Newswise — Rockville, Md. (October 30, 2019)—The American Physiological Society (APS) is pleased to announce the hire of Chief Publishing Officer Colette Bean, MA; Chief Science Officer Dennis Brown, PhD; and Chief Engagement and Partnerships Officer Meeghan DeCagna, MSc, CAE, to its executive team. The three new hires join Deputy Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer Robert Price, CAE, CPA—a veteran APS staffer—in the establishment of a new chief-level team, completing a staff realignment.
Under the direction of APS Executive Director Scott Steen, CAE, FASAE, the structural changes are intended to prepare the Society to achieve the ambitious goals laid out for the organization by the APS Council and recent strategic plans. “In coming years, APS will make changes to our publishing model to increase our viability in the open access space; launch a new, stand-alone annual meeting in 2023; launch a new flagship journal; diversify our revenue streams; double membership; and improve member engagement and experience,” Steen said.
“To achieve these big goals, it was critical to secure the right talent who can innovate and get the organization where we need to be. I admire the individual accomplishments of all of our APS chiefs and am confident that they possess the creativity, leadership and knowledge to execute new and existing initiatives and drive results.”
Colette E. Bean, MA—Chief Publishing Officer
The Society’s most recent hire, Bean joined APS in September as chief publishing officer. She will lead the publishing division, which includes all 15 APS journals and the launch of the newest APS journal, Function.
Bean comes to APS from John Wiley & Sons—one of the oldest and largest scholarly publishing companies in the world—where she spent over 25 years serving in a variety of roles. She most recently served as vice president and society publishing director for the U.S. In this role, Bean oversaw the management of more than 350 society-owned journals spanning the life sciences, physical sciences, and social sciences and humanities. Read her bio.
Dennis Brown, PhD—Chief Science Officer
Brown joined the APS staff in July as the Society’s first chief science officer. In this new role, he will serve as the Society’s primary scientific spokesperson and advocate, overseeing the science policy, scientific meetings, and education and member communities departments.
Brown currently serves as professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and director of the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Program in Membrane Biology. He has also held key leadership positions at APS, including serving as the Society’s 90th president and as editor-in-chief for both the American Journal of Physiology—Cell Physiology and Physiological Reviews. Brown will split his time between APS headquarters in Rockville, Md., and Boston, where he will retain his affiliation with both Harvard and MGH. Read his bio.
Meeghan De Cagna, MSc, CAE—Chief Engagement and Partnerships Officer
De Cagna joined APS as the chief engagement and partnerships officer in March. In this newly created role, De Cagna is responsible for the marketing, membership, communications and business development teams.
Prior to joining APS, De Cagna worked at the Endocrine Society as chief strategic partnerships officer and at the American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA), where she served as the vice president for trainee engagement and director of leadership development for AAPA’s Center for Healthcare Leadership and Management, an internal business consultancy working with some of the largest academic medical centers in the U.S. Read her bio.
Robert Price, CAE, CPA—Deputy Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer
Price joined the Society in 2000. As leader of the APS operations division, he oversees finance, human resources, information technology and facilities management.
Price has a broad range of experience in financial and administrative management with several medium to large nonprofits, including the National Academy of Sciences, American Type Culture Collection and the American Diabetes Association (ADA), where, as the national director of financial operations, he was responsible for transforming the financial operations of the ADA during its reorganization. Read his bio.
NOTE TO JOURNALISTS: To schedule an interview, please contact the APS Communications Office or call 301.634.7314. Find research highlights from the APS family of journals in our News Room.
Physiology is the study of how molecules, cells, tissues and organs function in health and disease. Established in 1887, the American Physiological Society (APS) was the first U.S. society in the biomedical sciences field. The Society represents nearly 10,000 members and publishes 15 peer-reviewed journals with a worldwide readership.
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