David Westover PhD

Dr. David Westover, Ph.D. is a Senior Scientist of Analytical Research and Development at the Merck. Dr. Westover is a pharmaceutical development professional specializing in translational research, cellular and biochemical assay development, laboratory automation, and project management. He has expertise with both small molecule and vaccine products, and extensive experience with the procurement, handling, and disposal of OSHA-defined Particularly Hazardous Substances.

He holds a BS in Biomedical Sciences and a Ph.D. in Molecular Pharmacology and Cancer Therapeutics. He completed his post-doctoral fellowship at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in the laboratory of Christine M. Lovly, MD, Ph.D. There, he discovered and published novel mechanisms of resistance to osimertinib, an FDA-approved tyrosine kinase inhibitor and first-line therapy in lung cancer patients with an EGFR-activating mutation. He was hired to a permanent position with the Vanderbilt High-Throughput Screening Facility to develop and automate large-scale biological assays.

He is a 2006 National Merit Scholar and the recipient of the 2020 Edward E. Price Jr. Award for Excellence in Basic Research. He is an author of several peer-reviewed scientific manuscripts and an active member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), and the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC).