Hakan Sakul , Ph.D.
Senior Director and Global Head of Diagnostics
Pfizer Global R&D, La Jolla Laboratories, San Diego, Calif.

Hakan Sakul is a senior director in the Molecular Medicine Group where he serves as the global head of diagnostics, leading Pfizer's diagnostics effort across all therapeutic areas. Sakul is a native of Turkey where he completed his bachelor's and master's degrees. After earning his doctorate in quantitative genetics at the University of Minnesota as a Rotary Foundation Scholar in 1990, he completed a postdoctoral program at the University of California-Davis in quantitative genetics, animal genetics and international agriculture. After spending four years working in the biotech industry, Sakul joined Parke-Davis as director of human genetics, statistical genetics and pharmacogenetics programs. Due to site closure shortly after Pfizer's merger with Warner-Lambert, he moved to Ardais Corporation in Boston, Massachusetts as vice president of statistical genomics. At the end of 2001, Sakul returned to Pfizer as director and site head for Clinical Pharmacogenomics in Groton/New London Laboratories. Sakul was promoted to senior director in mid-2005 and was responsible for Clinical Pharmacogenomics programs in CNS and Infectious Diseases prior to assuming his current role. Sakul has authored over 30 scientific refereed articles, several book chapters, and served as invited speaker on many panels and scientific meetings.