A WORLD CLASS MULTIDISCIPLINARY TEAM.
Advanced Equine Research Institute (AERI) has assembled a team of extraordinarily talented and multi-specialized researchers as well as product development specialists. Our team includes leading veterinary orthopedic specialists, engineers (biomedical, material, and structural), industrial designers, scientists, trainers, exercise physiologists, and equine professionals.
PRESIDENT
Wendy Drumm
Ms. Drumm has more than 25 years of marketing experience. Her most recent role was as a senior executive at CVS Caremark, the nation's leading pharmacy services company, dispensing over 1 billion prescriptions each year. Drumm initiated and directed the CVS Design Innovation program, which was created to transform the face of the consumer health care experience in America.
Drumm's own FEI horse named Gio broke his leg in October 2008 and had to be euthanized. Drumm donated his legs to AERI research to work toward preventing such injuries in other horses. (Gio's legs were used to demonstrate the new XROMM technology that is seen on the AERI home page.)
Read more about Gio and his catastrophic fracture.
DIRECTOR OF SCIENCE
Carl A. Kirker-Head, MA, VetMB, MRCVS
Diplomate, ACVS, ECVS
Associate Professor, Large Animal Surgery
Marilyn M. Simpson Chair of Equine Medicine
Director, Orthopedic Research Laboratory
Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, Tufts University
Dr. Kirker-Head earned his veterinary medical degree at the University of Cambridge, England. He has published widely in peer-reviewed scientific journals on the subjects of musculoskeletal growth, injury, and repair, and has extensive experience in testing medical devices for numerous animal applications. He previously served as section head of the Large Animal Medicine & Surgery Service as well as chair of the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee.
DIRECTOR OF BIOENGINEERING
Joseph J. Crisco III, Ph.D.
Professor, Brown Medical School
Director, Bioengineering Laboratory, Department of Orthopedics
Brown Medical School/Rhode Island Hospital
Division of Engineering, Brown University
Dr. Crisco earned his doctorate at Yale University. His research interests are in musculoskeletal bioengineering, where he has developed advanced imaging modalities for the study of in vivo joint mechanics, and studied spine biomechanics and injury prevention in sports. His current primary work focuses on the normal and pathological mechanics underlying the function of the human wrist, and is now expanding to related areas in comparative biomechanics. His work has been primarily funded by the National Institute of Health and has resulted in over 105 peer-reviewed publications. He is a former president of the American Society of Biomechanics.
DIRECTOR OF INTEGRATIVE RESEARCH
Sheryl Torr-Brown, Ph.D.
Dr. Torr-Brown is a British native with almost 20 years experience as a leader in the pharmaceutical industry. She completed a Ph.D in Physiology and Medicine from St George’s Hospital Medical School at the University of London, UK. Most recently, Dr. Torr-Brown was Head of Science and Technology for Worldwide Drug Safety Evaluation and Comparative Medicine, at Pfizer in New London, Connecticut.
In addition to her scientific focus, Dr. Torr-Brown is globally recognized as a leading thinker in knowledge management, particularly as it applies to the creation of unique solutions that translate basic scientific understanding to real world benefit for humans and animals. Since leaving the pharmaceutical industry in 2006, Dr. Torr-Brown has consulted on scientific and policy issues for a number of local and global biotechnology companies. She is profiled in the 2008 Cambridge Who's Who and is a member of numerous scientific societies including the New York Academy of Sciences, the Society for Competitive Intelligence Professionals and the World Futures Society.
DIRECTOR OF DONOR RELATIONS
Lisa LaDew
Ms. LaDew is a senior executive with over 30 years of for-profit and nonprofit management experience. During her 20 year career in healthcare administration, including working as Chief Executive Officer of the Rehabilitation Hospital of Rhode Island, Ms. LaDew served on a variety of nonprofit boards. She was co-owner of SpinGold, a company that for a number of years provided fundraising and grant-writing services to nonprofit organizations in Massachusetts. Most recently, Ms. LaDew served as Managing Director for Festival Ballet Providence, one of New England’s premiere performing arts organizations.
