MORRISVILLE, N.C., June 16, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Syneos Health^® (Nasdaq:SYNH), the only fully integrated biopharmaceutical solutions organization, today announced the appointment of David S. Wilkes, M.D., to the Company’s Board of Directors.

“We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Wilkes to the Syneos Health Board,” said John Dineen, Chairman of the Syneos Health Board of Directors. “He is a distinguished medical expert with years of experience in academic, research-driven, entrepreneurial and public company settings. Dr. Wilkes shares our passion for positively impacting the lives of patients and is a champion for addressing health disparities. We are truly fortunate to have the opportunity to benefit from his perspectives as a board member.”

The Company today also announced that John Maldonado, Managing Partner at Advent International Corporation, and Josh Nelson, Managing Director at THL Partners, have stepped down from the Company’s Board of Directors.

Following today’s announcement, the Syneos Health Board is comprised of 10 directors, nine of whom are independent. Dr. Wilkes will serve as a Class II director.

Mr. Dineen continued, “As our Board composition continues to evolve, we thank John and Josh for their service, and are fortunate to have benefitted from their experience these past four years.”

Dr. Wilkes, a specialist in pulmonary disease and critical care medicine, currently serves as Dean at the University of Virginia School of Medicine, a position he has held since 2015. He previously served in positions of increasing responsibility at Indiana University School of Medicine, most recently as the Executive Associate Dean for Research Affairs. Dr. Wilkes is the co-founder of ImmuneWorks Inc., a biotechnology start-up company, and has served as its chief scientific officer since 2006. He served as a member of the Board of Scientific Counselors for the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute; and the National Advisory Council for the National Institute of Allergy, Immunology and Infectious Disease at NIH. Since 2013, he has served as the National Director of the Harold Amos Medical Faculty Development Program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, a program created to increase the number of faculty from historically disadvantaged backgrounds who can achieve senior rank in academic medicine, dentistry, or nursing. In 2020, he was elected to the National Academy of Medicine. Dr. Wilkes currently serves on the board of directors of Baxter International Inc., a leading global medical products company, where he serves on the Quality, Compliance and Technology Committee. He also serves as a member of the board of trustees of Villanova University, and the board of visitors of the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University. He received his bachelor's degree in biology from Villanova University and his medical degree from Temple University School of Medicine. He is a military veteran, having served three years as a major in the U.S. Air Force Medical Corps.

About Syneos Health
Syneos Health^® (Nasdaq:SYNH) is the only fully integrated biopharmaceutical solutions organization. The Company, including a Contract Research Organization (CRO) and Contract Commercial Organization (CCO), is purpose-built to accelerate customer performance to address modern market realities. We bring together approximately 26,000 clinical and commercial minds with the ability to support customers in more than 110 countries. Together we share insights, use the latest technologies and apply advanced business practices to speed our customers’ delivery of important therapies to patients. To learn more about how we are Shortening the distance from lab to life^®, visit syneoshealth.com or subscribe to our podcast.