Three new team members have joined Novella Clinical. Fiona Markwood is Novella’s new executive vice president of Oncology Project Management; Anusha Bala, BSc, LLB, is Novella’s new global head of Regulatory Affairs; and Joy Yucaitis joins Novella as senior director of Oncology Strategy.

Markwood is responsible for developing and guiding strategic direction for the Oncology Division; she oversees all clinical projects and provides executive oversight, ensuring aggressive project timelines are met and all deliverables exceed customer expectations. Markwood has more than 24 years in the pharmaceutical industry with  over 19 years of operations management experience within clinical research at both large pharma and CROs, most recently serving successively as vice president of global strategic alliances and vice president of global project management for a large, global CRO. Markwood completed her postbaccalaureate MSP at Bryn Mawr College and earned her undergraduate degree from William Smith College in New York. 

Bala is responsible for leading Novella’s global regulatory affairs department. She oversees regulatory clinical research projects, safety reporting for oncology and medical device customers, and provides the project team with guidance, training and strategic planning. Bala has 16 years of regulatory affairs experience globally across many therapeutic areas including oncology, CNS and respiratory research. Prior to joining Novella, Bala held senior regulatory affairs roles at a variety of organizations including the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), PRA Health Sciences and PAREXEL Consulting, part of PAREXEL International. Bala has a BSc in medicinal chemistry and was academically qualified as a Barrister in 2007. 

As part of Novella Clinical’s Oncology Division, Yucaitis provides therapeutic and development consulting to oncology customers, strategic planning for new protocols, and executive oversight for key projects; she also supports Novella’s global oncology operational and business development teams. Yucaitis has more than 18 years of oncology drug and diagnostic development experience as both a sponsor and CRO director. Yucaitis earned her M.B.A. in high technology from Northeastern University and completed undergraduate studies at Boston University.