People newsMANUFACTURERSMedImmune has named former Merck executive Sid Mazel as SVP of product planning and portfolio management. Mazel was most recently VP of worldwide marketing planning for Merck’s obesity and atherosclerosis franchise.Altus Pharmaceuticals, a biopharmaceutical company developing and commercializing oral and injectable protein therapeutics for patients with gastrointestinal and metabolic disorders, named Burkhard Blank as SVP medicine, regulatory affairs and project management. In this role, Blank will be responsible for clinical development, medical affairs, regulatory affairs and quality assurance as well as project management.In his previous position as SVP for medicine and drug regulatory affairs at Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals USA. AGENCIESHLS, the founding CommonHealth medical-education unit, has announced five new hires.  Carol Hudson joins as a senior vice president, professional relations. Most recently, Hudson was vice president at Synovate Healthcare, the market-research arm of Aegis Group. Elizabeth Myatt comes to HLS as a vice president, professional relations. Prior, Myatt held two simultaneous management positions at the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America in New York City—vice president of patient and professional services, and chief technology officer. William Matikiewicz will serve as a medical director. Matikiewicz will provide medical expertise to his assigned brand teams, plan and manage scientific presentations and publications, and help develop medical-education programs. Jeffrey Jones joins HLS as a medical writer. Jones will be responsible for conceptualizing and writing for educational and promotional projects including newsletters, journal articles, executive summaries and Web site content. Karen Auteri joins as a program coordinator. Most recently, Auteri was employed as an account executive at TMP Direct, a directional-marketing agency located in Mount Olive. Lanmark Group has appointed Gregory Sisto as client-relations associate. Sisto will be responsible for driving sales and new business activities in assigned target markets within the healthcare sector.  He will participate in the development and preparation of action plans to identify new sales prospects.  Prior to joining Lanmark Group, Sisto held the position of administrative and group sales assistant for the Lakewood BlueClaws. Altum, CommonHealth’s full-service professional healthcare advertising and promotion company focused on high-science and specialty markets, has announced seven new hires. Jerry Fishlin joins Altum as SVP, director of client services. Fishlin will be responsible for the agency’s ongoing client activities and will handle new business initiatives for the unit. Most recently, Fishlin held the position of senior vice president, account services at Saatchi & Saatchi Healthcare. Norman Nagl will serve as scientific communications director. Prior to joining Altum, Nagl was a postdoctoral research fellow at the Fels Institute for Cancer Research and Molecular Biology, Temple University School of Medicine, located in Philadelphia.  He holds a doctorate degree in molecular biology and genetics.  Margaret Kale joins as vice president, account supervisor. Previously, Kale was an account supervisor at Nelson Communications, where she acquired eight years of healthcare industry experience. Michele Liccone comes to Altum as an account supervisor. She will lead the strategic and tactical initiatives for her brands and supervise internal team members. Jennifer Dierks joins Altum as a senior account executive. Dierks will be responsible for the launch of a new breakthrough oncology product, both within the United States and globally. Prior to joining Altum, Dierks was employed at Integrated Communications. Erin Ramos comes to Altum as a senior art director. Previously, Ramos was a freelance art director at Altum’s sister agency, Adient, and at other area healthcare-communications companies. Amy Knierim joins Altum as editorial supervisor. Knierim will manage the editorial department, supervise the day-to-day work of Altum editors and work directly on client accounts. Most recently, Knierim held the position of editorial group supervisor at Cline, Davis & Mann. Advanstar Communications has named Manny Rodriguez VP of marketing for the Life Sciences Group.  Most recently, Rodriguez was director, strategy and business planning at Bristol-Myers Squibb where he was responsible for fortifying their Plavix brand through the development of an overall strategic approach and messaging across payer, consumer and physician segments.AbelsonTaylor has hired Ronnie Sun as senior media planner, Shan Farmer as print production manager, and Alykhan Daya as clinical research associate. Sun, who will handle media strategy for products in the areas of insomnia, oncology, HIV/AIDS and hypertension, has been working at AbelsonTaylor as a freelance media planner since last June. Farmer has 15 years of print production experience, most recently as procurement manager at Radix Communications, an advertising agency in Michigan. Daya will coordinate and verify reference back-up materials needed for submitting claims to the FDA for products in the diabetes and Parkinson’s areas. Lanmark Group recently appointed Jennifer Ort to senior copywriter. Prior to joining Lanmark Group, Ort held the position of public relations manager at creative marketing Alliance based in Princeton Junction, NJ.SUPPLIERSNanoInk, an emerging growth technology company specializing in nanometer-scale manufacturing and applications development for the lifescience and semiconductor industries, announced the election of Alan Holmer to the company’s board of directors. Holmer is the former president and CEO of PhRMA, where he spent nearly ten years. He also serves as a member of the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV and AIDS and on the board of directors of Inspire Pharmaceuticals.