Lauren Chazal has a strong command of the clinical trials industry from a site operations, business development and financial management perspective. She began her career in clinical trial operations with a privately-held multi-site clinical research organization. Since 2012, she has held a pivotal role in business development, M&A and relationship management for clinical research sites globally. Lauren has in-depth knowledge of the complex interactions between clinical research centers, CROs and sponsors combined with a keen understanding of the importance of access to high quality trial sites and patient recruitment solutions.
Lauren graduated from Lehigh University with a dual degree in Finance and Marketing and from the University of Florida with a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA). Lauren is a current member and SW Region Treasurer of Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association (HBA) and board member of International Women’s Forum (IWF) Arizona Chapter as well as a four-time marathon runner.

Ryan Cady brings over a decade of experience to the clinical research industry, with a career that began in 2013 at Clinvest Research in Springfield, MO. Stepping into leadership after his father’s retirement in 2016, Ryan successfully led the company until its integration with Headlands Research in May 2023. His academic background is solidly rooted in the sciences, holding an undergraduate degree in Neurobiology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a master’s degree in Biology from Missouri State University. Ryan has a passion for both Sponsor relationship-building and small biotech CRO interactions with a focus in Metabolic/Endocrine, Pain and Rheumatology.

Beyond his professional pursuits, Ryan has a passion for exploring the world through culinary adventures, gardening, cooking, and bee-keeping.

McKenzie Lang possesses a deep understanding of clinical research through her years of experience representing sites within the US and internationally. McKenzie understands the importance of clinical trials and how site networks play an integral role in expediting the drug development process. McKenzie has worked for several site organizations, including Bioclinica and Wake Research, over the past decade and understands the importance of strong collaborative Industry relationships that benefit patients. McKenzie is located in Raleigh, NC.

McKenzie graduated from East Carolina University with a B.S. in Biology.

Hailing from Buenos Aires, Argentina, Mauro brings over 8 years’ experience leading clinical research sites. He has been responsible for business development, operations, accounting, finance, marketing, advertising, recruitment, QA, start-up, and regulatory teams. Prior to joining Headlands, Mauro served as the Director of Operations for a multi-site clinical research group, which grew ten-fold during his tenure. His passion lies in making connections – trials to patients, Sponsors/CROs to sites, CROs to Sponsors, and new friends to old.

Mauro graduated from the University of California San Diego with a degree in Human Development and received his MBA from Loyola University in New Orleans. He loves to golf, play basketball, and watch the Mardi Gras floats parade down St. Charles Avenue.

Jordan began his clinical research career in 2011, bringing his love for people and medicine. Prior to joining Headlands, Jordan served as Vice President of Clinical Operations at Peninsula Research Associates, overseeing daily clinical operations along with contributing to business development and negotiation of all trial budgets. His background in Physiology combined with his MBA allowed Jordan to grasp clinical research from all angles and help grow PRA during his tenure.

Jordan received his Bachelor of Science degree in Physiology from the University of Arizona and his Master of Business Administration from the Graziadio School of Business and Management at Pepperdine University. Outside of clinical research, Jordan enjoys skiing, golfing, and spending time with his young family, his wife, and two boys Liam and Riley.

From creating research programs with naïve practices to assisting multi-specialty site networks reach their goals, Tori has seen and done it all. Since 2016, Tori has had a hand in a full spectrum of activities aimed towards creating thriving research programs. For many years, she focused on the importance of cultivating and maintaining relationships—with accounts, with Sponsor/CRO partners, and bridging the gap between those two parties. Prior to joining Headlands, Tori held various Business Development, Account Management, and Operational roles at ClinEdge, giving her a unique understanding from multiple perspectives of what it takes to stand out and be successful.

As a New Orleans native, Tori attended Loyola University New Orleans earning a degree in Social Sciences with a minor in Women’s Studies. In her off time, you will find her kayaking the bayou, attending the myriad of festivals the city has to offer, and hunting down the best food pop-ups with her moody rescue dog, Boudreaux, in tow.

