NORTHBROOK, Ill., May 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Astellas today announced the promotion of Shontelle Dodson, Pharm.D., to senior vice president and head of Medical Affairs Americas, effective May 15, 2017. Dodson previously served as vice president of Medical Excellence within the global Medical Affairs organization.

"Shontelle has been an integral and formative leader in the building and evolution of the Medical Affairs organization at Astellas," said Charlotte Kremer, M.D., executive vice president and head, Medical Affairs, Astellas. "I'm confident she will make an immediate and positive impact on both the team in the Americas, as well as the patients and partners we serve."

In Dodson's most recent role, she led the alignment of Medical Affairs practices, policies and standards across the globe – including the launch of global systems to manage Medical Communications, Publications and Investigator Sponsored Research (ISR). During her time at Astellas, she has also expanded the Health Economics & Outcomes Research function and pioneered multiple, innovative real world data projects and research partnerships with leading managed care and academic organizations.

In her new role, Dodson will report directly to Kremer and assume overall responsibility for the strategic direction of the Medical Affairs Americas organization, including continued medical support of in-line products, late-stage development compounds and ongoing business evolution across the region.

Dodson has extensive clinical and research experience in the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries. After starting her career in direct patient care at the Department of Veterans Affairs, Dodson spent more than a decade at Pfizer in various Medical Affairs leadership roles spanning the urology and respiratory franchises. Following her work with Pfizer, Dodson then served as vice president of Medical Affairs at GTx, Inc., where she led a Phase 3 clinical development study of a selective androgen receptor modulator for the prevention and treatment of muscle wasting in patients with cancer. She also incorporated key economic and health outcomes assessments to support product utilization and valuation. 

Dodson has received multiple awards for leadership and innovation throughout her career, including the National Healthcare Business Women's Association Rising Star and the Astellas Vision Award. She earned a doctorate of pharmacy degree from Mercer University School of Pharmacy and completed a postdoctoral residency at the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Nashville, Tenn.

About Astellas Pharma Inc.
Astellas Pharma Inc., co-headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, and Northbrook, Ill., is a pharmaceutical company dedicated to improving the health of people around the world through the provision of innovative and reliable pharmaceuticals. Astellas has approximately 18,000 employees worldwide. The organization is committed to becoming a global category leader in Urology, Immunology (including Transplantation) and Infectious diseases, Oncology, Neuroscience and Diabetes Mellitus (DM) Complications and Kidney diseases. For more information on Astellas Pharma Inc., please visit the company website at www.astellas.com/en.

SOURCE Astellas Pharma Inc.