Wilmington-headquartered PPD Inc. has announced that two senior leaders have been named to the 2020 PharmaVOICE 100 list of most inspiring people in the life sciences industry, according to a news release.

Those recognized are Karen Kaucic, chief medical officer of PPD and president of Evidera -- a PPD business -- and Rhonda Henry, vice president of PPD's patient-centered trials, officials said in the release.

PharmaVOICE magazine's PharmaVOICE 100 list is an annual recognition of those who make positive contributions to the life sciences industry, stated the release.

Kaucic’s was recognized for her "balanced leadership approach, her ability to inspire colleagues, her influence as a corporate leader, and her positive impact on the industry through her actions," officials said in the release.

Kaucic, as PPD’s CMO, is responsible for all PPD’s clinical trial programs and serves as the co-chair of the company’s COVID-19 pandemic response committee, stated the release. She also provides direction and operation oversight for Evidera functions.

“Karen’s passion for rare diseases and creating innovative solutions to address the unique challenges associated with those indications drove her to inspire others with that same interest to create PPD’s Rare Disease and Pediatric Center of Excellence,” said William Sharbaugh, chief operating officer of PPD, in the release. “Karen is a strong mentor and leader, and she is always the first to offer her support to aspiring executives from across the company. Her ability to tap into her deep expertise across multiple facets of the CRO industry, from clinical trial development to patient-centric solutions to real-world evidence generation, has helped catapult a number of up-and-coming leaders across the PPD enterprise.”

PharmaVOICE 100 also recognized Henry for "selflessness and her ability to motivate and grow leaders – traits that have enabled her to foster advancements within PPD and the life science industry," officials said. 

At PPD, Henry is responsible for developing solutions to help clinical trial access.

“As a breast cancer survivor, Rhonda is deeply passionate about creating greater access to clinical trials and removing potential barriers to participation,” Nik Morton, senior vice president, digital services at PPD, said in the release. “This passion overflows to her colleagues. When it comes to improving patient access to, and experience within, clinical trials, Rhonda makes it her business to understand every single asset or capability that exists across PPD and the broader industry of partners and vendors that PPD could or should collaborate with – if that collaboration can improve the trial conduct and patient experience.”

Outside of PPD, Henry is involved in two nonprofit boards and also serves as a resource for undergraduates in the clinical research program at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, according to the release.