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Executive
Leadership Team
Dr. Zoda brings nearly 30 years of clinical research industry experience to CRC. Most of his career has been dedicated to the CNS clinical research space through a variety of roles in operations, business development, and executive leadership. Notably, Dr. Zoda was the Executive Vice President and General Manager for the CNS Business Unit at INC Research/Syneos Health during their exponential growth over the last decade. Prior, he enjoyed a long tenure at PPD in a variety of operations and executive roles. Most recently, Dr. Zoda served as COO for Apex Innovative Sciences and CenExel Clinical Research, both CNS-focused clinical research site networks.
Mr. Williams received a B.S. degree in chemistry from the University of Tampa. After graduating, he spent 10 years with Ciba (today known as Novartis) and two years at GSK. During this formative time, he pioneered the earliest direct-to-consumer ad and patient engagement campaigns in the industry.
Mr. Williams’s experience spans pharmaceutical, healthcare IT, drug development, business-to-consumer web-based services, and physician practice management. He’s worked for start-ups and scale-ups in clinical, corporate, and consumer target markets. He also co-founded a few companies, including NextAudio, a business-to-consumer media company, Advanced Veterinary Imaging Centers, a mobile MRI service for the veterinary market, and HealthMatics, one of the first software providers for electronic medical records.
Mr. Williams also spent 14 years as co-founder and CEO of Clinipace Worldwide, a contract research organization that focuses on developing innovative technologies for conducting clinical trials. During his tenure, the company made INC Magazine’s list of the 500 fastest growing companies in America for four consecutive years beginning in 2011. In mid-2018, he became CEO of MindPath Care Centers, an outpatient behavioral health company, where he remained until mid-2022 following the sale of the business.
He was one of PharmaVoice’s 100 most Inspiring People in 2007 and was an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Southeast Finalist in 2015. He served as an Executive Committee Member of the Center for Entrepreneurial Development in Research Triangle Park from 2015 to 2018. He has served on several corporate Boards in addition to CRC and has served on the Board of Directors for Cathedral Corporation since 1998.
Mr. Williams is an avid mountain biker, fisherman, and boater. When not on the trails or water, he spends time with his wife and twin daughters.
Dr. Hochadel has 30+ years of experience in the planning, managing, and conducting of clinical research trials. His Phase I clinical experience includes multiple dose studies in healthy elderly subjects, tyramine challenge pressor tests, and extensive evaluations of novel delivery systems (e.g. transdermal, nasal, and pulmonary delivery systems) including pharmacokinetic and wearability assessments.
His expertise in Phase II-IV development is highlighted by his work in dementia, including 48-week chronic dosing studies in Alzheimer’s disease subjects and nursing home-based studies targeting behavioral signs and symptoms. He also has significant experience with schizophrenia, movement disorders (including Parkinson’s disease, ataxia, and tardive dyskinesia), depression, bipolar disorder, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and sleep disorder trials. Dr. Hochadel was also responsible for an anti-osteoporosis compound IND and a development program.
Dr. Hochadel was one of the original founders of Cognitive Research Corporation in 2006 initially serving as Chief Operating Officer. His reputation for integrity and expertise in all areas of CNS brought many early clients to CRC, many of who are still working with the company. Dr. Hochadel’s focus on team building and transparent collaborations with sponsors created the foundation of the culture and performance at CRC. He continues to lead the company as President today.
Prior to CRC, Dr. Hochadel was Senior Director of Psychiatry and Neurology with SCIREX Corporation and Director of Clinical Operations (CNS Center) at Covance, Inc. At Covance, he actively managed senior project managers, cross-functional project teams, and all clinical aspects of central nervous system studies. He also served as Director of Clinical Research at Somerset Pharmaceuticals, Inc. for six years, during which he created preclinical-to-post-marketing development plans and regulatory submissions. During his time at Somerset, Dr. Hochadel conducted more than 30 Phase I clinical studies and was the driving force behind multiple IND applications. He also held the role of President of Advanced Research Corporation, where he was responsible for the overall management and financial health of a full-service contract research organization.
Dr. Hochadel earned his Pharm.D. from Mercer University Southern School of Pharmacy in Atlanta, Georgia. He also holds a B.S. degree in natural sciences from the University of South Florida. Dr. Hochadel is a registered pharmacist and participates in international medical missions.
Dr. Kay is the co-founder of Cognitive Research Corporation and currently serves as Chief Scientific Officer. He received his Ph.D. in psychology (neuro-clinical specialty program) from the University of Memphis and completed his psychology internship at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland.
