the ‘dark side’ but I never saw it that way. Instead, I found ways to get patients the services they needed and overcome bureaucratic barriers. Being called a ‘double agent’ was the best compliment I ever received from a fellow physician. He wanted more time in hospital for his patient and I helped him get it even though the insurance company wasn’t keen.”
In his role as Medical Director, Dr Lazarus will expand mdgroup’s mobile health services. He will also ensure protocols are scientifically sound, looking at inclusion and exclusion criteria and evaluating requirements of physical exams to enable greater efficiency in resource allocation and planning.
Tarquin Scadding-Hunt, CEO of mdgroup, said: “Dr Lazarus’ background in clinical development, patient safety and medical marketing brings a wealth of experience to the mdgroup. Our philosophy is that if you start with excellence, you produce excellence and I believe Dr Lazarus will help us achieve even greater excellence in our mobile health services and beyond.”
Dr Lazarus will help strengthen mdgroup’s role as the interface between multiple parties in clinical trials. He will make sure clinical sites know they can trust mdgroup to perform mobile health components to the highest possible standards and help them embrace the opportunities of decentralisation. He is keen to ‘break the mould’ of old-fashioned thinking throughout the healthcare industry.
Dr Lazarus said: “Ultimately, it’s all about the patients. We’re starting to see that reflected in television commercials in the US – they thank the trial sites, investigators and patients who participated in the trial to bring this drug to market. Patients are starting to get the recognition they deserve. They’re heroes because they’re testing products before they’re approved for marketing and distribution. That’s bravery. That’s courage. We should always come back to that recognition.”
Dr Lazarus has a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Boston University and an MBA from Temple University. In 1980 he graduated as a Doctor of Medicine from Temple University – Lewis Katz School of Medicine.
He is a Doximity Luminary Fellow, an Elsevier for Health Peer Reviewer and an Editorial Board Member for the American Association for Physician Leadership.
