Experienced leadership
Pathwork Diagnostics' leaders have extensive experience in clinical and informatics research and the development and commercialization of diagnostic tests. Click on the names below to view professional biographies.
Deborah J. Neff
President, Chief Executive Officer
Deborah Neff, who serves on the company's board of directors, is a 25-year veteran of the healthcare and life sciences industries. She has a proven track record of commercializing new products and building market-leading global businesses. Ms. Neff was previously President and Chief Executive Officer of Predicant Biosciences, Inc., a clinical diagnostics company focused on oncology. Earlier, she served as worldwide President of BD Biosciences, and under her guidance BD Biosciences became a leader in the life sciences industry. Ms. Neff earned a BS in physiology from the University of California, Davis, and completed graduate study in immunohematology at Memorial Hospital Medical Center in Long Beach, California. She served on the board of Advanced Medical Optics, Inc., and ForteBio, Inc., and is a member of the Dean’s Leadership Council for the College of Biological Sciences at the University of California, Davis.
Shawn Becker, MD
Vice President, Marketing and Reimbursement
Dr. Shawn Becker oversees development and execution of the company’s brand and product management, and reimbursement strategies. He brings to the company significant experience in translating innovative technology into healthcare products and services.
Prior to joining Pathwork, Dr. Becker was Vice President of Market Development for Predicant Biosciences, Inc., a clinical proteomics development stage company. Previously, he was Senior Director of Marketing, Clinical Trials at Affymetrix, Inc., where he was responsible for expanding the GeneChip® microarray platform into clinical trials and clinical research.
Earlier, Dr. Becker co-founded and was Vice President of Business Development at PlanetRx.com, an online pharmacy company. He also worked at CSC / APM Healthcare as a member of the strategic consulting team, specializing in clinical disease management programs.
Dr. Becker completed his internship in primary care internal medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, after receiving his M.D. from the School of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. He has an A.B. in history and science from Harvard University.
David Craford
Chief Commercial Officer
David Craford leads the company’s overall marketing, sales, and customer support strategies and operations. He has 20 years of experience in the life sciences industry with a proven track record for building new markets and establishing market leadership.
Prior to joining Pathwork, Mr. Craford was Vice President of Business Development at Affymetrix, Inc., where he held various business development and marketing leadership roles. Previously, Mr. Craford held senior sales positions with Amersham Life Sciences, Inc. and at BTX, a life sciences instrumentation company.
Mr. Craford received a BA in biochemistry and cell biology from the University of California, San Diego, and an MBA with a focus on marketing and finance from the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley.
William David Henner, MD, PhD
Chief Medical Officer
Dr. Henner brings 25 years of significant scientific, clinical, and industry experience to Pathwork Diagnostics, providing clinical and medical leadership for the company’s clinical product development, thought leader collaborations, and clinical study design. Before joining Pathwork, Dr. Henner was Vice President of Oncology at Novacea, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company. Earlier, he was Vice President for Clinical Research and Development at Telik, Inc.
Dr. Henner received his MD and PhD in microbiology from the University of Pennsylvania, and has published more than 70 papers. In addition, he has been issued three US patents. Dr. Henner completed his medical residency at the University of Chicago Hospital and his clinical fellowship in medical oncology at Harvard Medical School and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. He also holds an MBA from the University of Oregon.
Mark McDonough
Vice President, US Sales
Mark McDonough serves as Vice President of US Sales and is charged with developing and executing the strategic and tactical sales initiatives at Pathwork. With more than 10 years of cancer diagnostics and reference laboratory experience, Mr. McDonough has a proven track record of sales success as a sales consultant, manager and leader.
Mr. McDonough joined Pathwork from US LABS, a division of Laboratory Corporation of America, where he served as Vice President of Sales. Previously, Mr. McDonough held various sales and sales management positions with Ventana Medical Systems, and served as a Navigator and Communications Officer in the United States Navy.
Mr. McDonough is a graduate of Miami University of Ohio with a BS in Finance.
Meredith Halks Miller, MD
Laboratory Director
Dr. Meredith Halks Miller is Board Certified in both Anatomic and Neuropathology and has 15 years of experience as a pathologist in the global biopharma and biotechnology industries. Dr. Miller served as an Assistant Professor of Pathology at UCSF and as a Clinical Assistant Professor of Pathology at Stanford before joining the Life Sciences Division of SRI International. At SRI, she worked on brain injury and repair mechanisms. She joined Berlex Biosciences in 1994 and was promoted to Principal Scientist in 1999. As Head of the Pharmacopathology Unit, she led a group that supplied histopathology support services for all aspects of drug discovery – from early stage proof-of-concept studies to analysis of efficacy models. She has extensive expertise in numerous tissue technologies, including immunohistochemistry, laser capture microscopy, gene delivery assessment, and validation of oncologic biomarkers.
Dr. Miller received her MD degree from Boston University School of Medicine. Her postgraduate training included two years of residency in Anatomical Pathology at University of California, San Francisco, two years of Neuropathology fellowship at Stanford University and two years of postdoctoral fellowship in Neurotoxicology at UCSF.
Fletcher Payne
Chief Financial Officer
Fletcher Payne has more than 20 years of business and financial experience, in both start-up and Fortune 500 companies. He leads the financial team at Pathwork Diagnostics, implementing processes to support commercial growth and developing the company’s overall financial strategy.
Mr. Payne joined Pathwork from Plexxikon, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, where he served as a Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Prior to Plexxikon, he worked for Rinat Neuroscience, Dynavax Technologies, Cell Genesys, Sun Microsystems, and IBM.
Mr. Payne is a graduate of UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business with a BS in Business Administration.