David M. Johnston

Executive Advisor

Dr. David Johnston is working with Water Street’s team to engage with pharmaceutical services and life science businesses interested in achieving next-level growth and value creation. David has a wealth of leadership experience across clinical research, including research and development, quality assurance, and global laboratory operations. He joined Water Street following a successful career with Thermo Fisher Scientific where he served as a member of the corporate leadership team and president of its contract research organization, PPD. During his tenure, David was instrumental in establishing PPD as a leader in supporting complex studies and innovative therapies. Prior to PPD becoming part of Thermo Fisher, David guided all aspects of its early and late-phase global clinical development work. He previously oversaw PPD’s global laboratories businesses and helped found its vaccine sciences and biomarker development laboratories. David began his career at LabCorp, where he was promoted to senior vice president and global head of clinical trials. His work led to the industry’s first companion diagnostic test developed in tandem with a therapy. Over the course of his career, David has lectured on clinical research at universities, presented at numerous industry conferences, and published peer-reviewed articles on a range of clinical research topics. He continues to advise early-stage biotech companies developing next-generation therapies. David earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and a doctorate in microbiology and immunology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, where he was named the inaugural recipient of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology’s Distinguished Alumni Award.

David M. Johnston

Additional Operating Team Members

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