Team

Our Team

BioIT Solutions was founded in 2006 to serve emerging and established biotechnology companies. Company founders have worked in the biotechnology sector for 20 years in a variety of information-technology capacities, including senior positions as CIO, and directors of Bioinformatics, Quality Systems and Clinical Systems.

We have managed the demanding requirements of genomic research and bioinformatics, the complexity of drug development projects, and the challenges of launching clinical operations and product development functions. The breadth of our experience makes us an ideal partner for early-stage companies, as well as those with legacy systems in need of modernization.

Michael R. Fannon

President

Michael Fannon has over 20 years of direct experience in the design, development and management of systems focused on Biotechnology research, development, clinical trials and product manufacturing. Mike advises emerging biotechnology companies in business strategy, process engineering, customer relationship management, IT infrastructure development and laboratory automation. Mike is the chief architect of the BioIT Solutions Portal Products that provides a suite of services for capturing, presenting and analyzing information along the full biotech product lifecycle.

Mike was Vice President and Chief Information Officer of Human Genome Sciences, Inc. from 1994 through September 2005. Mike managed the design and implementation of computerized systems to support HGS’s high-volume laboratory data collection, biological research, clinical data management, product development, manufacturing and business operations. Prior to joining HGS, Mike was the founder and president of TSI Consulting, Inc. in Silver Spring, MD, and held a series of technical and management positions with Martin Marietta’s Information Systems Group.

Mike is an author of publications in scientific journals and business magazines; he is co-inventor on two patents for microbial genomes. Mike serves as the Chairman of the Board of Trustees for the Barrie School, an independent Pre-K through 12th grade school in Silver Spring, Maryland.

Mike earned an MBA in Operations Analysis from The American University, and a Bachelor’s degree in Physics from Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida.

Bob Beliveau

Vice President

Bob Beliveau has been working in the life science industry for over 18 years in a variety of Information Technology positions. Bob has expertise in project and organizational management and process reengineering with an emphasis on research, development, manufacturing, and quality systems. Bob works closely with a number of Biotech, Diagnostic, and Vaccine companies advising then on regulatory compliance, software development and integration and business process reengineering.

Bob was Senior Director of Production Systems at Human Genome Sciences between 2001 and 2006. In this capacity, Bob managed a team of IT professionals that built mission critical software systems to support HGS’s clinical manufacturing processes. These systems have been successfully audited by partner companies and regulatory agencies (FDA) and found to be well-controlled. Between 1997 and 2001, Bob was Associate Director of Bioinformatics, at Human Genome Sciences. Here, Bob built a cDNA sequencing LIMS for what was one of the world’s largest commercial cDNA sequencing labs. Bob helped discover potential therapeutic targets using diverse approaches such as hydrophobicity analysis, mRNA expression analysis, and High-Throughput Biological Screening (HTBS). He also spearheaded the use of liquid handling robots, DNA spotting robots, and detection devices such as flourometers and plate readers (ELISA).

Bob is a member of the World Batch Forum (WBF) and the Society of Quality Assurance (SQA). He is actively involved in a number of charities such as Western Upper Montgomery County (WUMCO) Help, San Mar Children’s home in Boonesboro, MD, and Son Servants. Bob is also an avid soccer player and coach and has recently coached high school age boys and girls soccer teams.

Bob earned his Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from the University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland.

Mohsen Marefat

Vice President of Operations

Mohsen Marefat brings three decades of experience from the trenches of the technology industry. He was most recently the president of the International Drug Discovery Institute; an innovative non-profit pharmaceutical organization aimed at defeating neglected diseases. He is also the co-founder of The Althing Group, a firm specializing in emerging technology corporate operations.

His skills span varied sectors and platforms. Mohsen has founded, led and managed companies in the software, telecom, and life sciences industries. Mohsen’s technical background was honed through a decade of R&D work at IBM’s Information Products Division leading to many innovations in precision motion control systems. He has an intimate knowledge of technology and business issues, including: OEM product management, funding and finance for startups, international marketing and business development for leading edge technologies.

