Perakslis will provide strategic vision and oversight of DCRI’s digital research initiatives and technology affairs to advance the academic institute’s clinical research portfolio.
The Duke Clinical Research Institute (DCRI), a part of the Duke University School of Medicine, will welcome Eric Perakslis, PhD, on February 1 as the DCRI’s new Chief Science & Digital Officer. Perakslis will lead the strategic vision of digital research initiatives and technology affairs of the DCRI. He will provide oversight for the DCRI’s Technology and Data Solutions and serve as faculty lead for the DCRI’s Health Services Research group. His efforts will be complementary to the efforts of the DCRI’s Therapeutic Area and Center for Digital Therapeutics leaders by contributing additional expertise in digital methods and technology to the Institute’s science and operations.
Perakslis transitions to the DCRI from his role as a Rubenstein Fellow at Duke University, where he worked with Duke Forge, focusing on collaborative efforts in data science that span medicine, policy, engineering, computer science, information technology, and security, while also contributing to training and mentoring future leaders in the field. During this time, Perakslis also completed his forthcoming book, Digital Health: Understanding the Benefit-Risk Patient-Provider Framework, to be published by Oxford University Press in April. Prior to his arrival at Duke, Perakslis served as Chief Scientific Advisor at Datavant, Lecturer in the Department of Biomedical Informatics at Harvard Medical School, and Strategic Innovation Advisor to Médecins Sans Frontières. Previously, Perakslis had senior leadership roles, including Senior Vice President and Head of the Takeda R&D Data Science Institute, Chief Information Officer and Chief Scientist (Informatics) at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and Senior Vice President of Research & Development Information Technology at Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceuticals. Throughout these roles, Perakslis created and led major transformations, bringing data, science, and technology together to advance the strategies of each of these organizations.
“I am pleased that the School of Medicine and its Departments of Population Health Science and Biostatistics & Bioinformatics have worked to expand Eric’s role at Duke for the benefit of so many here—and for the benefit of our clinical research participants and patients we serve,” said Adrian Hernandez, MD, MHS, DCRI’s executive director. “As evidenced by his recent JAMA Viewpoint that highlights his thought leadership and expertise on benefits and risks for digital methods, Eric is a noteworthy addition to the DCRI’s faculty and an example of how we are committed to bringing innovation in technology to our science and operational ingenuity to lead the way forward for clinical research for our sponsors, collaborators, and partners.”
Perakslis has a PhD in chemical and biochemical engineering from Drexel University. He also holds BSChE and MS degrees in chemical engineering. He has served on several editorial boards, including for Cancer Today magazine and as the Associate Editor for Novel Communications for the Journal of Therapeutic Innovation and Regulatory Science.
“I am delighted to expand my role at Duke and to bring the depth and breadth of my experience to the DCRI,” said Perakslis. “My diverse corporate and academic background will help to bring an objective approach to investing in digital assets that allow the DCRI to continue to be the much needed disrupter for clinical research and to ensure that the DCRI remains competitive in the changing research landscape. The clinical research industry is fertile ground for change—hybrid, pragmatic, virtual trials, novel real-world clinical research networks, and the use of AI and Machine Learning to advance clinical research—and I welcome the opportunity to position the Institute as a leader for the future of clinical trials, studies, and programs.”