Jobs Landed

Perrigo has hired Britt Tasker as senior talent acquisition consultant for its Human Resources team.

Tasker will work with internal customers to design and implement talent acquisition processes that identify and bring in exceptional candidates to work for Perrigo.

He has been recruiting and leading recruiting teams in the life sciences field for the last 10 years at Fortune 250 and privately held organizations.

Dr. Eli Collins-Brown has become the first faculty member of Western Michigan University’s department of medical education. The school is slated to open in the fall of 2014.

Collins-Brown has worked in higher education for more than 14 years as an instructional designer, faculty developer, instructor and administrator. She will be facilitating curriculum development and implementation through collaborative partnerships with WMU's faculty, students and medical residents.

Collins-Brown had been at the Methodist College of Nursing in Peoria, Ill., since 2006, most recently serving as dean of educational technology and faculty development.

Bruce D. Johnson has been named vice president Consumer Healthcare Research and Development at Perrigo Co.  

Johnson will lead new product development for Perrigo’s U.S. consumer healthcare business based in Allegan, Mich. He also will have responsibilities also at research sites in New Jersey and India.

Johnson joined Perrigo in 2005 and has since played a critical role in the company’s Analytical Research and Development activities for both the United States and abroad.

Johnson holds a Ph.D. in analytical chemistry from the University of Minnesota and a bachelor's degree (cum laude) from Concordia College, Moorhead, Minnesota.

He is a resident of Byron Center, Mich., and a native of Sioux City, Iowa.

Family Health Center in Kalamazoo has named Dr. Carol Saffold as its new Chief Medical Officer.

Dr. Saffold is a graduate of Rush Medical College. She completed her Obstetrics and Gynecology residency in Chicago. She is a licensed physician and surgeon in the states of Illinois and Michigan and is a Diplomat of the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

She has worked as the Senior Attending Physician at Provident Hospital of Cook County and has served as Assistant Professor at Pritzker School of Medicine at the University of Chicago. Her focus has been on reaching underserved populations with an emphasis on preventive health maintenance and patient education.

Dr. Saffold has been appointed to many national OB/GYN committees and is frequently an invited lecturer on women’s health and  quality improvement. She also has received numerous honors and awards. She travels annually to provide OB/GYN services in Africa and South America.

Christopher Roop has joined Perrigo Co. as vice president of corporate development. In this role, Roop will be responsible for identifying, evaluating and pursuing acquisition targets that complement the company’s strategic growth objectives.

Roop joins Perrigo from the investment banking industry where he spent several years advising healthcare companies on mergers and acquisitions. With a focus on pharmaceutical company clients,. Roop played a central role in all aspects of advisory assignments including idea generation, valuation, due diligence and transaction negotiations.

He earned both his Bachelor of Science and Master of Business Administration degrees from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University. He and his wife have recently relocated from New York City to Grand Rapids, Mich.

Jennifer Lee has been hired as corporate benefits specialist for the Human Resources group for Perrigo Company.

Lee will manage certain benefit plan vendors, serve as the key U.S. employee point of contact for domestic benefits at the company. Lee will be working at Perrigo’s Allegan, Michigan location.

Lee brings to Perrigo five years of experience, previously working as a compensation and benefits specialist in the education industry.

Lee earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Human Resource Management from Western Michigan University and a Master of Science degree in Administration with a concentration in Human Resources Administration from Central Michigan University. Lee is from Mattawan, Mich., and currently resides in Grand Rapids, Mich.

Andrew Nicks has been named Account Manager at NuWave Technology Partners (NuWave). He will be responsible for identifying new growth opportunities, strengthening relationships with existing clients, and selling NuWave’s products and services to various-sized businesses.

He previously worked as a Sales Supervisor and Technology Expert for Officemax, where he developed valuable experiences and skills that transfer well to his role at NuWave. He looks forward to developing relationships with clients and enhancing their use of NuWave’s line of products and services.

He says: "I chose this position because it allows me to use my experience with people to enhance relationships with existing customers and improve the possibility for NuWave to develop new clients."

Kibwe Weaver, MD, has joined the medical staff at Bronson Methodist Hospital. He is now performing bariatric surgery with his partner, Stuart Verseman, MD.

Weaver is board eligible in surgery. His clinical interests include laparoscopic gastric bypass, vertical sleeve gastrectomy, adjustable gastric banding and adolescent obesity. He is board eligible in surgery.

His training includes a fellowship in minimally invasive and bariatric surgery at Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, and a surgery residency at the Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, Ga.  He earned his Medical Doctorate from Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tenn.

