Nominate a Clinical Research Professional

Melinda was an inspiring leader for her team at Elligo as they partnered with Verily Life Sciences to stand up drive thru COVID-19 test sites in California in March/April. Melinda stepped out of her day-to-day role as Dir. of Regulatory Services at Elligo to serve as a Project Manager overseeing volunteers (and PPE needs!) as they served verifying patients, swabbing patients, and supporting the general triage process. Melinda worked alongside her team tirelessly serving the patients in need. While I wasn’t there to witness it myself, I guarantee she did it all with a smile on her face and a gracious attitude as always!

Dr. Brennan is a pioneer in clinical research operations – she’s always on the cutting edge of how technology can partner with incredible clinical research professionals to accelerate research.

Not only is she impacting Northwell, but her service in numerous leadership capacities across industry groups shows her dedication to advancing clinical research as a whole.

Oh, and honestly she’s just a really fun person to work with!

Reggie is DelRicht’s resident regulatory expert and a client favorite. If you’ve met Reggie, you understand why he is beloved by his colleagues and all clients alike. In an inspiring display of duality, he shows pride in his team’s accomplishments yet humbly understates his personal achievements. It’s not uncommon for Reggie to step out of his role as Regulatory Manager to help others. He recently volunteered to deliver critical study supplies to trial participants who have been unable to leave their homes during the pandemic. Reggie’s continued dedication to moving medicine forward and serving his community also drives him to subscribe to countless industry outlets, ensuring he is equipped with up-to-date standards and guidance to enrich the organization. Simply put, he’s an emblem of intentional excellence and all-around great human being.

Meilyn is my colleague and partner in research. She is a beast at what she does! Not only is she an amazing mom of SIX, caring for her mother and two nieces due to the earthquakes in Puerto Rico, but she is meticulous when it comes to her job! She is the exemplary research coordinator and I am so thankful to have her as my partner!

Clinical research is like a team sport. So, when a research leader makes certain her team has the resources, training and support they need, they are ensuring a win every time. Michele’s dedication to her team, her ability to put herself in each person’s shoes and then not only strategize a plan, but execute it, is truly admirable. As an observer of her perseverance amidst this troubling health crisis, I am amazed she can get out of bed every day and continue to face the mounting challenges. Her forward thinking has put her team in a position of strength during a difficult time so that she can continue in her unwavering dedication to the patients of Mt Sinai.

Michelle is the SVP of operations at Circuit Clinical. She leads our clinical operations team and is a compassionate leader that always makes time to support and mentor our team of researchers on the front line with clinical trial participants. Michelle talks the talk but walks the walk. Her team always has a voice, feels heard and supported. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Michelle found innovative ways for our staff to work. No one was laid off even though some studies were halted. While other research sites furloughed their employees and weren’t financially sustainable it was through Michelle’s leadership that we found innovative ways to keep our research business going. The success has proven itself to be fruitful. We have been able to maintain trial continuity with our active study participants. Been awarded COVID-19 trials and been able to execute start up quickly by our amazing team and start enrolling patients infected with COVID-19 into clinical trials in less than 3 days after being awarded the study! I am honored to work with this entire team and see how strong leadership

Kate is a physical therapist who advocates for optimal quality of life in older adults after hip fracture, with knee osteoarthritis, and/or with dementia. She is an excellent member of clinical research teams and inspires the collaborators to ground the project in current clinical reality. Kate is well trained as a clinical scientist but uses her clinical expertise to develop innovative interventions. Research designs for complex interventions are integrated into ongoing clinical practice; participating clinicians engage the projects with enthusiasm because of Kate’s sincere devotion to optimize functional performance. Kate develops effective strategies to recruit and retain patients in complex and lengthy clinical trials. Who else receives thank you notes from research participants?

