Yevgeny (Gene) Tkachuk completed a highly selective Physician’s Assistant program overseas, before pursing a Bachelor of Science in Biology at Rutgers University where he participated in laboratory research devoted to the long-term reduction of malaria through genetic studies of disease-transmitting mosquitoes. His findings were presented at the New Jersey Academy of Science in 1994.

Subsequently he joined a management consulting firm where he oversaw an off-shore consulting division developing software applications for U.S. and European clients. Subsequently he was assigned to a division devoted to the development of international clinical research projects. The job entailed extensive coordination with foreign hospitals and regulatory agencies (such as the Russian Ministry of Health), adapting research methodologies, documenting regulatory conformance, and hiring and managing personnel. He quickly assimilated pharmaceutical and clinical trial development in an environment of regulatory adversity and organizational obstacles. In 1999, he earned a Master’s in Business Administration at Farleigh Dickinson University.

In 2004, he became a Research Associate at Hackensack University Medical Center, where he helped pursue the hospital’s goal of elucidating the immunopathological mechanism to prevent graft versus host disease, a major complication of clinical allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation. This research utilized animal-to-human translational studies with important oncology applications, taking Gene’s research skills to a higher level, while also providing him with an up-close, practical view of the many facets of drug development.

Gene was the first recipient of the FDAAA Centennial Scholarship in fall 2006. The scholarship enabled him to complete a certificate in Clinical Trial Management. He subsequently received the MS in QA/RA in January 2010 and is currently working as a Services Project Manager for CA, Inc. (an IT company).