MANUFACTURERSStiefel Laboratories has a new vice president for corporate development. Jim Loerop joins the firm and will lead efforts to negotiate and implement new business opportunities, acquisitions and divestitures, the company said. Loerop has previously held executive positions with Solvay Pharmaceuticals, Curatek Pharmaceuticals, IMS Health and KV Pharmaceutical.StoneBridge Pharma has named Robert Sykora president. In the newly-created position, Skykora will be responsible for all daily operations, strategy, and business development activities for the Georgia-based specialty pharmaceutical company. Sykora most recently served as vice president of sales and marketing for Glades Pharmaceuticals, an affiliate of Stiefel Laboratories.SUPPLIERSPublicis Selling Solutions Group (PSSG) named Don Overcash EVP, PSSG business development.  Overcash has been president of Arista Marketing Associates for five years and will retain his title and responsibilities. MSL Advantage, a new company formed by Scientific Advantage, has appointed Keith Morris EVP.  Morris will be responsible for developing individualized programs for drug and device companies that prefer to outsource the function of MSL staffing.  AGENCIESAbelsonTaylor has hired Ronnie Sun as senior media planner, Shan Farmer as print production manager, and Alykhan Daya as clinical research associate.  GSW Worldwide has hired Jen McKeever as account executive.  Prior to GSW Worldwide, McKeever served as marketing and advertising junior account executive at Double Platinum.  Scott Harper has been named senior account executive.  Prior to GSW Worldwide, Harper served as senior account executive at Cline Davis & Mann.Palio Communications has hired Rick Bonnett as support specialist, Nicole Harte as assistant account executive, Maria Mitsios as account executive, and Leah Warner as account supervisor. Photosound, a member of HealthSTAR Communications, has expanded its team. Karen Palmer joins as medical communications manager.  Most recently, she worked at Oxford Clinical Communications.  Lee Kempster will serve as editorial project manager. Ross Piper joins as a medical writer.  Piper comes from Medicus International and has doctoral expertise in population genetics.  MEDIADowden Health Media has appointed David Farley and Jon van Heerden to editor-in-chief and deputy editor respectively for its general surgery journal, Contemporary Surgery.  Farley, a professor of Surgery at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, has been a Contemporary Surgery editorial board member since 1999 and Diagnostic and Surgical Dilemma section editor for the journal since 2000.  Van Heerden is a professor of surgery at the Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, was Professor of Surgery at Mayo Medical School for more than three decades and also served as president of the American and International Associations of Endocrine Surgeons. He has been a member of the Contemporary Surgery Editorial Board since the mid 1990s.  Farley replaces John Daly, who had been editor-in-chief since 1996. Daly, currently dean of Temple University Medical School in Philadelphia, PA, will be named editor-in-chief emeritus of Contemporary Surgery.Haymarket Medical has hired Darrin O’Neill to the position of Sales VP.  Prior to joining Haymarket, O’Neill worked for medical education company Medical DecisionPoint for 3 years as director, business development.