OPKO Health has announced the appointment of Gregory Henderson, M.D., Ph.D., as President of Bio-Reference Laboratories (BRL), effective immediately. Dr. Henderson succeeds Marc Grodman, M.D., who is resigning, having served as Chairman, President and CEO of BRL since founding the company in 1981. OPKO acquired BRL in August 2015. Dr. Grodman will continue as a special advisor to OPKO and BRL to ensure a smooth transition.
“Dr. Grodman built a billion-dollar clinical diagnostic lab company and a strong legacy of innovating and developing new tests, all while operating in a highly competitive environment,” said Phillip Frost, M.D., Chairman and CEO of OPKO Health. “We are building upon Dr. Grodman’s legacy and moving in directions that will generate a new era of strong growth and position BRL to participate further in health and wellness decisions. Dr. Henderson brings to BRL the ideal combination of technical expertise and entrepreneurial and management experience. We look forward to supporting his leadership as BRL accelerates growth from core traditional and genetic testing services, and commercializes important new products, such as the 4Kscore™ test for prostate cancer.”
A second-generation pathologist, Dr. Henderson founded and sold two large regional clinical lab businesses, including NextWave Diagnostic Laboratory in Wilmington, N.C. and Pacific Pathology Partners in Seattle. He has been a practicing pathologist for more than 20 years and joins BRL from the Mount Sinai Health Network, where he was the Vice Chairman of Pathology Outreach and Affiliate Laboratory Affairs.
Commenting on his new position, Dr. Henderson said, “As part of OPKO, Bio-Reference Laboratories is uniquely positioned to catalyze the transformation of healthcare in the U.S. by delivering high-value, physician-interpreted diagnostic knowledge, innovative new testing to clinicians and patients and targeted therapeutics from our pharmaceutical development group. Testing that provides clinical guidance and risk stratification, minimizes invasive procedures and bends the healthcare cost curve is the future of laboratory medicine.”
“Our 4Kscore prostate cancer risk stratification test, which has been demonstrated in a study to reduce prostate biopsies by more than 60% and lower attendant costs and patient risk, is the first of such tests and is our template and roadmap,” he added. “I am looking forward to working with the team at OPKO and BRL as we set a course to transform the diagnostic industry and radically improve patient care.”