Despite some progress in recent years, women are still severely under-represented in the Biotechnology industry. Although studies suggest that the industry is moving towards gender parity, women have become scarcer in the upper ranks. Hostile work culture and domestic pressures compel women to stay away from such professions. The proverbial glass ceiling for women in biotech has some cracks, but it is yet to be shattered. However, there is a trailblazing entrepreneur who is swiftly making her way to reach there. Christina DiArcangelo, a woman entrepreneur, working in the traditional Biotech industry and founder of Affinity Bio Partners, has dedicated her life to revolutionizing patient care.
Serving Varied Roles with Panache
Christina holds more than two decades of experience in the biotechnology, pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, and medical device industries. After getting out of college, she started as a paralegal and later interviewed for the first global clinical research company (CRO). This professional stint encouraged her to stay in the biotech, pharma, and medical device industries. Through her roles as CEO of Spectral Analytics Precision Tele-Monitoring, and Board President and CEO of Affinity Patient Advocacy, Christina has been involved with revolutionary projects and global clinical studies that positively impact patients with the inclusion of state-of-the-art technology. As a clinical research pioneer, contracts negotiator, and business owner, she has utilized the tools at her disposal to champion patient care and provide best-in-class patient advocacy services.
For Christina, patient care comes first as she has battled bad health herself. Her journey as a patient began with her autoimmune diseases that were a byproduct of domestic abuse. She set foot on the path to recovery, and the willingness to seek help from therapists, trusted doctors, nutritionists, and many other healthcare professionals were the positive tipping point in her journey. This also made her a patient advocate for life.
Patient Care through Affinity Bio Partners
The first CRO that Christina started was Armonia Clinical Research in 2010. Rather than rebranding it to start a new global CRO and offer additional services, she went on to launch her second CRO, Affinity Bio Partners (ABP), in 2014. The company works to provide important enterprise-wide solutions that facilitate the development of drugs, biologics, and medical devices. The services include clinical operations, monitoring, site management, medical writing, study start-up activities, drug safety, biostats and data management services, clinical quality auditors, clinical SOP development, training, and implementation, among others.
Christina truly understands the patients’ needs, and with ABP, she maintains a steadfast dedication to bringing efficiency, safety, innovation, and value to the clinical research process. Through her patient advocacy firm, Affinity Patient Advocacy, she has obtained a thorough understanding of the patients that sponsors are trying to recruit based on her in-depth knowledge of patient care from earlier professional engagements. About four years ago, she also became interested in medical cannabis and CBD as therapeutic treatments.