Thomas P. Koestler, Ph.D., is executive vice president and president of Schering-Plough Research Institute (SPRI), the pharmaceutical research arm of Schering-Plough Corporation. Koestler is responsible for all aspects of SPRI, including heading up the Pharmaceutical Leadership Board (PLB). The PLB guides the strategic direction of product development programs and oversees the movement of projects through the development, registration and launch phases. Before joining Schering-Plough, he was senior vice president and head of global regulatory affairs for Pharmacia Corporation. Prior to joining Pharmacia, Koestler was senior vice president and global head, drug regulatory affairs, compliance assurance, clinical safety and epidemiology for Novartis. Before that appointment, he was senior director, drug regulatory affairs, at Ortho McNeil and a director of regulatory affairs at Bristol-Myers Squibb. Koestler received his Ph.D. degree from the State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo, Roswell Park Memorial Institute, where he studied medicine and pathology. He holds a B.S. degree in biology from Daeman College, Amherst, N.Y. Koestler has been published extensively in medical journals and is a member of numerous professional associations. He also is involved in community affairs and serves as vice chairman and an officer of the Children’s Specialized Hospital Foundation in Mountainside, N.J.