Cidal

CIDAL's human capital is the company's most valued asset.

Executive Team

• Well known investigators and clinicians
• MD’s with specialties in Internal Medicine, Infectious Diseases, Nutritional Metabolism, Physiology, Respiratory Diseases
• Each >30 years experience in clinical and metabolic studies as investigators, high-level administrators and educators
• Members of international, U.S. and other countries’ medical and scientific societies

Senior Management

• MD’s with specialties in Internal Medicine, Pediatrics and Administration
• Each >15 years experience in clinical and biomedical studies as investigators, project managers, CRA’s and study coordinators

 

• Benjamin Torun, MD, PhD – Chief Executive Officer (view profile)
• Jacobo Sabbaj, MD, FACP, FIDSA – Chief Medical Officer (view profile)
• Leon Arango, MD, FACP – Chief Operations Officer (view profile)
• Annabella Arroyo, MD – Clinical Operations Director (view profile)
• Rosario Briones, MD – Regulatory Affairs Director (view profile)
• Carolina Lantzendorffer, MD – Clinical Trials Director (view profile)
• Rodolfo Urruela, MD – Quality Assurance Director (view profile)
• Alejandro Torun, BA – Financial Director (view profile)

 

 

 

Benjamin Torun, MD, PhD – Chief Executive Officer

Education:
· MD, University of San Carlos, Guatemala; MA (Physiology), Harvard University; PhD (Nutritional Biochemistry and Metabolism), MIT. Fellow, American College of Nutrition.

Experience:
· Over 35 years experience in clinical, metabolic and epidemiological research.
· Investigator Emeritus, Institute of Nutrition of Central America and Panama (INCAP).
· Formerly Professor of Basic and Clinical Nutrition, INCAP/University of San Carlos. Adjunct Professor of International Health, The Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, USA. Lecturer in universities and health-related institutions in more than 20 countries.
· Chairperson or Member of Advisory and Expert Groups for WHO, PAHO, FAO, UNICEF, FAO, US Pharmacopeia, other national and international organizations.
· Editorial board member and reviewer for several scientific journals.
· Author / co-author more than 120 papers and book chapters, and 12 books and monographs.
· Medal of Science and Technology (highest scientific award conferred by Guatemala’s Vice-President and Congress) and other national and international awards.

Jacobo Sabbaj, MD, FACP, FIDSA – Chief Medical Officer

Education:
· MD, University of San Carlos, Guatemala; Specialty in Internal Medicine, Tufts University; Specialty in Infectious Diseases, Tufts University and UCLA. Fellow, American College of Physicians; Fellow, Infectious Diseases Society of America.

Experience:
· Over 35 years experience in clinical studies.
· Formerly Vice-president, Clinical Research Operations Worldwide, Merck Research Laboratories, NJ, USA.
· Emeritus Professor and Founder, Infectious Diseases Unit, Roosevelt (teaching) Hospital, University of San Carlos, Guatemala.
· Lecturer in universities and health-related institutions in several countries.
· Author / co-author more than 80 papers and over 100 presentations in international and national specialist meetings.
· Reviewer of Journal of Infectious Diseases
· Several awards for teaching clinical medicine and for activities at medical meetings.

Leon Arango, MD, FACP – Chief Operations Officer

Education:
· MD, University of San Carlos, Guatemala; Specialty in Internal Medicine, Tufts University; Specialty in Pulmonary Diseases, University of California at San Francisco. Fellow, American College of Physicians.

Experience:
· Over 35 years experience in clinical studies.
· Formerly Regional Medical Director for Central America and northern South America, Schering-Plough Research Institute.
· Formerly Hospital Director and Founder of Pulmonary Diseases Unit, Roosevelt (teaching) Hospital, University of San Carlos, Guatemala.
· Coordinator and Lecturer, courses on Good Clinical Practice, Guatemalan Society of Internal Medicine, Guatemalan Ministry of Health.
· Author / co-author more than 30 papers and over 50 presentations in international and national specialist meetings.
· Several national and international awards including Pan American Health Organization's World Medal for Anti-Tobacco Activities.

Annabella Arroyo, MD – Clinical Operations

Education:
· MD, University of San Carlos, Guatemala; MA (Public Administration), University of San Carlos, Guatemala.

Experience:
· Over 15 years experience in clinical and epidemiological studies as investigator, study coordinator and project manager.
· Formerly Research Coordinator, Landivar University, Guatemala, and Guatemalan Heart League.
· Lecturer in courses on medical research and Good Clinical Practices.
· Author / co-author 15 papers and over 20 presentations in national and international medical and scientific meetings.
· Formerly Professor of San Carlos and Rafael Landivar University for Research Methodology and Applied Research.

Rosario Briones, MD – Regulatory Affairs

Education:
· MD, Francisco Marroquin University, Guatemala; Specialty in Internal Medicine, Roosevelt Hospital, Guatemala.

Experience:
· Over 15 years experience in clinical studies as investigator, study coordinator, clinical research assistant and project manager.
· Formerly Director for Clinical Research in Central America, Schering-Plough Research Institute.
· Lecturer in courses on Good Clinical Practices and training of CRA’s and Study Coordinators.
· Author / co-author over 20 presentations in national and international medical and scientific meetings.

Carolina Lantzendorffer, MD – Clinical Trials

Education:
· MD, Francisco Marroquin University, Guatemala; Research training, INCAP and CeSSIAM, Guatemala.

Experience:
· Over 15 years experience in clinical and metabolic studies as investigator, study coordinator, clinical research assistant and project manager.
· Lecturer on medical research, Good Clinical Practices and courses for Study Coordinators.
· Author / co-author 10 papers and over 20 presentations in international and national meetings.

Alejandro Torun, MD – Quality Assurance

Education:
· BA (Business Economics), University of Texas at Austin

Experience:
· Over 2 years experience as Marketing Advisor and member of the Board of Directors of a large clinical laboratory group, Laboratorios Multimédica, Guatemala.
· Over 8 years experience as General Manager, Business Development Manager or Financial Analyst in several companies in the Telecommunications, Textile, Financial and Entertainment industries in Miami, FL, New York, NY and Guatemala.

Rodolfo Urruela, MD – Quality Assurance

Education:
· MD, University of San Carlos, Guatemala; Specialty in Pediatrics.

Experience:
· Over 15 years experience in clinical studies as investigator, study coordinator, clinical research assistant and project manager.
· Formerly Director, Juan Pablo II Pediatric Hospital, Guatemala, and Head, Brain Palsy Unit, Hermano Pedro Association, Guatemala.
· Member, Latin Ethics Independent Ethics Committee, certified by the Guatemalan Ministry of Health.