ISCORE-RC Mentors​
ISCORE-RC has a multidisciplinary team of mentors to assist mentees along their journey to becoming a clinical research coordinator. Biographies of current mentors can be found below. If you would like to connect with any of the below ISCORE-RC mentors please email iscore.rc@hsc.wvu.edu.
Current Mentors
Connie Cerullo
Site Affiliation: West Virginia University
Title: Assistant Director, ISCORE RECOVER Hub
I have collaborated on over 60 clinical trials spanning from early drug development to post approval registries and observational studies. I have worked in various therapeutic areas including psychiatry, pulmonology, obesity, endocrinology, gastroenterology, and neurology. I have been a clinical research coordinator, assistant director of an academic research center, a regulatory manager, and a senior project manager at CRO. Additionally, with my regulatory background I have experience in developing and reviewing regulatory documents, working closely with IRB’s, creating source documents, and providing oversight of investigator trial master files. I currently have a faculty appointment at WVU Behavioral Medicine and Psychiatry and am managing an NIH Long COVID-19 study following participants for 4 years. Working as a liaison with thirteen sites across the country which are underserved and underrepresented populations.
Michelle Chidester
Site Affiliation: West Virginia University
Title: Assistant Director of Regulatory and Quality
My interest in Research began as an undergraduate where I worked as a Research Assistant in the Department of Psychology. I went on to work for a CRO for many years. Most of my experience was working with the sponsors to collect and review Regulatory Documents for sites in multisite clinical trials and as well helping with subject recruitment. Currently, I provide oversight to the regulatory team at the WVCTSI Center of Excellence where we provide regulatory support to both investigator initiated and industry trials.
Wendy J. Smith
Site Affiliation: Rhode Island Hospital
Title: Manager, Diagnostic Imaging Research
I've been working in clinical research at Rhode Island Hospital for 33 years and as a Certificated Clinical Research Professional (SoCRA) for the past 28 years. For 20 years I've served as member of the Lifespan IRB #2. I have experience working on industry and federally supported research. I participate in many research activities from grant preparation, the regulatory process, subject enrollment and follow-up, through publication of results.
Cathy Hudgins
Site Affiliation: University of Mississippi Medical Center
Title: Executive Nurse Manager, Clinical Research and Trials Unit
I am currently the Exec. Nurse Manager of the Clinical Research and Trials Unit at University of Mississippi Medical Center. The CRTU is a 22 bed clinical research facility dedicated to inpatient and outpatient clinical trials for studies from various departments at our institution who contract our services for space and/or staffing solutions to support their clinical trials. My nursing background is 14 years of acute care nursing followed by 12 years as a Nurse Paralegal. My research career began in 2017 as an RN Clinical Coordinator here at UMMC. During my years as a Coordinator, just to mention a few areas, I was assigned to Peds Pulmonary, Adult Pulmonary, Peds Urology, Neonatal, and Dermatology studies. All very different but that kept it interesting. Now as Nurse Manager my role is to determine study feasibility, budget construction, and general oversight of our department.
Jamie Brown
Site Affiliation: University of Mississippi Medical Center
Title: RN-Clinical Research Operations Manager
I have been a nurse for 15 years and in research a little over 4 years. I am a certified clinical research coordinator through ACRP and currently manage the Clinical Research and Trials Unit at UMMC. Our department has 4 RN clinical research coordinators, one non-RN clinical research coordinator and 3 research specialists. We support and provide services for over 50 clinical trials at our institution.
Laurie Chassereau
Site Affiliation: University of Vermont
Title: Clinical Research Nurse
I have a broad background as a Clinical Research Nurse Coordinator supporting studies in adult and pediatric oncology, opiate addiction, and infants with neonatal abstinence syndrome. Most recently I have been the lead coordinator for the newly formed IDeA States Pediatric Clinical Trials Network (ISPCTN). I support studies through this network that promote child health wellness. I am also lead coordinator for the NIH funded RECOVER Post-Acute Sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 pediatric cohort study at UVM.
Amy Wigglesworth
Site Affiliation: University of Mississippi Medical Center
Title: Division Supervisor & Research Navigator
I have been a registered nurse since 2009 and a clinical research coordinator for the past nine years. I obtained certification as a Certified Clinical Research Professional in 2019 and I am a Research Navigator for the Mississippi Center for Clinical and Translational Research. I have a broad range of coordinator experience with a focus on investigator-initiated research and training.
Pamela Rayl
Site Affiliation: West Virginia University
Title: Quality and Regulatory Specialist
I started my clinical research career at WVU’s Mary Babb Randolph Cancer Center as a Clinical Data Manager for 10 years. Following a graduate degree in Legal Studies, I worked briefly for a company acting as a CRO as a Quality and Compliance Specialist where I assisted in protocol development and multi-site start-up. I then came back to WVU in 2021 and have been a Quality and Regulatory Specialist at the WVU RNI working with primarily investigator-initiated studies. My duties include IRB protocol submissions, essential document management, preparing unit SOPs, and assisting in process improvement. I have been a member of SOCRA and a Certified Clinical Research Specialist since 2015 l. I am also currently a RAPs member and working towards dual regulatory associate certification in device and pharmaceuticals.
Tami Deal
Site Affiliation: West Virginia University
Title: Research Coordinator
I have a total of 20 years of research experience. I started as a research assistant in 2004, with blood collection and specimen processing with execution of clinical studies. I continued coordinating at WVU clinical and Pharmacologic research center until 2019, with experience in drug accountability, overseeing the conduct of the clinical study from irb approval through submission of the final report. I have been at the RNI for 5 years as a coordinator working with movement disorders, pain, RA, VR, wearables, and GI.
Debbie Ogata-Arakaki
Site Affiliation: University of Hawaii
Title: Clinical Research Unit Coordinator
I managed Phase I HIV clinical research studies during my 4 years at the Clinical Center at NIH and manage and supervise the clinical HIV research program under the University of Hawaii School of Medicine since 1991. In addition to coordinating studies and direct study management (including participant recruitment, study visit management, conducting study required tests, data collection etc.), my experience includes protocol development, fiscal and contractual negotiations, regulatory oversight, QA management, teaching, preceptoring and mentoring new clinical staff (nurses, RA, physicians).
Patrizia Curran
Site Affiliation: Rhode Island Hospital
Title: Research Coordinator
I have a degree in Medicine and a residency in Neurology from the University of Rome "La Sapienza", where I was involved in research studies on pain and neurophysiology, for 6 years. I have been at Lifespan in Providence, RI for 13 years as research coordinator. I have experience in conducting NIH and industry sponsored studies. I have experience in IRB submissions, budget creation and maintenance, subjects' recruitment, informed consent creation from protocols, study documents preparation and maintenance, monitor visits and audits. I am in the process to be certified as financial research coordinator.
Anna Cloutier
Site Affiliation: MaineHealth
Title: Lead Clinical Research Nurse
I have been a nurse since 1995 and a clinical research nurse since 1997. I have been with MaineHealth since 2011. I am a Lead Research Nurse in the Clinical Trials Office, and I am a Certified Clinical Research Professional through SOCRA. I am part of a team that supports clinical trials in all areas of medicine including, cardiovascular, nephrology, neurology, adolescent psychiatry, etc.
Chad Glaze
Site Affiliation: West Virginia University
Title: Assistant Director, Clinical Research
I've been in research since 2017. I've worked as a research assistant, project coordinator, and manager. I'm now an Assistant Director of Clinical Research with the Center of Excellence. I've worked in both the regulatory and financial side of clinical trials as well. I have experience in both industry and investigator-initiated studies.