Patient-Driven Mission

We match patients to clinical trials to accelerate the development of life-saving treatments.

When Dr. John Croghan's patient was diagnosed with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis, finding a promising clinical trial was extremely difficult.

This challenging experience inspired the creation of Third Opinion, with the goal of making clinical trials more accessible and understandable for patients who aren't responding to traditional treatments.

We connect patients with clinical trials empowering them to take control of their medical future and make confident decisions.

Meet the Team

Dr. John Croghan, MD

Dr. John Croghan, MD

Chairman of the Board
Co-Founder

Board Certified in Geriatric Medicine, Internal Medicine,
and Rheumatology
Co-Founder of Extended Care Information Network (ECIN) - Acquired by Veradigm

Dr. John Croghan is triple board certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine, Rheumatology and Geriatric Medicine and has made providing access to personalized medical care a foundation of his medical career. With a history of seeing critical issues in our health care system and creating solutions, Dr. Croghan is paving the path towards easier access to clinical trials and the potential they carry.

In 1995, Dr. Croghan Co-founded Extended Care Information Network and helped improve the discharging process in more than 400 hospitals and nearly 5,000 post-acute care facilities. Building off this experience, Dr. Croghan formed a team with the mission to help patients with life altering conditions find the best treatment available, this became Third Opinion.

Dr. Phil Sheridan, MD, MBA

Dr. Phil Sheridan, MD, MBA

Board Member
Co-Founder

Board Certified Pulmonologist
Co-Founder of Extended Care Information Network (ECIN) - Acquired by Veradigm

Dr. Sheridan is board certified in Critical Care Medicine, Internal Medicine and Pulmonary Disease. Earning his degree from Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine where he also completed his residency in Internal Medicine. He completed an internship at Rush Presbyterian St. Luke’s Medical Center and later, returned to Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine to complete a fellowship in Pulmonary and Respiratory Disease.

Alongside Dr. Croghan, Dr. Sheridan co-founded the Extended Care Information Network innovating the discharging process. Continuing this partnership, Dr. Sheridan spearheaded the founding of Third Opinion after seeing the difficulties many patients had in finding meaningful treatments for debilitating diseases.

Patrick McCauley, JD, MBA

Patrick McCauley, JD, MBA

CEO

Life Sciences C-Suite Executive
Builds, Scales and Leads early-stage organizations: Astellas, MannKind, Bristol Myers Squibb

Patrick McCauley is an influential Global C-Suite executive leader and commercial strategist in the Life Sciences industry with positions at Astellas Pharma US, MannKind, Bristol Myers Squibb, and Dupont Pharmaceuticals. He is passionate about building and scaling organizations that create rapid growth and are founded in a culture of high trust, strong engagement, and consistent performance.

Patrick was instrumental in commercializing Astellas Pharma US from pre-NDA to a successful $4B+ organization, including launching three $1B+ products to market leadership positions. He understands the urgency and challenges of accelerating clinical trial research to bring innovative products to market that provide the best treatment options for patients.

Ben Ayd

Ben Ayd

COO/Sales

Biomedical Engineering
Epic Integrations
Founder of Back Muscle Solutions

Ben Ayd is a biomedical engineer from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a passion for healthcare innovation. As a former integration engineer at Epic Systems, Ben saw first-hand the information needed to fix the clinical trial navigation difficulties experienced by Dr. Croghan and Dr. Sheridan's patients.

After Epic, Ben worked in medical sales helping patients and clinics get access to oxygen and respiratory equipment. He also started his own company Back Muscle Solutions to help people relieve back pain at home.

Jonathan Malek

Jonathan Malek

Technology Advisor

Healthcare Technology C-Suite Executive
Co-founder & CTO of Practice Fusion - Acquired by Allscripts

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