About

Clinical Operations.
Business Strategy.
Data-Driven Research.

A pharmaceutical professional trained at Novartis, Novo Nordisk, and Johnson & Johnson — and the two-time pitch competition winner behind Link, a concept to accelerate patient recruitment in clinical trials.

Alexander Kalina graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Biology — concentration in Molecular Cell Physiology, Minor in Statistics — from Monmouth University in May 2025. During his undergraduate years, he built a hands-on foundation in clinical research that extended from bench to boardroom.

At Novartis (2023), Alexander supported Global Drug Development Operations: he automated data reporting workflows that saved managers 10% of their time, executed competitive analysis of patient-facing websites across five industry leaders, and co-presented a case study on clinical trial diversity to senior stakeholders.

At Novo Nordisk (2024), he was embedded in the HERMES Ziltivekimab trial team — evaluating 40+ clinical trial sites, leading a cross-functional intern group to develop a social media campaign for a rare disease drug, and earning 2nd place in Novo Nordisk's Innovation in Action Case Competition.

Simultaneously, Alexander pursued research at Monmouth: studying oral cancer cell biology under Dr. Jeffrey Weisburg (exhibiting results at national honors conferences in Dallas and Chicago), and isolating fungi with antibiotic properties in the Natural Products Antibiotic Lab under Jon Polishook.

As a Lead Entrepreneurial Researcher for the NSF I-Corps Propelus program at Rutgers (2024), Alexander conducted 20+ stakeholder interviews to validate market opportunities in clinical trial recruitment — earning federal grant funding for his work.

Alexander is currently a Global Trial Associate in Johnson & Johnson's Leadership Development Program, where he has led an LLM-powered initiative to streamline ICF localization workflows and designed a cross-organizational learning experience for US GTAs. He is also a graduate of the McKinsey Forward Program (2025), a selective 12-week professional development curriculum focused on structured problem solving and leadership.

Outside of science and business, Alexander is fluent in Polish and is passionate about fitness, international travel, and the intersection of technology and healthcare.

By Alexander Kalina — J&J Global Clinical Operations, LDP 2025 • McKinsey Forward 2025

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Alexander Kalina — J&J Global Clinical Operations, LDP 2025

■3× Award Winner — HawkTank, uPitchNJ & Novo Nordisk Innovation in Action

■NSF I-Corps & McKinsey Forward — Federal grant recipient & selective leadership program

■2 Fortune 500 Internships — Novartis & Novo Nordisk, Clinical Operations

■B.S. Biology + Minor in Statistics — Monmouth University, May 2025

■J&J LDP 2025 — Global Trial Associate, 4-rotation program

■Fluent in Polish — Bilingual professional

Experience

Jul 2025
Present

Johnson & Johnson

Global Trial Associate — Leadership Development Program

Global Clinical Operations • Spring House, PA • 4-rotation, 12-month program

Led an LLM-powered initiative to streamline ICF localization workflows, measurably reducing trial manager workload
Designed a cross-organizational learning program for US GTAs by coordinating discussions with leaders across the pharma pipeline
Rotating through assignments spanning CRA to trial management to develop end-to-end understanding of trial execution

Nov 2024
Dec 2024

NSF I-Corps Propelus

Lead Entrepreneurial Researcher

National Science Foundation • Rutgers University

Conducted 20+ stakeholder interviews to validate business opportunities and clinical trial needs
Guided a team of two fellows through structured interviews on patient recruitment challenges
Received federal grant funding to support market research and interview program

Jun 2024
Aug 2024

Novo Nordisk

Clinical Operations Intern

Clinical Operations • Plainsboro, NJ • HERMES Ziltivekimab Trial

Led a group of 10 interns in creating a strategic social media marketing campaign for a rare disease drug
Initiated evaluations of 40+ clinical trial sites, generating insights that informed recruitment strategies
Optimized spreadsheets and macros for trial managers and medical director
Placed 2nd in the Innovation in Action Case Competition — developed a patient-centric hemophilia campaign

Jun 2023
Aug 2023

Novartis

Drug Development Intern

Global Drug Development Operations • East Hanover, NJ

Executed competitive analysis of 5 industry leaders' patient-facing websites to improve patient experience
Developed an automated method for data reporting and capture in Feasibility, saving 10% of manager's time
Presented a case study on increasing clinical trial diversity, proposing new solutions for participant inclusion
Examined and finalized eTMF documents for 7 clinical trials

May 2022
May 2025

Monmouth University

Undergraduate Researcher — Two Research Labs

West Long Branch, NJ

Cancer Immunology Laboratory — May 2022–May 2023

PI: Dr. Jeffrey Weisburg

Studied effects of apple and pomegranate extract on oral cancer cells; investigated NF-kB and IL-6 transcription factors in inflammation
Conducted in vitro assays: cytotoxicity, cell proliferation, ELISA, SDS-PAGE, Western Blot
Exhibited results at national Honors Conferences in Dallas and Chicago; received ICUNJ research grant

Natural Products Antibiotic Laboratory — Jan 2023–May 2025

PI: Jon Polishook

Isolated over 30 unique fungi, 5 of which demonstrated antibiotic properties
Prepared media, poured plates, and maintained sterility protocols in active microbiology research

Projects & Ventures

Featured Project — 2024

Link

Link is a platform concept designed to accelerate clinical trials by solving one of the industry's most persistent and costly challenges: patient recruitment. Alexander developed the concept through extensive stakeholder research, competitive analysis, and market validation — conducting 20+ interviews with clinical trial professionals through the NSF I-Corps program at Rutgers.

The concept addresses fragmentation in how patients discover and enroll in trials, proposing a data-driven matching system to connect eligible participants with appropriate studies. Alexander's pitch for Link won first place at HawkTank — earning seed funding from Monmouth University — and took first place again at uPitchNJ, where it received additional seed funding from the competition. The concept was also presented at the Leon Hess Business Council.

1st Place — HawkTank 1st Place — uPitchNJ NSF I-Corps Grant Seed Funding — HawkTank & uPitchNJ Patient Recruitment Clinical Trials

More Coming Soon

Additional ventures in development

Awards & Recognition

1st Place — May 2025

uPitchNJ Competition

New Jersey Collegiate Startup Competition

Won first place against startups from 12 other New Jersey colleges, presenting Link — a platform to improve patient recruitment in clinical trials. Received seed funding as part of the award.

1st Place — Apr 2024

HawkTank Competition

Monmouth University

Pitched Link to business leaders, demonstrating market validation and scalability. Received seed funding from Monmouth University and presented at the Leon Hess Business Council Meeting.

2nd Place — Aug 2024

Innovation in Action

Novo Nordisk Case Competition

Developed a patient-centric social media campaign for hemophilia patients; managed a cross-functional team across strategy, creative, and analytics.

Dec 2025

McKinsey Forward Program

Selective 12-week program in structured problem solving, effective communication, and resilience — McKinsey & Company.

Nov 2024

NSF I-Corps Grant

Federal grant awarded through the National Science Foundation I-Corps Propelus program at Rutgers University for market validation research.

Dec 2022 & Jun 2022

ICUNJ & SSR Grants

Research grants from the Independent Colleges & Universities of New Jersey and Monmouth University's SSR program supporting cancer immunology research.

Clinical Operations.
Business Strategy.
Data-Driven Research.