Peter Rutherford is Global Medical Lead for Renal Rare Disease at Vifor Pharma in Zurich, CH. He qualified in Medicine at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, UK and completed postgraduate medical training to obtain MRCP in 1989. He entered an academic training pathway in Nephrology with an MRC Training Fellowship allowing him to complete a PhD in cell physiology as well as completing clinical training in Nephrology and Internal Medicine. He was then an MRC Travelling Fellow at Yale University School of Medicine gaining additional academic experience in molecular biology.
After return to the UK as Lecturer in Medicine at the Unversity of Newcastle, he was appointed as Senior Lecturer in Nephrology at the University of Wales College of Medicine and Consultant Nephrologist. In this role, he combined clinical practice in delivering a full range of nephrology services with academic work. Peter then developed expertise as a clinical leader in the hospital and became the Medical Director of a combined acute, community and mental health NHS organization leading on patient safety, clinical effectiveness, service improvement and research. In addition he was a Clinical advisor at NICE and chaired their Guidelines Review Panel until he joined Pharma in 2007.
From 2007 to 2015 he was Medical Director Renal for Europe, Middle East and Africa at Baxter Healthcare – being responsible for all aspects of Medical Affairs activities across the region. He worked on research projects in patient support, decision making and education as well as new product development for home dialysis. From 2015 to 2017 he was Head of Integrated Market Access at Quintiles in Europe and Emerging Markets – supporting small and large Pharma and emerging biotech companies with medical affairs, medical communications, market access and patient centric services. Focused on launch brands, Peter support a range of companies across a range of therapeutic areas. Since joining Vifor Pharma, he is back on home ground in Nephrology but working in systemic diseases affecting every organ system.