Veristat, the Science-First CRO^™ and consultancy, is a dynamic and growing organization backed by 30 years of expertise driven by scientific excellence.

Patrick Flanagan is Chief Executive Officer of Veristat, responsible for the company’s strategy, business management and financial performance. In collaboration with company leaders, Patrick oversees the development and implementation of Veristat’s organizational goals and business strategies, which include successfully spearheading integration planning for Veristat’s numerous acquisitions.

Patrick has built an impressive career—effectively leading organizations, successfully driving commercial growth and international expansion, and profoundly impacting healthcare around the globe. Prior to joining Veristat in 2013, Patrick supported the success of organizations across the consulting, healthcare, and software fields in business and financial management roles with increasing responsibility including at A.T. Kearney, Baxter International, Allegiance Healthcare and Oracle. Patrick served as Chief Operating Officer of Certara and the General Manager of Certara’s Pharsight Consulting Services Group, a Vector Capital portfolio company engaged in the business of providing consulting services and software to pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies.

Patrick plays an active role as an advocate of the rare disease community. Patrick, his family, and the Veristat team have been annual supporters for 8 years of Memorial Sloan Kettering's Cycle for Survival, the movement to beat rare cancers. Together, they have generated approximately $500,000 for cancer research.  

Beyond realizing successful business and financial results, Patrick has fostered a positive and inclusive corporate culture where employees are valued and recognized. He has been a steadfast champion of Veristat’s corporate values, rooted in teamwork and scientific excellence, viewing them as essential in helping to bring new therapies to market to save and extend lives. 

Patrick holds a BS in Business from Penn State University and an MBA with a concentration in Finance and Marketing from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University. Patrick is also an active father, skier, golfer, occasional marathon runner and aging tri-athlete. 

John Balser, PhD, co-founder, President & Chief Statistical Officer of Veristat, has developed the company as industry leaders in areas of clinical monitoring, data management, biostatistics and programming, medical writing, and project management. John is actively involved with clinical projects in his role as one of Veristat’s principal statistical consultants. In this role, he assists clients with clinical study design and program development based on his many years of experience in the statistical aspects of clinical research. He is often called upon to aid clients on a variety of statistical issues at meetings with regulatory agencies.

Prior to founding Veristat in 1994, John served as Vice President, Biostatistics, and Data Management at Medical & Technical Research Associates, Inc. He has held positions of increasing responsibility in the biostatistics departments at various pharmaceutical companies including E.R. Squibb, Biogen, and Miles.

John received his MS and PhD in Biometrics from Cornell University, and has been actively engaged in clinical biostatistics for over 30 years. John is an avid runner and has competed in the Boston Marathon.

Barbara Balser, VMD, co-founder, Executive Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer of Veristat, is primarily responsible for strategic planning and consulting, medical oversight and production of regulatory submission documents. Barbara has more than 30 years of clinical research experience that encompasses both the pharmaceutical and contract research organization industries. Her experience includes oversight and production of Investigational New Drug (IND) applications, regulatory agency briefing documents, preparation for and representation at advisory panel meetings, and consultation across Phase 1 to 4 trials in multiple therapeutic areas with a specific focus in oncology and anti-infectives.

Barbara has participated in the writing, oversight, and submission of multiple marketing applications to US, Canadian, Japanese, and European Union regulatory authorities. Prior to co-founding Veristat, Barbara served as Associate Director of Clinical Research at Medical & Technical Research Associates, Inc. where she was responsible for strategic planning, design, and management of clinical development programs; preparation and submission of regulatory applications; and scientific communications.Barbara began her career in the pharmaceutical industry at Miles, Inc. (currently Bayer Corporation). In her capacity as Assistant Director of Clinical Research at Miles, Barbara assisted with strategic planning for the clinical development of anti-infective compounds from Phases 2 to 4 and with the planning, writing, and compilation of two successful NDAs for anti-infective products. Prior to joining the pharmaceutical and biotech industry, Barbara practiced veterinary medicine at a private veterinary hospital. Barbara holds a BS in Chemical Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania, School of Engineering and Applied Science, and a VMD from the University of Pennsylvania, School of Veterinary Medicine. When Barbara isn’t busy traveling the world for our clients, she enjoys spending time on the beach with a good book.

