Maria Butler
Steph Evans
Shirli Notcovich
Janah Carthew
Sandy Wilson
Maria Butler
Steph Evans
Shirli Notcovich
Janah Carthew
Sandy Wilson
Leading the ERL team is Dr. Shirli Notcovich, an enthusiastic veterinary researcher with a background in cattle health. Through the last 15 years, Shirli has been working for both Clinical and Fundamental Research Organizations.
Originally from Argentina where she trained and practiced as a veterinarian, Shirli obtained her Masters’ and Ph.D. degrees in Veterinary Science at Massey University in New Zealand.
She has vast experience in product development for both animal and human health projects helping pharmaceutical companies reach their registration goals.
Headed up by Shirli as our Research Leader, our Study Managers have a combined 17 years of experience managing research trials in a range of species including but not limited to rats, mice, guinea pigs, cats, dogs, pigs, sheep, cattle and horses.
With tertiary qualifications in medical and veterinary sciences, our study managers have a broad range of technical skills in areas such as data management, specimen collection and processing, project management, chemical and medicine handling including administration, anaesthesia, surgery, animal handling and husbandry.
Our Quality Assurance Team is led by our Quality Assurance Leader Janah. Janah began a career in GLP research in 2007 in Australia. She has been with us as a Research Animal Technician/Investigator since 2011. Since, she has spent 4 years being mentored by our previous Quality Assurance Leader with 20+ years of experience in QA and GLP. Now, Janah is leading us into a new era of GLP compliance as the age of research continues to evolve.
Dr Alan Alexander is one of New Zealand’s most experienced veterinarian scientists. He has been involved in determining the safety and efficacy of human and veterinary pharmaceuticals and vaccines for over 40 years and generating reports for regulatory authorities on a world-wide basis. His expertise in the use of animal models to generate in vivo data extends to the evaluation of medical devices.
Dr Alexander graduated as a veterinarian from Massey University in 1968. After a period in practice, he commenced post graduate studies at the Ontario Veterinary College, Guelph, Canada. He then spent 5 years developing new techniques for commercialising embryo transplantation in cattle. This was followed by four years in the NZ veterinary school as the Poultry Pathologist and at the same time acted as the consultant to the major manufacturer of pig and poultry feed in NZ.
In 1986, Alan was appointed the first director of the newly established CRO, now Estendart Research Ltd, wholly owned by Massey University. In 1997, Alan was responsible for establishing this CRO as the first research organisation in NZ to be GLP accredited. In 2000, Dr Alexander was appointed Head of the Veterinary Clinical Trials Unit at Charles River Ltd, Edinburgh. He spent five years in this role before moving to Novartis Animal Health, Sydney as Head of R&D. In 2008, he returned to NZ to become General Manager of Estendart Ltd and extended the company’s activities into medical pharmaceuticals and devices. When Estendart Ltd was acquired Invetus Pty Ltd in 2018, Alan became the Executive Director of Estendart Research Centre of Invetus NZ, Palmerston North before retiring from this role in 2020. Since then, he has focussed on repositioning Niclosamide as a therapeutic to treat COVID-19.
In 2024, Alan and his company Estendart Holdings, became the sole shareholder of Estendart Research Ltd (ERL) after Invetus Pty Ltd withdrew from its presence in NZ. ERL continues to operate as a new, modernised and now, a New Zealand-owned and operated, Contract Research Organisation.
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