Rod Freeman
About Rod Freeman
Rod Freeman is an Associate Director of Quality Engineering at Kite Pharma and a lecturer at Johns Hopkins University. He has extensive experience in the pharmaceutical industry, having held various roles in quality engineering and validation across multiple companies.
Work at Kite Pharma
Rod Freeman has served as Associate Director of Quality Engineering at Kite Pharma since 2019. In this role, he leads a team of 14 contract and full-time resources within the Commissioning, Qualification, and Validation (CQV) team. His responsibilities include overseeing Corrective and Preventative Action (CAPA) plans and managing deviations. Freeman is also accountable for the Computer System Validation (CSV) program and ensures data integrity for Quality Control instruments, Laboratory Information Management Systems (LIMS), and manufacturing systems. He has established the site Risk Register and Risk Management program and authored the Site Master File to support regulatory submissions.
Education and Expertise
Rod Freeman holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from Virginia Tech, where he studied from 1988 to 1992. He furthered his education at The Johns Hopkins University, earning a Master of Science in Regulatory Science from 2013 to 2017. His academic background provides a strong foundation for his work in quality engineering and regulatory compliance within the pharmaceutical industry.
Professional Background
Freeman has extensive experience in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors. He began his career at Pfizer, Inc. as a Senior Plant Utility Engineer from 1999 to 2003, and later served as a Senior Advisor for Validation and Compliance from 2005 to 2007. He worked at Eli Lilly as a Senior Project Engineer for Clean Utilities from 2003 to 2005. His career also includes roles at Beckman Coulter, Abbott Vascular, and Teva Parenteral Medicines, where he held various positions related to quality operations and validation.
Teaching Experience
Since 2018, Rod Freeman has been a lecturer at Johns Hopkins University Advanced Academic Programs. In this role, he shares his expertise in quality engineering and regulatory science with students, contributing to their professional development in the pharmaceutical field.
Achievements in Quality Engineering
Throughout his career, Rod Freeman has made significant contributions to quality engineering practices. At Kite Pharma, he has been instrumental in establishing key programs such as the Risk Management program and the Computer System Validation program. His leadership in overseeing CAPA plans and deviations demonstrates his commitment to maintaining high standards in quality and compliance.