Kayla Kramschuster joined the Headlands Research team as the Global Feasibility Analyst. Kayla has previous work experience in the healthcare realm and Clinical Trials research in particular. Most recently as a Clinical Trials Data Coordinator for the Precision Medicine Team at the University of Wisconsin’s Carbone Cancer Center. Kayla will be working closely with the Business Development team to deliver robust feasibilities to Headlands sites within defined scope and timelines.

Kayla graduated from the University of Wisconsin with a B.S degree in Community and Environmental Sociology and Environmental Studies and currently lives in Madison, Wisconsin with her dog Brady.

Cathy Collins brings over 29 years of clinical trial experience to the Headlands team. Her background includes extensive de novo site development (Clinical Studies, LTD and Meridien) as well as site PE backed acquisition/integration (Protocare trials). She is the former owner/CEO of Meridien Research a 5 site, dedicated site organization and Insearch, a business development provider which were both sold to private equity (2012). Prior to joining the Headlands team, Cathy has served as the President and CEO of Clinical Consulting Solutions (CCS), a full-service clinical trials consulting firm providing consulting services spanning new site start-up, therapeutic development, financial/process improvement, and pre-acquisition PE due diligence (2014).

Cathy hold Bachelors and Master’s degrees in nursing and is a 2015 graduate of the Harvard Business School OPM program. She serves on a number of boards in her community including the Bank of Tampa and University of Tampa.

Anuv Ratan joined KKR in 2017 and is a member of the Health Care industry team. At KKR, he has been involved with investments in Gamma Biosciences, Impel Neuropharma, Headlands Research, BrightSpring Pharmerica, Global Medical Response, Ajax Health, and Aimmune Therapeutics. He is currently a member of the board of directors of Gamma Biosciences, Blue Sprig Pediatrics, and Headlands Research. Prior to joining KKR, Mr. Ratan was with FFL Partners, where he was involved in a number of health care transactions. Mr. Ratan began his career at The Blackstone Group. He holds an A.B., with honors, in Neurobiology from Harvard University.

Ali J. Satvat joined KKR in 2012 and is a Member of KKR on the Health Care industry team within KKR’s Americas Private Equity platform. He leads KKR’s Health Care Strategic Growth investing efforts, sits on the Health Care Strategic Growth Investment Committee and is Chairman of the Health Care Strategic Growth Portfolio Management Committee. He currently serves on the boards of directors of AcuFocus, Arbor Pharmaceuticals, Blue Sprig Pediatrics, BridgeBio Pharma, Clarify Health Solutions, Cohera Medical, Coherus BioSciences, Eidos Therapeutics, Headlands Research, Impel NeuroPharma, Slayback Pharma, and Trilogy MedWaste and has been involved in KKR’s investments in Ajax Health, PRA Health Sciences, and Spirox. Previously, he held various positions with Apax Partners, Johnson & Johnson Development Corporation, Audax Group, and The Blackstone Group. Mr. Satvat holds an A.B., magna cum laude, in History and Science from Harvard College and an M.B.A. in Health Care Management and Entrepreneurial Management from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He is a member of the board of directors of the Healthcare Private Equity Association.

David Evans received his MBA from the University of Texas in Dallas. Evans started his career working in primary care at Baylor University Medical Center. While there, he was approached in 1996 by Texas Neurology, which then consisted of four neurologists. Twenty-six years later, there are 12 neurologists and four advanced practice providers on staff, making it one of the largest neurology practices in the country. Under Evans’ leadership, Texas Neurology now provides imaging, infusion, a sleep study clinic, electrodiagnostics, a retail dispensing pharmacy, and clinical research capabilities. It also has residents rotating through from Texas A&M, Baylor, and UT Southwestern. David is actively engaged with the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) leading initiatives on multiple fronts including patient engagement and brain health. In 2022 David received one of the AAN’s highest recognitions – the President’s Award, the first non-neurologist to receive that honor.

