About Us
- Judy Carmody, Ph.D., President
- David Keefer, Quality Assurance Manager
- Yelena Gurevich, Quality Control Manager
- Rhonda Koska, Facilities Manager
Our exceptional team has broad based experience in the biopharmaceutical and medical device industries, as well as academic biochemical research. Each of our team leaders has a proven track record of innovation in developing laboratory processes, methods and techniques. This is complemented by management expertise in validation, quality control and analytical chemistry, and extensive experience in nucleic acid biochemistry.
Every member of the Avatar team has a passion for their work and they are relentless in the pursuit of that passion. Our dedication to quality science is unyielding. With unsurpassed standards, we thrive on innovation, welcoming challenges and the opportunity to solve complex issues. In the same spirit, we never stop pushing ourselves to find more precise, reliable and cost effective ways to meet our clients’ needs to support their goals, as well as the broader goals of the industry as a whole.
Judy Carmody, Ph.D., President is the founder and President of Avatar Pharmaceutical Services, a dynamic, innovative contract research organization (CRO) that provides information-rich cGMP analytical services to the (bio)pharmaceutical industries. Avatar uniquely specializes in nucleic acid and other large molecule analyses. Over the past decade, Dr. Carmody has earned an exemplary reputation in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries working for both major pharmaceutical companies and industry service providers. Prior to founding Avatar, Dr. Carmody spent 10 years in the (bio)pharmaceutical industry, developing methods for small molecules and oligonucleotides, managing QC, Analytical, and Validation groups. In addition to this solid grounding in pharmaceuticals, she worked at Waters Corporation's Applied Technology and Marketing groups where she developed novel separations methods with colleagues and (bio)pharmaceutical customers. At Waters, Dr. Carmody brought numerous new technologies to market through published papers and technical presentations both at world-wide conferences and leading (bio)pharmaceutical companies. Her experience leverages the creative integration of technologies from diverse fields and enables these elements to be transformed into client solutions. Dr. Carmody holds a PhD in Analytical Chemistry from Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts. [back to top]
David Keefer, Quality Assurance Manager manages Avatar's Quality Assurance/Regulatory Affairs Department. Mr. Keefer joined the company in 2006 and is responsible for the management, progress and implementation of quality and compliance programs at Avatar. He brings to Avatar over 23 years of experience in the nuclear and environmental monitoring industry. Prior to joining Avatar, he supervised technical staff in a commercial environmental radiochemical laboratory and performed data quality assessment and evaluation of radiochemical lab data at a decommissioning, nuclear facility. During his 10+ years at Duke Engineering, formerly Yankee Atomics Environmental Lab, he administered an in vivo bioassay quality assurance program in accordance with national standards. Mr. Keefer has a M.S. in Nuclear Engineering Sciences from the University of Florida and a B.A. in Marine Science. [back to top]
Yelena Gurevich, Quality Control Manager is responsible for Avatar's Quality Control Department. Mrs. Gurevich joined the company in 2004 and brought a wealth of technical expertise both as a chemist and an engineer. As such, she has played a pivotal role in method development/validation activities and management of client projects. Prior to joining Avatar, Ms. Gurevich spent 20 years in the (bio)pharmaceutical industry, developing, validating and performing methods for small molecules and oligonucleotides, managing QC, Analytical and Validation groups. Prior to Avatar she held positions with Omega Pharmaceutical Services and Springborn Smithers Laboratories. Mrs. Gurevich has a M.S. in Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Sciences from the Polytechnic University of Latvia. [back to top]
Rhonda Koska, Facilities Manager manages the Facilities Department, Health & Safety Office and the Materials Management Department. Ms. Koska joined the company in 2004 and is responsible for maintaining Facility Contracts, the maintenance of stability chambers, the Stability Study Program, packaging and shipment of materials, health & safety inspections and purchasing and receiving. Prior to Avatar she held positions with OSF Flavors and the US Army Natick RD&E Center. Ms. Koska has a Bachelor of Science in Food Science & Technology from Framingham State College. [back to top]
