Velocity Clinical Research has appointed Justin Starzyk as Chief Executive Officer, succeeding Paul Evans, who is transitioning to Chair of the Board. “Leading Velocity has been the privilege of my career. Together, we built the world’s leading integrated site organization, and I’m proud of what this team has accomplished for patients, sponsors, and sites,” Evans said. “Justin is exactly the right leader to further Velocity’s mission and lead its next chapter, and I’m looking forward to continuing in my position as Chair, working alongside him and the Board as we build on the strong progress to date.”
About Justin Starzyk
Starzyk joins Velocity from United Urology Group, where he served as President, overseeing approximately 300 physicians and advanced practice providers and 2,000 teammates across 100 locations.
“Having started my career in pharmaceutical R&D, this feels like a homecoming; I’m excited to reconnect with drug development and clinical trials research through Velocity, which has built a differentiated, integrated site model,” Starzyk said. “What drew me here is Velocity’s mission-driven approach and the degree of operational integration and technology Velocity has already built into its site network – it’s rare to see, and it’s exactly what gives us the opportunity to earn the trust of sponsors, patients and their families day-after-day.”
“ My focus is to build on this strong foundation and accelerate growth by broadening the range of research and centralized services we bring to our partners, with the goal of improving the clinical research process to accelerate the delivery of new therapies and provide exceptional care to the communities we serve. I look forward to working closely with the Velocity team, partners and clients in the weeks ahead, and to growing the excellent platform Paul and the team have established.”
Before United Urology Group, Starzyk spent nearly a decade at DaVita in operating and strategic growth leadership roles. He began his career in global pharmaceutical R&D at Abbott Laboratories and AbbVie. GHO Capital, Velocity’s investor, also welcomed the appointment. “Justin’s track record of scaling healthcare services businesses makes him exceptionally well suited to lead Velocity’s next stage of growth, and we’re confident his operating discipline will strengthen Velocity’s position as the leading integrated site organization globally,” said Mike Mortimer, Managing Partner, and Edward de Nor, Partner, at GHO Capital. “We remain committed to supporting that growth, whether organically or through new strategic partnerships, and we want to thank Paul for his leadership in building Velocity into the organization it is today. We look forward to supporting Justin, alongside Paul as Chair of the Board, as Velocity continues to set new standards for the clinical trial industry.”
Starzyk holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from Northwestern University and an MBA from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management.
About Velocity Clinical Research
Velocity Clinical Research is the world’s leading organization of fully integrated research sites, partnering with pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies to research new drugs, medical devices, and diagnostics across the United States and Europe. Backed by GHO Capital, Velocity’s unified research site model delivers the patients, investigators, and research staff needed to run clinical trials at scale.