Cindy Henderson is Chief Strategy Officer at Veristat and a key member of our Executive Leadership Team (ELT) team. In her role, Cindy leads the overall company strategy development and oversees the implementation of associated customer-centric growth plans while ensuring Veristat maintains its focus and alignment with our mission and vision. With over 30 years of experience, 15 with Veristat, Cindy brings a unique blend of commercial leadership and customer acumen necessary to support the intricate and dynamic requirements of Veristat's growing global service offerings and client base. She is instrumental in helping our clients succeed amidst rising drug development costs, growing complexities, and increased regulatory requirements.

Most recently, Cindy served as Veristat’s Chief Commercial Officer, lending insight into the ideal sequence of events for clinical studies to quickly advance toward regulatory submission. Cindy is a member of the Decentralized Trials Research Alliance (DTRA), championing the voices of sponsors and patients to deliver improvements that make clinical trials more accessible and convenient for patients. Cindy is Veristat’s representative for the Multi-Regional Clinical Trials Center of Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard (MRCT) and a member of the MRCT Steering Committee.

Prior to joining Veristat in 2007, Cindy served as the Senior Manager of Training, Innovations and Processes at Averion International Corporation where she led various initiatives to create and improve standard operating procedures, implemented new technologies for data management, and facilitated several key corporate acquisitions. While at Parexel International Corporation as the Associate Director of Data Management, Cindy managed several international clinical trials, developed SOPs and processes, provided training and participated in software development, validation, and implementation efforts.

Outside of Veristat Cindy is a Board Member and Supervising Judge for the North American Flyball Association. She also competes in this fun and fast-paced sport with her two border collies as part of the Patriot Flyball Team.

Colleen Pelton is Chief Talent Officer of Veristat, responsible for overseeing our global Talent and Culture function including global HR management, leadership development, career growth and development, organizational design, diversity, integration of acquired businesses, and accelerating growth globally.

Colleen has dedicated her entire career to human resources roles across a variety of industries, the majority of which have been healthcare-related. Her wide-ranging expertise spans the design and implementation of global talent management and acquisition-related initiatives for billion-dollar global enterprises operating in 30+ markets with thousands of employees.

Prior to joining Veristat in 2021, Colleen served as Senior Vice President, People and Performance for Dental Services Group, leading the HR function. From 2014-2016, Colleen served as Senior VP, HR Leader at St. Jude Medical, Inc. where her responsibilities included developing a multi-year road map to evolve the broader organizational structure and capitalize on high growth opportunities. From 2004-2014, Colleen served in global HR roles with increasing responsibility at Smith & Nephew PLC, leading transformative global HR initiatives, harmonizing HR processes globally, mentoring management and improving the employee experience.

Colleen graduated from the University of Florida where she received a B.A. in Communications. When reflecting on her career, Colleen expresses her heartfelt satisfaction from supporting organizations that help people live longer, healthier lives. She brings a reputation for fostering a positive workplace culture and helping employees adapt to ever-changing work environments.

Rachel Page is Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) at Veristat and a member of our Executive Leadership Team (ELT) team, responsible for our commercial strategy and global execution. In her role, Rachel oversees all commercial functions including Strategy, Sales, Proposal & Contracts, Commercial Operations, and Marketing, guiding the formation and continuation of strong and valued client relationships. Rachel brings to Veristat a wealth of expertise consistently exceeding revenue targets while streamlining operating processes and propelling market expansion efforts. Her unique global perspective having managed teams residing in Europe and the U.S. enriches her approach to supporting the advancement and growth of Veristat’s global commercial team.

Prior to joining Veristat in 2023, Rachel served as the CCO at CTI where she designed and executed strategies that resulted in increased revenue growth while ensuring a culture of quality excellence and customer satisfaction. Prior to CTI, Rachel held executive-level positions at Clario and Docs, a division of ICON Clinical Research, where she oversaw global commercial and sales teams and led initiatives to create and improve training and mentoring programs while implementing new data analytics to boost operational effectiveness. Throughout her career, Rachel has served on a number of committees, including chairing Clario’s EU Brexit committee, and served as a thought leader at health and life sciences conferences, actively contributing her ideas to share insights.