Dr. Weaver previously practiced at the Bariatric Metabolic Institute in Cleveland, Ohio.

Kinn Chan de Velarde has been hired as regulatory affairs project manager for the scientific affairs team at Perrigo in Allegan.

Chan de Velarde is responsible managing from-beginning-to-end new and current over-the-counter regulatory files with the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) in order to expedite getting Perrigo products to market.

Chan de Velarde brings to Perrigo 19 years of related experience.  Eight were in an academic lab setting conducting various kinds of research. She spent the other 11 years working in the pharmaceutical industry in drug study, microbiology, project management and regulatory affairs roles.      

Chan de Velarde earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry and a Master of Science degree in Microbiology, both from the University of Michigan.  She also holds a Master of Business Administration in Strategic Marketing, International Business and Economics from the University of Chicago – Booth School of Business.

Chan de Velarde is from East Lansing, Mich., and currently resides in Kalamazoo, Mich.

Jonathan Nykamp has joined the staff of Borgess Lee Bone & Joint in Dowagiac.

Nykamp is an RN, MSN and family nurse practitioner.

Certified as an FNP by the American Nurses Credentialing Center, Nykamp previously worked at Spectrum Health Orthopedic and Total Joint Center.  He is currently on staff at Orthopedic Associates of Kalamazoo.

Nykamp received his bachelor’s degree in nursing from Calvin College and master’s degree in nursing from Grand Valley State University.

He is a member of Sigma Theta Tau, the International Honor Society of Nursing.

Nykamp joins Robert Schaefer, MD, and Tracy Smith, certified physician assistant.

Paul Tharrett has been hired as a production engineer at Perrigo, a leading pharmaceutical supplier in Allegan.

Tharrett will provide engineering support for two liquids value stream work centers at Plant 5.

He brings to Perrigo six years of engineering experience. He has implemented and supported lean manufacturing concepts at the plant level in the automotive industry.

Tharrett earned a Bachelor degree in Mechanical Engineering with a Business Management minor from Kettering University, graduating magna cum laude.

John Howard, MD, Family Physician, is seeing patients with Drs. Rosa Johnson and Ellen Tambunan at Lakeland Family Care of Niles at 4 Longmeadow Village Drive, Suite 2.

He treats patients of all ages, from infants to senior citizens.

Dr. Howard earned his medical degree from St. Matthew’s University School of Medicine, Cayman Islands, Caribbean.

He completed a family medicine residency from Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio.

Dr. Howard is a member of the American Academy of Family Physicians.

Dr. Joon-ha Ok, urologist, has joined Lakeside Urology and Continence Center, a Lakeland HealthCare Affiliate, in St. Joseph and Niles.

He has extensive research experience and treats a variety of urological diseases and conditions including: kidney stones; erectile dysfunction; urinary incontinence; and bladder, prostate, kidney, and testicular cancers.

Dr. Ok earned his medical degree and completed his urological and surgical residencies at the University of California, Davis, in Sacramento.

He is currently seeing patients at Lakeside Urology at 815 St. Joseph Drive in St. Joseph and at 24 N. St. Joseph Avenue, Suite F, in Niles. 

Sandra "Sandy" D. Steinbach, a longtime area financial executive, has been appointed associate vice president for business and finance by the Western Michigan University Board of Trustees. She has been working in the position since Aug. 22.

In her new role, Steinbach also will serve as assistant treasurer for the WMU Board of Trustees.

Previously, Steinbach was director of commercial finance at Thermo Fisher Scientific, located in WMU's Business Research and Technology Park.

She has experience in areas such as budgeting, financial analysis, strategy, contract management, operations, accounting, taxation and treasury. She also has held various financial leadership positions at a number of Kalamazoo-area companies, including Stryker, Kellogg and Plante & Moran.

Steinbach served four years on the WMU Foundation as a board member and finance chair and has taught accounting courses at the university as an adjunct faculty member.

Sarah Lee has been named marketing manager for Greenleaf Hospitality Group.

Lee will be responsible for overseeing the Marketing Department's initiatives for Greenleaf Hospitality Group, which includes food and beverage, retail outlets within the Radisson Plaza Hotel and Suites, and Holiday Inn West.

She previously worked as the director of communications for the Kalamazoo Regional Chamber of Commerce.

Greenleaf Hospitality Group, a privately held Kalamazoo-based company, owns and operates the Radisson Plaza Hotel and Suites, the Holiday Inn West, Wings Stadium Management Company and the professional hockey team Kalamazoo Wings.