Sue (Howard) Gaston

50th Alumni Profiles
B.Sc. '83, M.Sc. '87 -
 Sue (Howard) Gaston
Senior Director Program Delivery, inVentiv Health Clinical
Career History Since Graduation Following graduation I spent 5 years at the Hospital for Sick Children as a Research Assistant in pediatric respiratory disease. Following this I moved into the pharmaceutical industry where I have held positions of increasing responsibility in the area of Clinical Research. During my career I have participated in research that has led to the approval of new medications for the treatment of many diseases with the majority of my time in the therapeutic areas of oncology and cardiovascular disease. Currently I hold the position of Sr. Director Program Delivery with inVentiv Health Clinical where, among other responsibilities, I am currently overseeing research looking at the potential benefit of stem cells for the treatment of heart failure.
Most Memorable York University Experience So many memories, it’s hard to choose just one! Times spent with friends at The Orange Snail, The Cock & Bull and the Open End. Playing against other colleges in flag football. Cheering on my friends in varsity athletics. But I guess if I had to narrow things down I would have to say a combination of my time with the women’s varsity hockey team and our winning the OWIAA championship for York. This all culminated in the honour of being the first female hockey player inducted into the York Sport Hall of Fame.
York University Anecdote or Highlight While completing my master’s degree with Dr. Norm Gledhill the grad students had the opportunity to attend a seminar on the east coast. While there the group of us had a rental car and while heading back to our hotel from an outing (where, if memory serves me correctly, we embarrassed Norm by showing up at a meeting in our Halloween attire) we decided to take a route that was a little less travelled. You would think that a group of master’s students would be smart enough to turn around when the road became a single lane gravel road, even more so when they started running into hunters with shot guns! But no, we continued on and reluctantly admitted defeat and turned around when the road actually went through a river. Needless to say we were more than a little late getting back. Ah, life before GPS!!
Highlight(s) of Professional Career Every drug that gains approval and thus improves the lives of patients is a highlight. The most recent highlight however was involvement in a series of studies leading to the approval of a novel and effective treatment for late stage melanoma.
Community Involvements/Contributions (Local to International) I have been a volunteer for both the Aurora Hockey Association and Soccer Association as a program coordinator and/or a coach for my kids divisions/teams. I also sponsor a young girl through World Vision.
Honours and Awards York University Sport Hall of Fame Inductee, 2004