From 1985 to 1998, Dr. Kay served as Director of the Neuropsychology Division at Georgetown University School of Medicine’s Department of Neurology. He took an active role in teaching, providing clinical services, and conducting research. Notably, his research included efforts to assess higher cortical functions via computerized methods and conducting investigations into the neuropsychological sequelae of HIV infection, head injury, fibromyalgia, diabetes, eosinophilia myalgia syndrome, alcoholism, and normal aging.
He is the author and publisher of CogScreen, a computerized cognitive test battery used in pharmaceutical research and in clinical practice. He is recognized globally as an expert in the use of driving simulation to assess the impact of drugs on driving performance.
Dr. Kay established the Washington Neuropsychological Institute in 1998. The firm conducted contract research and provided consultation to federal agencies such as the Federal Aviation Administration, the Department of Justice, and the Social Security Administration.
Dr. Kay served as Principal Investigator on single and multi-center clinical drug trials investigating the effects of medication on cognition, mood, and psychomotor performance. He played a key role in studies investigating changes in cognition associated with sedating antihistamines, hormone replacement therapy, stimulant medications, anticholinergics, and nutritional supplements.
Dr. Kay has been invited to speak at professional meetings around the world and has been a speaker and author for the National Academy of Sciences. He has testified before U.S. congressional committees, at FDA hearings, and has served as a consultant for numerous governmental, corporate, and medical organizations. He is the co-author of Aeromedical Psychology, has written several book chapters, and authored numerous peer-reviewed articles that have appeared in Archives of Internal Medicine, American Psychologist, Human Psychopharmacology, British Journal of Pharmacology, Aviation Space and Environmental Medicine, Annals of Allergy, and the American Journal of Managed Care.
Dr. Kay is a diplomate of the American Board of Professional Neuropsychology and the American Board of Assessment Psychology. He is an Associate Professor of Neurology at Georgetown University, a Fellow of the National Academy of Neuropsychologists, and a member of both the International Neuropsychological Society and the American Psychological Association.
Ms. Taber has over 30 years in both the Pharmaceutical/Biotech and CRO sectors of the research community. An accomplished and proven leader with expertise in driving and delivering global projects successfully and collaborating with leaders to implement business plans. Alison has proven to be a strategic thinker and team builder, she excels in mentoring and coaching teams to drive professional development and aligning staff to corporate goals.
Alison holds a Diploma in Environment and Development completed through the Open University, a Higher National Diploma in Applied Biology from the Dundalk Institute of Technology, and a B.S. degree in Nursing from the English National Board in the UK.
Her career in healthcare began as a staff nurse in General Medicine at St. Albans City Hospital in England, followed later by a move to Orthopedics before pivoting to a career in Pharmacovigilance with Astra Pharmaceuticals. From Pharma, Alison transitioned into the CRO environment, serving in many capacities across all study phases, multiple therapeutic groups far beyond the previously mentioned Gen. Med and Orthopedics), and in both pre and post marketing. She quickly rose through the leadership ranks of some of the largest CROs in the industry including ICON Clinical Research, IQVIA, Synteract, Syneos Health, PPD, Theorem Clinical Research, Chiltern, and Covance. Alison held high-level leadership positions in Global Project Management, Alliance Management, Global Operations, Data Management, Study Start-up, Site & Patient Recruiting, and IRB services (successfully represented and presented the company in the sale and transition from the founder and CEO to Venture Capital investors) in both large and mid-size CRO’s and clinical service companies.
Most recently prior to joining CRC, Ms. Taber served as the Senior Vice President of Project Management Operations, at Synteract (a Syneos Company), where she was responsible for driving the fiscal, operational, and strategic goals globally for the Project Management, Feasibility, and Clinical Project Central business unit(s). She was responsible for leading key business unit initiatives to help build internal capabilities and efficiencies with processes and systems, providing overall direction of the business units in the hiring, mentoring, professional development, and performance management of the staff and a portfolio of work exceeding $600MM. In addition, she was responsible for ensuring cross-functional and global alignment of corporate goals and driving business performance measured by key performance metrics.
Ms. Taber joined CRC as the Head of Data Management in May 2022. She quickly proved to be an exceptional leader, collaborator, and change agent for CRC and their clients, resulting in her promotion to Chief Operating Officer in December 2022. Ms. Taber’s focus since joining is on spearheading key business initiatives to create process efficiencies, and improve performance and quality to serve our clients better.
She is a huge fan of all things Disney and visits the parks as often as humanly possible. She is also an RV enthusiast, and she splits her time between Hilton Head, South Carolina and Celebration, Florida (i.e., the town that Disney built).
