Biosketch

David Watkins’ career centers around two general professional pathways: clinical care and related quality/process improvement; and, drug design and development. These pathways share common characteristics in that they both require an understanding of formal scientific/clinical knowledge bases, they are heavily dependent on disciplined process for sustainable improvement, and, they are greatly strengthened by applying the lessons from multiple disciplines.

Dr. Watkins’ education and training includes the following: BS Pharmacy, MS Pharmacy-Toxicology (Univ. of Texas); PhD-Pharmacology/Toxicology (Univ of Michigan); MD (Univ. of Colorado); Internship, Residency, Chief Residency-Anesthesiology (Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School). He has been awarded numerous federal and industry research grants and advisory/committee positions involving both basic and clinical research. He held faculty appointments at the University of Colorado Medical School, Harvard Medical School, Duke University Medical School, Georgetown Medical School and the University of Pittsburgh Medical School. Dr. Watkins served as Chairman of Anesthesiology and Professor (with tenure) of Anesthesiology/Critical Care Medicine and Professor of Pharmacology at Duke University Medical Center for 9 years, prior to assuming a sabbatical position as Visiting Scholar at the US Food and Drug Administration (the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER), following which he held the position of Professor (with tenure) of Anesthesiology/Critical Care Medicine (CCM) at the University of Pittsburgh Medical School. Dr. Watkins has published over 200 original journal articles, books and chapters, and lectured nationally and internationally.

During his tenure at Pittsburgh, Dr. Watkins was responsible for several areas, including: Vice Chairman (Clinical Affairs), Dept of Anesthesiology/CCM; Director Surgical Services Information Systems; and, Medical Director, Pittsburgh Clinical Research Network (PCRN) of the UPMC Health System for which he was substantially responsible for its initial programmatic concepts, formation and successful development. Based on this experience, Dr. Watkins was recruited to serve as the Chief Operating Officer of the Harvard Clinical Research Institute, a partnership among the Harvard Medical School and its two affiliated health systems, Partners in Health (MGH, Brigham and Women's Hospital and affiliates), and The CareGroup (Beth Israel Hospital and affiliates).

Currently, through Watkins Inc Research, he provides independent professional services to industry, academic centers, the financial community and government on matters related to research and development, process design, and specialized management. He founded and serves as a major, active partner in PeriOptimum (Entelechy Health Systems), a privately held perioperative clinical management service company dedicated to major improvements in quality, performance and cost of surgical services.