David Kopp is an experienced chief executive in consumer digital health with expertise spanning strategy, product development, marketing, and technology. Most recently, David led a passionate and highly successful team at Healthline Media, spearheading global growth to reach more than 350 million monthly visitors and more than any other health publisher. Prior to joining Healthline, Kopp led ad product marketing in North America for Yahoo! and held leadership roles for several Internet advertising and technology start-ups. David brings deep expertise in consumer-driven digital health businesses, particularly in growth marketing, scaling teams and culture, and digital strategy.

Jim Kremidas has over 35 years of experience in the health care industry. Most recently he has served as the Executive Director for the Association of Clinical Research Professionals (ACRP). Prior to that he worked with Investigator Sites, Suppliers and Pharma Companies to advise them on clinical research operations. He has over 7 years of experience in management at CROs and spent 24 years at Eli Lilly and Company where he started the first Patient Recruitment Department in the industry.
As an internationally renowned thought leader, Jim advises on topics related to the innovative design, implementation and tracking of successful clinical trial operations. His leadership roles have included strategic planning, organizational change management, training/staff development, negotiations/contracting, business development and implementation of innovative programs across the clinical development enterprise. Jim sits on several national committees and has been a volunteer leader for Center for Information and Study of Clinical Research Participation (CISCRP), a non-profit organization. He has also participated in Clinical Trial Transformation Initiative (CTTI) subcommittees.

Craig Lipset is a recognized leader at the forefront of innovation in clinical research and medicine development. He is an advisor to technology and biopharmaceutical companies, leading universities, and the venture community, bringing vision and driving action at the intersection of research, digital solutions, and patient engagement. Craig was the Head of Clinical Innovation and Venture Partner at Pfizer, on the founding Operations Committee for TransCelerate Biopharma, and on the founding management teams for two successful startup ventures (Perceptive Informatics and Adnexus Therapeutics). He currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Foundation for Sarcoidosis Research, the MedStar Health Research Institute, and the People-Centered Research Foundation (the central office for PCORnet), as well as on the Editorial Board for Therapeutic Innovation & Regulatory Science. He has been recognized among Pharmaceutical Executive’s Emerging Leaders, CenterWatch Top 20 Innovators in Clinical Trials, the Medicine Maker Power List and the AlleyWatch Who’s Who in eHealth.

Jane Restorick is a recognized expert in site management, patient recruitment and clinical research operations. Prior to moving into consultancy, Jane was COO and Chief Patient Officer at Synexus Clinical Research, driving its growth from a UK based SMO to become a successful international operation across 11 countries. In these roles Jane was responsible for feasibility and proposals, strategic patient engagement, program management, quality management, information management, and strategic service development Previously she formed and led Operations and Quality Management teams at a virtual biopharma (Vanguard Medica) and at Fujisawa Early Clinical Evaluation Unit.

Dr. Sharon Cohen is a behavioural neurologist known for her excellence in patient care, teaching, and clinical research. She completed her neurology residency and behavioural neurology fellowship at the University of Toronto. She is the medical director and site principal investigator of Toronto Memory Program, a community-based medical facility which she established in 1996 for the purpose of enhancing diagnosis, care, and therapeutic options for individuals with or at risk for Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders. Under her guidance, Toronto Memory Program’s multidisciplinary team has grown to a staff of 30 individuals. Its memory clinic and research site are among the most active in Canada.

Dr. Cohen has over 28 years of experience in clinical research and has been a site PI for over 100 pharmacological trials. She has participated in acute stroke trials as well as trials in FTD, PDD, DLB, HD, vascular dementia, and Alzheimer’s disease, the latter being her primary focus. Her site has been credited as a “go to” centre for Alzheimer’s trials and has been awarded for superior performance and quality in clinical research.

Dr. Cohen represents Canada on international advisory boards and steering committees and is a consultant to a wide range of stakeholders in dementia including government organizations and patient advocacy groups. She is a frequent lecturer and contributes to media events including those on medical ethics. She is known for her advocacy of individuals with neurodegenerative diseases.

Despite holding academic and hospital appointments, Dr. Cohen chooses to practice in the community, in keeping with her belief that dementia care and clinical research are best offered in the real world setting.

