Quarterly NEWSLETTER
January 2012 VOL. 10

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Jet Lag: What's Causing One of the Driest, Warmest Winters in History
—scientificaamerican.com

A little snow and rain are falling in a few states today, but the 2011–12 winter has been extremely warm and dry across the continental U.S. Meteorologists think they have figured out why.

First, a few records: The initial week of January was the driest in history. And more than 95 percent of the U.S. had below-average snow cover—the greatest such percentage ever recorded—according to some intriguing data maps generated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. During December, approximately half of the U.S. had temperatures at least 5 degrees Fahrenheit above average, and more than 1,500 daily record highs were set from January 2 to 8. Europe has seen similar extremes.

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Steps to Functional Service Provider Success
—Applied Clinical Trials Online

Outsourcing clinical trials has become standard practice in the biotech and pharmaceutical industries as companies strive to develop greater efficiencies while reducing costs, resources, and timelines. As the industry's experience with outsourcing has grown, two basic outsourcing models have emerged: the Preferred Provider (PP) relationship and the Functional Service Provider (FSP) relationship.

The Preferred Provider model has been widely adopted by most sponsor companies when planning to fully outsource a study to one clinical research organization (CRO). The Functional Service Provider model is beginning to gain popularity, as many sponsor companies are tasked with finding creative outsourcing strategies that will gain efficiency while saving valuable research dollars.

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Martine Vertommen and Hilde De Decker
Managing Directors, Valesta Europe
Photo (L to R): Martine and Hilde

On Assignment is excited to have recently transitioned to a global brand for our clinical research division. While our U.S. business is growing, it’s been important to also expand our services internationally. Through the acquisition in 2011 of Valesta, a leading provider of clinical research staffing in Western Europe, we’ve enhanced our ability to offer comprehensive resourcing solutions to clients and career opportunities to candidates, both locally and globally. Our entire clinical research division now operates under the name Valesta.

The European branch of Valesta consists of offices in Mechelen and Wavre, Belgium; Madrid and Barcelona, Spain; and Den Bosch, Netherlands. Valesta founders Hilde De Decker and Martine Vertommen continue to lead operations in Europe as Managing Directors.

Hilde De Decker is responsible for business operations, enterprise accountability, and finance. Her background includes a substantial tenure in HR management as well as entrepreneurial pursuits where she launched a children’s clothing store and a purchasing center for medical practices.

Martine Vertommen is responsible for sales and marketing. Prior to Valesta, Martine worked in several executive-level positions within clinical research. She also seemed destined to start a larger company, having previously developed her own home care service early on in her career when she was a practicing RN.

Hilde and Martine’s paths crossed while working with Dr. Van Rompay at Health Care Research.

When Hilde and Martine formed their company as Health Care Interim in 1996 they wanted to do things differently and were committed to the idea that working should be fun – for everyone. They knew that “happy cows give better milk.” When employees feel good and have fun in their job they automatically perform better, and that benefits their clients. The company also holds the values of transparency, honesty, and trust. And in their employees they look for someone who is flexible, friendly, and can be a trusted partner.

Ten years after founding Health Care Interim, they changed the name to Valesta to refresh their brand and better convey who they are and what they do. Valesta comes from the Latin word ‘valeo,’ which means being strong and efficient. It’s also similar to the words ‘value’ and ‘valor.’ And ‘esta’ conveys the feeling of standing firmly, both feet on the ground and knowing where you’re going.

Hilde and Martine are happy to be a part of On Assignment and wanted to join the organization because of our reputation as an international, well-developed, and financially stable company. They are also very excited about the expansion of the Valesta brand.

New 'smart' pill tells patients when drugs dose due
telegraph.co.uk
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‘Smart barcodes’ to replace eco labels as consumers become more information savvy
foodnavigator.com
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The Newest Revolutions in Metamaterials Bring Invisibility Within Reach
popsci.com
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Short, Sharp Shock Treatment for E. Coli
sciencedaily.com
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Vitamin D could combat the effects of ageing in eyes
insciences.org
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New way to stop the bleeding
web.mit.edu
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The following Industries expect to have an increase in projects that may result in additional contract staff* within the time frames below:

4–6 months:
Biotechnology
Food and Beverage
Pharmaceutical

6–9 months:
Chemical
Coatings and Polymers
Environmental
Personal Care Products

9–12 months:
Petrochemical

*This insight is based on our comprehensive December 2011 survey of contract staffing buyers. The full report is titled, "Lab Support Index." The above results are from the report and are related to buyers' strategies for managing staffing resources.

Through our dedicated divisions, On Assignment (NASDAQ: ASGN) has the ability to provide a complete range of staffing solutions to meet the needs of most areas within life sciences.

Our Lab Support and
On Assignment Engineering divisions fill short- and long-term, contract, contract-to-hire, and direct hire science and engineering positions. While our Sharpstream division offers international executive and middle management retained search services. Through our clinical research division, Valesta, we provide resourcing solutions that include functional outsourcing as well as contract, contract-to-hire, and direct hire options.

For complete Life Sciences staffing solutions:

For recruiting services in Europe: