PatientPartner adds ex-Eli Lilly executive Jeffrey Kasher to board

PatientPartner named former Eli Lilly leader Jeffrey Kasher, PhD, to its board effective Aug. 24 as the company expands work with pharmaceutical and clinical trial sponsors. The move brings senior clinical development experience to PatientPartner’s peer-mentorship platform focused on trial recruitment, retention and treatment adherence.

Why it matters: - PatientPartner is trying to scale a mentor-driven model into larger life sciences organizations, where clinical trial recruitment and patient retention are costly and difficult. - Kasher’s background at Eli Lilly gives PatientPartner board-level experience in clinical development, implementation and sponsor-side decision-making. - The appointment could help PatientPartner push peer mentorship deeper into clinical trials and post-trial treatment support.

What happened: - PatientPartner appointed Jeffrey Kasher, PhD, to its Board of Directors, effective Aug. 24, 2026. - Kasher spent 28 years at Eli Lilly before moving into advisory and board roles. - His Eli Lilly roles included Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the Global Clinical Development Organization and Vice President of Clinical Innovation and Implementation. - PatientPartner announced the appointment on Aug. 25, 2026.

The details: - PatientPartner runs a peer mentor-driven patient connectivity platform. - The platform matches patients with peers who have navigated similar health journeys. - The company works with pharmaceutical, medical device and clinical trial organizations. - PatientPartner’s stated goals include improving treatment adoption, adherence, clinical trial recruitment and retention. - Kasher now serves as President of Patients Can’t Wait, Chairman of the Board at Javara, an independent director at Univo and a strategic advisor to Cognivia. - Kasher also advises pharmaceutical companies, contract research organizations and emerging technology companies on clinical development strategy and implementation. - George Kramb, PatientPartner’s CEO and co-founder, said Kasher’s industry experience and relationships will be valuable as the company expands its clinical trial business. - Kasher said PatientPartner stood out because it addresses the challenge of keeping patients engaged after enrollment in a trial.

Between the lines: - The board addition signals a push to make PatientPartner’s service easier to adopt inside complex sponsor organizations. - Kasher’s combination of large-pharma leadership and work with newer clinical trial models suggests PatientPartner wants credibility with both enterprise buyers and innovation teams. - The company appears to be positioning peer mentorship as a practical operational tool, not just a patient-support feature.

What's next: - PatientPartner plans to use Kasher’s experience to guide work with sponsors on integrating peer mentorship into the patient journey. - That work is expected to span recruitment, retention, treatment adoption and long-term adherence. - The company says it is entering its next phase of growth as it expands across life sciences.

The bottom line: - PatientPartner is betting that a veteran clinical development executive can help turn peer mentorship into a more standard part of clinical trials and treatment support.