Dr. Vishaal Mehra attended Texas A&M Health Science Center for his Medical Degree, and then completed his residency in Psychiatry at the University of California, San Diego. He began his career as an Investigator in clinical research in 2007.

As a Principal Investigator, Dr. Mehra worked in a variety of psychiatry and neurology therapeutic areas. He also worked closely with Sponsors and CROs to promote study-wide trial success, acting as a liaison for other Principal Investigators and the sponsor for several trials. Dr. Vishaal Mehra founded Artemis Institute for Clinical Research in 2008.

Dr. Goldstein was born and raised in New York City. He graduated Colgate University, receiving a B.A. degree with a major in Biophysics. He obtained his MD degree from Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta. Upon graduation, he completed residencies in both Internal Medicine (College of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey/Robert Wood Johnson) and Neurology (Stanford University). He is board certified in both Internal Medicine and Neurology. After relocating to South Florida, he joined a busy clinical neurology practice which he helped grow to 6 Neurologists.

Dr. Goldstein began participating in clinical trials in the late 1990’s. To date, he has participated in over 80 clinical trials, being the Principal Investigator 70 times. Most of these trials have been conducted through JEM Research Institute, of which he is a founding member and the CEO. Under his guidance, JEM has grown into a substantial clinical research site currently employing 26 people, and conducting over 20 active trials at any one time, many of which deal with progressive cognitive decline.

As a clinical neurologist, Dr. Goldstein serves as an Affiliated Assistant Clinical Professor of Neurology at the University of Miami. As a researcher, he is a Certified Principal Investigator as well as a Fellow of the Academy of Physicians in Clinical Research.

Dr. Goldstein has served on the board of directors of the Medical Specialists of The Palm Beaches, the largest multispecialty medical group in Palm Beach County. He has also been a member of the executive committee as well as chairman of the credentials committee at JFK Hospital in Atlantis. He has been both the Chief of the Division of Neurology and the Director of the Comprehensive Stroke Center at JFK.

Jackie brings 17 years of experience to Headlands Research in improving healthcare services and outcomes for a wide variety of patient populations. A life-long learner she has pivoted industries including pharmaceutical sales, long term care, skilled nursing, dialysis, and primary care. She has spent time in organizations ranging from 300 to 100,000+ employees scaling operations, managing rapid growth via DeNovos and M&A’s, optimizing workflows and processes, and building and developing teams for up to 230+ sites in 42 states.

In her most recent role as the Vice President of Operations for Marathon Health, Jackie’s leadership was instrumental in building and scaling both field and centralized operations. Her key accomplishments in this role are aligned with our vision and growth strategy needs including developing a leadership framework and structure for field and centralized support, developing KPI’s and dashboards, developing and standardizing SOP’s, implementing employee engagement and training programs, and developing outreach strategies.

Jackie’s approach to leadership will be a great addition to our team, as it is built on a foundation of open and effective communication, clear expectations, collaboration, and personal accountability. Her goal-oriented approach and established record of performance and process improvement have consistently resulted in improved EBITDA, client and patient satisfaction, employee retention, and clinical outcomes.

Jackie received her MBA in Healthcare Management from the University of Findlay. She has two daughters and currently resides in Westfield Indiana. Her personal philosophy is best embodied in her favorite Theodore Roosevelt quote: “Nobody cares how much you know, until they know how much you care.”

Andrea Hunnicutt has an extensive and diverse background in medicine, hospital management, and clinical research. She began her career in veterinary medicine as a registered veterinary technician. Andrea managed multiple large general medicine and specialty practices prior to moving into the research field. Most recently Andrea worked for a large Clinical Research Organization in numerous roles from study startup to closeout in Phase I-IV trials. She has over 6 years of in-depth experience in site management, GCP compliance, regulatory affairs, and patient safety. Andrea is passionate about site and sponsor collaboration with an ultimate goal of improving patient outcomes through innovative technology and medical advancements.
Andrea graduated from Fort Hays State University with a B.S in Sociology and holds a Master’s degree in Clinical Research from The Ohio State University.

