Ms. Devinder Poonian is the President and Chief Executive Officer of DP Clinical, a company she founded in 1994. Ms. Poonian has more than 40 years of experience in preclinical and clinical research and has led DP Clinical in the conduct of hundreds of Phase I-IV clinical trials. Under Ms. Poonian’s leadership, DP Clinical has provided a full complement of CRO services for critical care, dermatology, infectious disease, neuroscience, oncology, and ophthalmology clinical programs, with a particular focus in spinal cord injury research. She managed the largest acute spinal cord injury study conducted with Sygen® (GM1) – considered the gold standard clinical trial in SCI in spinal cord injury treatment – as well as studies using autologous cells, stem cells, and devices. Her work has been published in several reputable journals.
Prior to establishing DP Clinical, Ms. Poonian worked for Hoffmann-La Roche as an Assistant Scientist in the Preclinical Pharmacology Department testing CNS and cardiovascular drugs and cardiovascular division as a CRA. In 1987, Ms. Poonian joined Fidia Pharmaceutical Corporation as a Clinical Research Associate where she worked on neurological disorder clinical trials.
Ms. Poonian holds a BA degree in Psychology from Caldwell College in New Jersey. She served on the foundation board for the Pinkney Innovation Complex for Science and Technology (PIC MC) at Montgomery College as well as the Chairperson for Academics Committee. Ms. Poonian has been selected as a Fellow of the American Spinal Injury Association (FASIA) in recognition of distinguished accomplishments within the fields of spinal cord injury research, clinical practice, education, and advocacy, and for a longstanding membership of service to the society. Ms. Poonian will be honored during ASIA’s 2024 Annual Scientific Meeting in Puerto Rico.