Rachel received her BSc Hons Social and Management Sciences from Napier University, Edinburgh, and holds a certificate in International Business Management from the University of Dublin. She is currently in the early stages of becoming a pilot and is an ardent horseback rider.

Elizabeth R. Madichie Ph.D. joined Veristat in 2023 as Executive Vice President of Global Regulatory Affairs and is responsible for all aspects of the development and implementation of Veristat’s global regulatory services. Elizabeth has over 25 years of experience leading global functions in pharmaceutical, biotech, generic, and CRO organizations, setting strategic priorities and establishing best practices across regulatory affairs, pharmacovigilance, medical information, market access, and product development in multiple therapeutic areas.

Proficient in building constructive relationships with global health authorities, policymakers, and key opinion leaders, Elizabeth possesses expert knowledge of the regulatory and commercial environment and legislative framework for biopharmaceuticals worldwide, enabling the development and commercialization of innovative and established products and services across 160+ countries. She has extensive management experience overseeing teams of up to 800 direct and indirect reports internationally.

As an active industry advocate and thought leader, Elizabeth proactively pursues opportunities to advance the regulatory paradigm. She currently serves as Past-President and Board Director of The Organization of Professionals in Regulatory Affairs (TOPRA), leading the promotion of healthcare regulatory affairs, provision of exceptional support, world-class education and definitive accreditation of regulatory professionals in practice.

Prior to joining Veristat, Elizabeth held leadership positions at emerging and established organizations, including GSK, Elan, Taro Pharmaceuticals and Porton Biopharma, as well as the CRO, PPD where she ran all aspects of regulatory affairs, facilitating the clinical development of new products and their successful licensing and subsequent support/maintenance in the marketplace.

Elizabeth graduated from the University of Hull, with a Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry, an M.Sc. in Analytical Science, and a B.Sc. (Hons) in Chemistry with Analytical Chemistry and Toxicology. She is the recipient of numerous impact awards recognizing her dedication to the sciences and commitment to regulatory affairs excellence and is a Chartered Chemist (CChem), Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC), Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute (FCMI) and Registered Member of TOPRA (MTOPRA).

Nan Shao is EVP of Global Operations at Veristat. In her role, Nan oversees the clinical trial data, analytics, and reporting organization across all regions, devising and implementing strategic solutions shaped by her combined perspective of the pharmaceutical and CRO industries, high quality standards, and efficient deployment approaches.

A successful business leader, clinical research professional, and statistician with 19 years of pharmaceutical industry experience and ten years leading global biometrics operations and strategic divisions, Nan brings extensive expertise in analytics strategy, biostatistics, statistical programming, data management, pharmacokinetics, and data standards. She is highly skilled in the clinical development life cycle across a range of therapeutic areas, collaborating with sponsors to achieve their operational and business goals.

Prior to joining Veristat in 2022, Nan served as Global Head of Analytics Strategy, Global Head of Biostatistics and Statistical Programming, and Global Head of Clinical Data Services at Parexel International where she led the global operations and strategy teams, championing a first-time quality mindset, promoting analytics innovations and driving the advancement of clinical research through real-world evidence (RWE), decentralized clinical trials (DCTs), and AI/ML applications.

Prior to Parexel, Nan held leadership positions at organizations that included Covance/LabCorp, Premier Research, and pharmaceutical companies where she built and directed high-performing teams responsible for statistical activities related to regulatory strategies, clinical development programs, study designs, and trial optimization. Nan has served as a mentor and subject matter expert both within organizations and the clinical operations community-at-large, participating in industry-wide forums as an expert statistician to help solve complex problems.

Nan graduated from Rutgers University with a Ph.D. in Ecology and M.S. in Statistics, and from Peking University with a B.S. in Environmental Sciences and an LL.B. in Intellectual Property Law. Nan is an MBA candidate at the University of Oxford. She is a certified Six Sigma Green Belt by the American Society for Quality since 2007.