The Board of Directors of the Center for Medical Technology Policy (CMTP) announced today that its current President, Donna Messner, PhD, will become CMTP 's new Chief Executive Officer, effective February 1, 2019. She will succeed Sean Tunis, MD, MSc, the organization 's founder, who will remain at CMTP as a Senior Strategic Advisor.

The Center for Medical Technology Policy Names Donna Messner, PhD New Chief Executive Officer

Baltimore, MD. (January 8, 2019) — The Board of Directors of the Center for Medical Technology Policy (CMTP) announced today that its current President, Donna Messner, PhD, will become CMTP’s new Chief Executive Officer, effective February 1, 2019. She will succeed Sean Tunis, MD, MSc, the organization’s founder, who will remain at CMTP as a Senior Strategic Advisor.

Messner has served in a variety of leadership roles since joining CMTP as Research Director in 2011. She has led the Green Park Collaborative (GPC), CMTP’s flagship initiative, bringing clarity to clinical evidence requirements for molecular diagnostics, genomics, oncology, and neurology, and overseeing work on real-world evidence, alternative payment models, and other topics. Most recently, she launched a systematic program for the development of core outcome sets. Messner has worked closely with Dr. Tunis as part of CMTP’s senior leadership, running operations, building a talented staff, and spearheading the organization’s latest strategic plan.

 “Donna Messner has been an exemplary leader at CMTP, and we are thrilled she will continue to apply her unique talents to expand CMTP’s impact and deepen its contributions to the field,” said Mark Gibson, Chair of the CMTP Board of Directors.

"I am looking forward to what's ahead," said Messner. "Our three-year strategic plan is focused primarily on building our initiatives to develop and promote adoption of core outcome sets, while continuing our research grants and other initiatives. We have an amazing team in place and a vibrant portfolio to build on."

CMTP Celebrates a Decade of Accomplishments
Under Dr. Tunis’s leadership, CMTP has become an established, national leader working toward a health care system where patients, clinicians, health care policymakers, and payers are directly involved in all phases of clinical research, ensuring they have the evidence they need to make informed health decisions. “I am tremendously proud of the what the CMTP team has accomplished during the last decade,” said Tunis, who will continue to provide his distinctive insight as a member of the CMTP Board.  “I’m looking forward to stepping back from day-to-day management responsibilities in order to pursue new ideas and projects, while continuing to advise CMTP on its ongoing projects and next generation of programs.”

During the last decade under Tunis, CMTP developed an impressive track record. Notably the organization:

• Identified methods and best practices for patient and other stakeholder engagement in the development of clinical evidence for comparative effectiveness and value;
• Established robust stakeholder engagement as a necessary and routine part of clinical studies;
• Conceptualized and promoted methods and practices for designing clinical studies more relevant to patient and “post-regulatory” decision-making;
• Contributed to the increased development, use, and acceptance of pragmatic clinical trials; and
• Convened thousands of stakeholders, tackling difficult questions in health policy.

“CMTP has covered important ground during the last 10 years,” added Mark Gibson, “and I’m excited about Donna and the team’s plans to ensure the priorities of patients and other key stakeholders are accounted for in all research for new medical technologies.”