Mr. Free began his career with Dental Research, the company responsible for the INTERPLAK toothbrush, which paved the way for the multi-billion-dollar electric toothbrush industry. After Bausch + Lomb purchased the company, Mr. Free became the Director, National Sales Admin., Professional Services, Consumer Services and Tele sales for Bausch Oral Health, where he managed and led the Professional Sales Field and Tele sales teams.
In the early 1990s, Mr. Free was recruited to work for Circa Pharmaceuticals. Prior to James joining the company, Circa was the largest manufacturer of generic drugs until a dissent decree from the FDA forced all of its products from the market. Mr. Free was hired to help rebuild Circa and earn back its credibility with the FDA and Wall Street investors.
He would go on to lead a team that converted Circa to a contract manufacturer. Mr. Free was later pivotal in convincing Pfizer to conduct work with Circa. This along with other high-profile clients resulted in the company being able to receive clearance from the FDA to file regulatory applications once more.
Mr. Free credits his time at Circa for teaching him the nuances of the pharmaceutical industry. His newly acquired pharmaceutical education and experience would serve him well after Watson Labs eventually purchased Circa and Mr. Free began his role as Director of Research and Development Project Management and Planning for the California-based pharmaceutical company. Once he was aboard, the company purchased several companies in the span of two years. Mr. Free was charged with integrating the R&D and commercialization departments of these acquired companies, a task which included deciding which incoming programs to prioritize and which to divest.
By the mid-1990s, Mr. Free had earned a reputation for navigating pharmaceutical companies through uncertain and turbulent times. This reputation took Mr. Free to Somerset Pharmaceuticals, which hired him to evaluate its existing R&D program and determine what path forward the company should take. Mr. Free helped the company create a more refined and focused drug portfolio, and he would go on to serve as the company’s Director of Sales & Marketing for the next seven years.
After his achievements at Somerset, Mr. Free moved to Raleigh, NC, and formed the biotech drug development company CeNeRx in 2005. Here, as Chief Operations Officer and co-owner, Mr. Free forged a professional relationship with CRC as a client, with CRC assisting CeNeRx in most of its studies during a 10-year period. Mr. Free would later merge CeNeRx with a commercial company and create SMG Pharmaceuticals, where he served as CEO.
Throughout his career, Mr. Free has served as a C-level executive for 11 successful companies in total. He has also managed several successful programs that span a diverse spectrum of disease states, with a focus on CNS, pain, anti-viral, dental, dermatology, diagnostics, and animal health. He has firsthand experience in filing multiple IND, NDA, and ANDA submissions that received subsequent approval. Additionally, he has overseen several successful commercial launches for CNS and dermatology drugs.
Mr. Free currently sits on the Board of Directors for Virokyne Therapeutics, an early-stage antiviral development company, and ZoonCo, a clinical stage animal health oncology company.
Mr. Shortreed has over 20+ years of experience in the clinical research industry with a proven track record for creating value by partnering with stakeholders across all levels of an organization. A true business partner and strategic leader, Ryan has repeatedly demonstrated the ability to stabilize and optimize functional and financial performance through data driven analytics and business insights.
Ryan’s career has led him to managing and partnering with teams designed to create value across key verticals (business unit and company financials) as well as across project portfolios within the CRO industry. Focusing on revenue, profitability and cash, Ryan has repeatedly partnered with businesses to drive profitable growth while accelerating cash conversion and optimizing capital infrastructures.
Prior to joining CRC, Ryan was the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of a start-up Decentralized Clinical Trial (DCT) company where he was responsible for implementing processes and technologies to establish a disciplined and cadenced full-cycle month-end close process including predictable forecasting processes. In addition, Ryan supported multiple capital raises including preparing the company for a Series C raise.
In addition, Ryan has held roles as Business Unit CFO at Syneos Health overseeing the company’s CNS division, CFO of TFS Health Sciences, a pan-European CRO in Western Europe as well as the Business Unit CFO for PAREXEL’s Regulatory Consulting Business. In addition, Ryan has led global Project Financial Management Teams at PAREXEL with total project portfolio’s exceeding 1.5B in annual revenues. Hereto, Ryan led his teams focusing on driving value creation through project revenue, profitability and cash conversion. Ryan’s demonstrated global leadership includes leading international teams as large as 120+ team members located throughout the world.