Mohsen is a devout Electrical Engineer with an undergraduate degree from Northwestern University, and a Master’s degree from Old Dominion University. He is an advocate of space exploration and has contributed to organizations ranging from NASA to The Mars Society.

Jeff Schumack

Vice President of Professional Services

Jeff Schumack has over 20 years of experience in the IT industry, mostly in the Biotechnology sector. His experience includes managing complex projects, leading multi-disciplinary teams, building validation programs in response to regulations including FDAs 21 CFR, Part 11, architecture and development of custom laboratory software, and a deep understanding of business processes used by Clinical Research & Development organizations.

Jeff was the Associate Director of Clinical & Regulatory Systems at Human Genome Sciences. In this role, Jeff directed the implementation of a Clinical and Regulatory informatics infrastructure to support HGS’ clinical trials. Jeff successfully implemented this program by working closely with all groups in the Research and Development Organization including; Clinical Data Management (Clintrial, Integic), Clinical Operations (CTMS), Clinical Immunology (CSTrack), Drug Safety (ARISg), Regulatory Affairs (Documentum and Insight Publisher) and Biostatistics (SCE). Jeff was instrumental in the creation of HGSs Computerized System Validation Program, serving as the lead IT interface for all validation activities. He authored several Policies and SOPs in support of this program. Jeff was also the lead IT contact on IT matters during FDA and partner audits.

While a majority partner at TSI Consulting, Inc., Jeff managed several client accounts providing IT services to Biotechnology companies. He and his team developed custom applications for various clients including companies performing Biologic testing and Genomic research.

Jeff has presented his work at a number of different conferences including; the American Statistical Association, Immunogenicity for Protein-Based Therapeutics and EMCs Momentum conference.

Jeff earned a BS degree in Computational Mathematics from Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan.

John Labarge

Senior Consultant

John Labarge has been working in the life sciences industry for almost 25 years in a variety of Information Technology roles. John works with biotechnology organizations to develop custom Laboratory Information Management Systems (LIMS) that fit their specific operational requirements. He develops computerized system validation program documentation to assist organizations with the regulatory compliance of their systems and processes.

John was the Associate Director, Computer Validation and IT Compliance, at Sucampo Pharmaceuticals. Here he developed and served as program manager for the Computerized System Validation (CSV) Program and functioned as liaison between IT and applicable functional business departments to ensure understanding of operational compliance requirements and to establish how IT projects met requirements. Prior to Sucampo, John consulted as the project manager of CSV projects and software implementations, managing implementations and validation teams for multiple pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. John led the implementation and validation effort for Hewlett Packard Application Life-Cycle Management (ALM) system for a global Fortune 500 biotechnology company, including requirements gathering, customization, qualification, training, and deployment.

John enjoys coaching his son’s touch football team.

John earned his Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia.

Charlie Boucher

Charlie Boucher has 8 years of experience working in the biotechnology industry with a focus on enhancing operations using technology. Charlie acts as lead in the implementation and troubleshooting for several instances of the BioIT platform.

Charlie’s experience with BioIT began as a client in 2014. After struggling for years with an outdated LIMS, Charlie partnered with Mike Fannon to develop an animal study module on the BioIT platform. By removing the friction caused by legacy system Charlie was able to focus on software development. Subsequently, he transitioned to the BioIT team in 2018. Coming from the client side of development, Charlie has a unique perspective on the iterative development process.

Charlie earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Biotechnology from James Madison University, Harrisonburg Virginia.

Blog Post

Learning from Experience

August 26, 2012/in Adaptable, BioIT Advantage, Blog, Cross Domains, Team /by Mike Fannon

By Mike Fannon. During my long tenure with Human Genome Sciences (from late 1992 through 2005), I had the good fortune to participate in a biotech startup from the ground floor. It was a real learning experience to work for an entrepreneurial company staking a claim on the genomic frontier in the mid 1990s.

Our Team