The Florence Effect Attributes all apply to Jennifer. She demonstrates innovation and creativity with the start of an integrated site network (IRO) and the guiding principle of access to research for all by integrating clinical research within healthcare systems. She is determined to see the vision of democratizing clinical research fulfilled and has positioned our company so that we have established relationships with three healthcare partners who are interested in access to research for their patients. She is generous, compassionate, sincere, gutsy and empowered and has been a role model to many clinical research coordinators and navigators for over 30 years. Our company is a start-up but we have not had to furlough any team members and have managed to promote wellness and regular touch base meetings to keep everyone energized, healthy and focused on our vision of access to research for all. Jennifer is someone that makes clinical research relevant to everyone she meets. I am glad she is our fearless leader.

Daniel is a Clinical Research Coordinator for a very busy GI oncology team. He goes above and beyond in his call of duty. He carefully reads every protocol, understands the nuances and guides investigators on interpreting them. His clinical acumen is incredible and he often can gauge SAE’s with minimal guidance and knows how to manage them. He has a fantastic attitude, always comes to clinic with a smile and is determined in his desire to improve cancer care for our patients. He embodies everything that is wonderful about altruism in cancer research.

Who I am nominating is my boss, Casey Mizer. She has taught me so much about Research and the Research world in such a short amount of time. She has helped me come out of my little shy shell and to really be able to talk to our patients without hesitating on what to say or do, and she has also taught me how to recruit patients as well without feeling shy or nervous. She has been a wonderful teacher and mentor in all aspects of my life, and I am able to learn something new everyday with her guidance. She has taken me under her wing and continues to teach and guide me daily. She has pushed me way out of my comfort zone on many occasions and forced me to break down many walls and barriers that I never knew that I had formed. She is able to turn almost every situation into something that is a teachable lesson or to help correct what was wrong or poorly done.

Loney is an experienced Research Coordinator and does an excellent job at leading someone from day to day achievements at work to inspiring people to do more and to take pride in that work. A focused, goal driven individual that takes the time to guide and teach anyone who is in need. His knowledge goes beyond the general work place and enjoys sharing what he knows to further the growth of knowledge in others. I am fortunate to work with someone who has such passion for their work. It is an honor to be mentored by Loney. He truly cares about the work, each participant, study and the overall big picture when it comes to research-helping people from a different stand. This job is not for everyone and it can be overwhelming at times and some people may feel defeated as well. With the leadership skills and genuine encouragement that my nominee, Loney Girod, has it is almost impossible to think of anything other than the positive points of the day and job.

Alexis is such an asset to the Florence team. She is knowledgeable in the field, caring to those who are in it, and generous beyond requirements. She is always going above and beyond for patients or other coworkers. She will 100% make sure your needs are met above hers. She does this all while caring for her infant daughter and managing household responsibilities. She DESERVES this award. I hope she will be heavily considered as a finalist.

Tabetha is a kind, compassionate leader and someone I look up to. Although we may be difficult to deal with at times she is always level headed and has the best of intentions. Her experience and dedication to the field of clinical research are admirable.

Mary is passionate about her work and is truly a pioneer in transforming research processes into optimized and collaborative workflows across a vast, yet connected, network. She is an idea generator, a committed problem solver, and someone that is always willing to share her expertise. Knowing a professional like Mary is dedicated to the research and advancement of cancer treatments gives me peace of mind.

Having worked with Vatche a few years back on a number of projects when looking for a CRO partner; it is without a surprise to see Vatche and his Vantage BioTrials team cumulate all their recent awards, including passing the Pilot Inspection Program that was launched by Health Canada in 2018 and all of Vantage success stories while growing their portfolio & team.

Vatche’s years of expertise ensures that any project will be handled successfully, proactively and with his great sense of leadership and his creativity, Vatche empowers his employees, and is without a doubt the reason why Vantage BioTrials is striving during these more difficult times.

Over the years Vatche has been involved in numerous groups and has made a positive impact towards Canada’s Clinical Trial landscape. As an Advisor to Global Affairs Canada’s Life Science group, he regularly provides the Canadian Government with his advice on the future of the clinical trial landscape in order to better position Canada as an effective and competitive place to run clinical studies. Vatche’s organization, Vantage BioTrials, organized a patient centric conference