Duke Leadership Academy Scholars Profile

Willette Wilkins

Title: Head, Strategy Development/Corporate Communications
Location:
Senior Management Area: Duke Clinical Research Institute
Class Year: 2023

Bio:
Willette Wilkins is Head, Strategic Planning & Development and Corporate Communications at Duke Clinical Research Institute. She has served in strategic business development for the DCRI for more than 16 years, where she helped to position the DCRI among its competitors and supported the growth of DCRI's clinical research portfolio, demonstrating strong business acumen, team leadership, and a deep understanding of how to position the DCRI as a strategic partner, collaborator, and partner. Willette brings to her new role over 25 years of cross- functional pharmaceutical and business experience, including basic and clinical research, marketing, and finance. As a biochemist in the Protein Biochemistry Group at GlaxoSmithKline, she developed small molecules, proteins, and peptides in a variety of dosage forms in therapeutic areas such as oncology, antivirals, endocrine/metabolic disorders, and cardiology. As the Marketing Chair at PharmaResearch Corporation, she developed ongoing commercial evaluations for compounds at the preclinical and clinical stages of development and created and managed innovative promotional programs for clinical trials. In her position at Quintiles, Willette led the planning, budgeting, and financial evaluations of global clinical research projects. Willette holds an undergraduate degree in chemistry with a minor in business administration as well as an MBA from North Carolina Central University. She also has advanced graduate training toward a Ph.D. in Pharmacology from Duke University.