In this first post of our “Meet the Team” blog series, we interviewed Dr. Andre Barkhuizen, a Board-Certified Rheumatologist and Principal Investigator at Summit Research, a Headlands Research site. He discussed his education in South Africa, his comprehensive focus on patient experience and safety, and the benefits he sees in being part of a site network.
Hello Dr. Barkhuizen! Can you tell us about your educational and professional background?
I completed my medical training at the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg and my internship at Johannesburg General Hospital in 1985. After six months of officer training, I served as a Full Lieutenant in the South African Medical Services, providing medical support in Namibia and working in internal medicine at One Military Hospital in Pretoria.
I then completed a four-year internal medicine residency at Groote Schuur Hospital and the University of Cape Town, followed by fellowships in Pulmonology and Rheumatology. After earning my master of medicine, I moved to Portland, Oregon, for a three-year Rheumatology fellowship at OHSU.
At OHSU, I joined the faculty, served as Rheumatology Fellowship Director, and became an Associate Professor, balancing clinical work at the Portland VA and research on rheumatic diseases and Gulf War veterans. In 2006, I transitioned to private practice, taking over for a retired colleague, where I oversaw 2,000+ active patients and multiple clinical trials.
On December 31, 2024, I closed the practice to focus full-time on clinical trials at Summit Research.
How did you get into clinical research?
During my rheumatology and pulmonology specialty training in South Africa, I started clinical research to evaluate the pulmonary manifestations of connective tissue diseases. After relocating to the US to complete a three-year fellowship in Rheumatology at OHSU, I participated in multiple research projects, including investigating the association between the hepatitis C virus and musculoskeletal complaints and nonspecific symptoms in returning veterans from the first Gulf War. After 10 years on faculty, I moved to private practice with a thriving clinical trial portfolio in multiple rheumatic diseases before joining Summit.
Tell us about your areas of expertise in clinical research. Where do your interests lie?
I enjoy using my internal medicine background to participate in various clinical trials, including migraine studies, vaccines, and metabolic and neurodegenerative conditions. I am also a sub-investigator on multiple mental health clinical trials, including those for major depression, binge eating, and alcohol use disorders. My passion, however, lies in rheumatology, and I’m currently building up a clinical trial portfolio in the full spectrum of rheumatic diseases, focusing on rheumatoid and psoriatic arthritis.
How does being a part of a network benefit your site, your participants, and their access to treatments and/or research?
Being part of the Headlands Research site network has provided me with the infrastructure and administrative support not available in my private practice research clinic. For example:
- I can utilize the network-wide programs, processes, and software.
- To be competitive in clinical trial allocation, I can harness the collaborative power of the business development team, which has well-established relationships with a broad range of sponsors and CROs.
- The legal and budgeting departments are also crucial to clinical trial success. The quality initiative is key to providing quality data to sponsors, and subject safety is paramount.
- Patient recruitment is essential to successful clinical trials, and Headlands has a well-established recruitment team that supplements sponsor-provided recruitment.
- For vaccines and other trials of common interest, Headlands has dedicated Program Directors who coordinate clinical trials across the network, ensuring successful patient enrollment, meticulous data collection, best practice and knowledge sharing, and patient safety at the forefront.
- Headlands has a Medical Director and Assistant Director with quarterly Investigator Educational Forums ensuring dissemination of groundbreaking research and maintaining our level of knowledge.
- Finally, the quarterly town halls and regular newsletters celebrate the achievements of individual sites and staff while reminding us that we are part of a single organization.
What does a typical day look like for you in your role?
My workday can be divided into four major components:
- I study the clinical and background information of scheduled participants. To maximize efficiency, I have a flash card for each subject with relevant clinical information, including medical, surgical, medications, and adverse events, all available at a glance. I particularly enjoy getting to know clinical trial participants and their families whilst collecting quality clinical data and performing procedures according to the trial protocol. I also supervise research coordinators and infusion nursing staff.
- I review laboratory, imaging, and other results and sign off on completed visits as soon as they become available ( updating my flashcards where needed). Reviewing and signing off on any safety reports sponsors provide and disseminating relevant new information to co-investigators, study staff, and subjects is essential.
- I examine background information on the investigational product (IP) and potential new studies with our BD team and local staff and ensure the timely completion of site feasibility questionnaires. As a PI, I enjoy participating in Investigator meetings, site initiation visits, regular meetings with study staff, CRAs, and sponsors, and keeping up with sponsor— and Headlands Research-mandated training.
- Regular meetings with co-investigators, research assistants and coordinators, nurses, and lab and scheduling staff are needed to provide PI oversight and ensure the smooth running of our site. We also hold frequent, fun events to build esprit de corps and get to know coworkers on a personal level. This helps us work together on busy clinic days.
How do you ensure ethical standards are maintained in your research?
Putting the research participant first in all decisions is a key component of my clinical trial practice. I live by the creed “First Do No Harm” in all phases of clinical trials, from reviewing any new therapeutic agent or procedure proposed by sponsors to screening and enrolling subjects in the final study and follow-up visits. I also prioritize completing key training provided by sponsors and our network. Finally, I continuously remind myself of all the components of good clinical practice in my daily activities, ensuring I maintain the highest ethical standards in my research.
Thank you, Dr. Barkhuizen, for sharing such insightful answers! Stay tuned for our next Meet the Team blog.