Our Team: Commercialization Council

Joseph F. Foss, MD, Staff, Director of Clinical Research, Anesthesiology

Dr. Foss came to the Cleveland Clinic in 2005. He is currently active in developing the research program in the Department of General Anesthesiology and is a vice-chair for the Cleveland Clinic Institutional Review Board. As the Director of Clinical Research for the Department he works closely with junior and senior staff in supporting their research activities. He also coordinates with the Department of Outcomes Research in the Anesthesiology Institute. He is an active clinical anesthesiologist providing care for a broad range of general surgery patients. Prior to moving to Cleveland he was with Adolor Inc., a biotech start-up, as a Medical Director. He was responsible for Phase I-III research programs for alvimopan and novel delta and kappa opioid compounds. He was also part of the development team for the Phase III program and acted as the Alliance Coordinator in the collaboration on alvimopan with GSK. Dr. Foss received his undergraduate degree in Biomedical Science and his Medical Degree from Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. At the University of Chicago he completed clinical training in Anesthesiology and a fellowship year in Clinical Pharmacology where he subsequently joined the faculty. There he led the early clinical development program for methylnaltrexone as well as conducting clinical trials for other drugs and directing the Integrated Anesthesiology Laboratory. The clinical development project for methylnaltrexone included basic and clinical research, managing the regulatory affairs for the drug, and presenting the proposed clinical development program to potential licensees. This effort led to several peer-reviewed publications on both the action of the drug, as well as new information about the potential separation of central and peripheral opioid effects. The drug was licensed by the University and was approved for clinical use in 2008. As one of the named researchers on several patents Dr. Foss also led the negotiations for the monetization of the royalties on behalf of the inventors group.