Derek Kern joins Headlands Research with extensive experience across the clinical research space. Derek began his career as a Quality Analyst for a cGMP manufacturing operation. He went on to be a Project Manager for a large academic medical center and Associate Director for an NCI designated cancer center. Most recently, he was a Senior Manager of Clinical Operations for a prominent Clinical Research Organization (CRO) where he worked to optimize site start-up operations. Derek brings with him a passion for the advancement of healthcare and the improvement of patients’ quality of life.

Derek graduated from The University of Kansas with a B.A. in Human Biology. He is a Certified Clinical Research Professional.

Joanne Stevens brings 13 years of experience to Headlands Research from a Site Management Organization (SMO) in end stage kidney disease and chronic kidney disease. She began as a certified medical assistant working in a very busy Nephrology practice and then transitioned to research. Joanne gained experience over the years and moved into the role of Director, Research Site Operations. Over the last three years, she has led a team of eight sites across the US in highly complex interventional trials, anemia, diabetes, hypertension, uremic pruritis and many more therapeutic areas. Joanne is certified professional through Association of Clinical Research Professionals (ACRP), holding the credentials of Certified Clinical Research Coordinator (CCRC), Certified Professional (CP) and is also accredited Certified Medical Assistant with American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA).

Sharon began her career in pre-clinical neuroscience research at Jefferson and MCP-Hahnemann Medical Schools. She transitioned to clinical research with ICON where she was the 2nd person to hold a newly created role dedicated to site budgets and contracts, negotiating over a thousand CTAs with hundreds of sites for dozens of Sponsors. Sharon subsequently managed the site contracts, site payments and grant pricing groups across 3 offices. Ready for her next challenge, Sharon joined Clinical Financial Services where she directed a team that grew quickly to manage global site contracts and other adjacent processes. CFS was acquired by DrugDev, a technology focused company, and DrugDev was acquired by what is now IQVIA. During her time with IQVIA, Sharon was also tasked with overseeing the business operations of the Grant Plan family of cost benchmarking products, helping sponsors and CROs with fair market value endeavors.

Sharon now joins Headlands Research as Vice President of Budgets & Clinical Applications where she will oversee both the Budgets & Contracts and CTMS teams to support collaboration, communication and process improvements leading to efficient and high-quality contracting and documentation processes within the network.

Allison joins Headlands with extensive experience in clinical research contracting on both the research site and sponsor side. She started her career in clinical research at a large academic research institution as a Contract and Grant Officer where she was involved in drafting and negotiating a variety of agreements related to sponsored research and worked closely with the institution’s principal investigators on the goals and risks for each study. Most recently she worked at a large, multinational CRO as a Contract and Budget Manager where she served as a primary point of contact for sponsors during study start-up and managed the contract team during contract and budget negotiations with the research sites.

Allison received her J.D. degree from DePaul University College of Law, and her B.A. in Psychology from the University of Wisconsin.

Blake Torrence has been in the clinical research industry for 17 years. He was the CEO/VP of Centex Studies, Inc., which was the first research site Headlands Research acquired. He was responsible for business development, budgeting and contracting and held every position within the company over 13 years while at Centex. Blake has experience doing Vaccine, Neurology, Pain, Urology, Pulmonology, Device, Internal Medicine and Cancer trials. In 2022, Blake joined the Headlands Budget and Contracting team, which focuses on centralized budgets. Blake is passionate about negotiating strong budgets efficiently and swiftly. He enjoys interacting across all teams to collaborate and build relationships.

Christopher Bates joins Headlands with a diverse research background that includes overseeing research in anatomic, dermatology, and neuro pathology as a certified Histotechnologist.
He brings a wealth of knowledge in conducting several clinical trials as a Senior Clinical Research Coordinator in Therapeutic areas such as, Neurology, Pulmonary, Infectious Diseases/Vaccines, and Hematology to Headlands. Prior to joining Headlands, Chris served as a Clinical Research Operations Manager, in a Clinical Research Unit setting, for a major academic medical center overseeing the daily operations, financial prosperity, recruitment engagement, study start-up and overall performance of the unit and department.
He has direct experience managing business plans, creating, and negotiating a variety of budgets from clinical to departmental, and has a unique passion for building interpersonal relationships, and promoting a collaborative work environment.

Chris has a B.S. in Biology from Jackson State University, and a Master of Business Administration in HealthCare Management from University of Texas.

As Lead Revenue Accountant, Melissa is energized by working together with her teammates to achieve shared goals and improve financial efficiency. With over 15 years of experience working in operations and sales revenue management for the tourism industry, she has gained strong detail analyzing financial statements, forecasts, marketing trends, and accounts receivable reporting. Prior to joining Headlands Research, Melissa was Senior Sales Manager for Marriott International and was responsible for procuring revenue, maintaining strong client relationships, and managing financial reporting. Melissa earned a B.S in Health Science from Adventist University of Health Science.

Yanet brings more than 15 years of accounts payable experience and pharmacy account resolution working closely with worldwide pharmaceutical manufacturers. In her previous role, her primary focus has been analyzing health insurance claims allowing greater financial efficiency. Along with her primary focus, Yanet spent years negotiating prices, submitting adjustments, and auditing deposits received. She is enthusiastic about using her analytical processes to support her team in reaching their goals. Yanet holds an A.S in Science from Hi-Tech College.

Virginia Brings over 18 yrs. of reimbursement experience to the Headlands E-Finance Team. Her background includes a portfolio of accounts in the Medical and Specialty Pharmacy industry on which she oversaw the entire billing cycle from charge review, claims submission, follow-up and processing of appeals to various pertinent payers or programs. In addition, Virginia is a former Claims Processor in the Healthcare Insurance Industry.
Virginia has in-depth knowledge of the revenue cycle, has held a leadership position in Accounts Receivable, in addition she has worked closely with pharmaceutical manufacturers to help patients get their medication and manage their conditions affordably.
Virginia Holds an Associate of Arts in Business Administration and currently working on her Bachelor’s in Business & Healthcare Administration from Strayer University.

Tai McNeil brings fresh eyes and diverse experience to Headlands. His focus has always been on implementing systems that enhance efficiency for financial operations. With experience in the legal and insurance industries, he brings an attention to detail that is valued when it comes to our financial processes. Inspired by Headlands’ mission to improve population health and patient outcomes, he is excited to contribute his skills and talents to ensure this mission is successful.

Candice is a Registered Nurse of over 14 years with a well-established background in the field of neurology, acute stroke care, quality management, and clinical research. She is passionate about promoting evidence-based care. She brings over five years of Clinical Research experience that includes coordinating general medicine and psychiatric indications, as well as vaccine and device studies. Preceding her four years of experience as a Clinical Research Coordinator, she successfully led a Comprehensive Stroke Center for six years, achieving national certification. She has led many committees, Stroke Support groups, annual Stroke Conferences, NIHSS Resident lectures, as well as partnering with local EMS leaders and American Heart Association Stroke Teams. Additional background includes leadership of progressive care and neurology in the acute care setting and post-recovery in the field of cosmetic surgery. She joined Headlands Research in September of 2021 as an eSource Architect after relocating from Florida to Dallas, GA.

Candice and her family are avid land cruisers and like to frequent nearby motocross and ATV parks. In addition, she loves live music, the gulf beaches, and spending as much time with family and friends as she can.

After 6 years as a Clinical Research Coordinator, Adrienne joined Headlands Research in January 2023. As a coordinator, she gained experience in device and drug trials for transplant, cardiac, and spinal cord injury patients. Adrienne oversaw the implementation and use of various trial management systems for her teams.

Adrienne is a lifelong Michigander and a passionate Detroit sports fan. She lives in the Metro-Detroit area with her husband, daughter, and dog. She loves the outdoors and spends her free time enjoying the waters of the Great Lakes. When she’s not on the water, she enjoys cooking, gardening, and running.