Ryan has also designed and implemented large programmatic strategic initiatives. With PRA Health Sciences, Ryan was responsible for leading the company’s Year 1 Sarbanes-Oxley compliance initiative successfully resulting in compliance without material weakness. Similarly, at PAREXEL, Ryan led a global finance transformation focused on recalibrating the global finance function from a book-keeping organization to a business partnering function. This strategic initiative required a full scale change to the functions operating model as well as significant process and technology improvements and implementations.
Ryan has a Masters in Business from New York Institute of Technology and a Bachelors degree from Loyola University. He is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) for the past 15 years and has a Master’s Certificate in Six Sigma from Villanova University.
Dr. Finman earned a B.S. in Statistics from the State University of New York at Oneonta and a Ph.D. in Biostatistics from the Medical College of Virginia/Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine. His 35+ years of experience in drug development spans clinical trial design, conduct reporting, oversight, and defense of regulatory submissions.
Dr. Finman spent 24 years at Pfizer earning additional responsibilities and building his reputation as a trusted and respected statistician with experience in the oversight of clinical statistics, statistical programming, data management, and project managers in the Biometrics department.
Dr. Finman’s clinical trial experience spans Phase I to Phase III and through registration across a broad range of therapeutic areas and indications, for numerous NDA submissions that resulted in FDA approval, including applications for in-license and co-development submissions.
In 2009, Dr. Finman founded Jupiter Point Pharma Consulting, LLC. The firm provided statistical input for drug development programs, including the design, analysis, interpretation, and defense of clinical trials in support of regulatory submission for a wide variety of programs and companies around the world. As part of a long-standing collaboration with CRC (prior to his role as Chief of Biostatistics), Dr. Finman also has expertise in the design and analysis of driving studies using CRC’s customized driving simulator. The firm was acquired by Cognitive Research Corporation in 2022.
In addition to providing oversight for the Statistics and Statistical Programming groups at CRC, he provides technical statistical support for sponsor organizations in the planning, execution, and analysis of clinical studies and development programs. He routinely provides strategic support for regulatory interactions and participates in meetings with sponsors and regulatory agencies, including sponsor representation in FDA Advisory Committee Meetings. He also has considerable experience serving on and in chartering Safety Review Committees and Data Safety Monitoring Boards.
He is a board member of Hope in Focus, a nonprofit patient advocacy organization dedicated to generating awareness, raising funds for research, and providing support, education, and outreach to the Leber Congenital Amaurosis and rare inherited retinal disease community. He is also a member of the American Statistical Association and the International Society for CNS Clinical Trials and Methodology.
When he can find the time, Dr. Finman enjoys boating, playing the piano, and woodworking.
Mr. Trudnak holds more than 25 years of proven experience in leading small- to large-scale organizations and developing top-tier global teams. He proved his resourcefulness and problem-solving skillset early in his career when he served as the ground-floor IT executive during a $500 million acquisition by a Fortune 500 company (Siebel Systems) of his then-employer, OpenSite, Inc.
One of his first forays into the realm of clinical research was with Clinipace, a provider of integrated software solutions for CRO clients. The company’s flagship solution, TEMPO, worked to integrate a CRO’s data and tools onto a single platform—a groundbreaking concept at the time. After the company decided to become a CRO itself, Mr. Trudnak created the technical strategy, reimagined the company’s IT infrastructure, and implemented the technical capabilities and functions necessary for essential clinical research operations.
What followed was a period of exponential growth for the company, during which Mr. Trudnak oversaw the IT integration of six multi-national acquisitions over a seven-year period. By the time he had accepted a position at VeraSci as VP of Technology & Infrastructure, Clinipace was an efficient and technology-enabled global CRO with operations spanning 38 countries and a workforce of 1,000+ employees. He also helped navigate the company’s growth from $1 million to $120 million in annual revenue.
With more than 20 years in the clinical research industry and providing security and compliance consultation services to life science companies, Mr. Trudnak partnered with various CROs, including CRC, as an IT consultant before joining CRC full time as Chief Information Officer in November of 2022.
When not charting plans for success, Mr. Trudnak enjoys reading, long walks with his dog, playing guitar, and spending time with his wife, kids, and grandchildren.
Mr. Casarella brings more than 28 years of experience in the CRO industry to his role as Chief Commercial Officer at CRC. He is an accomplished drug development professional who oversees business development, marketing, proposals, and commercial strategy, building on a career that began as a Clinical Research Associate and advanced through leadership roles in proposals, business development, marketing, general management, and executive leadership.
Mr. Casarella has a proven record of building and leading high-performing commercial teams and developing successful business partnerships across small, midsize, and large organizations. Prior to joining CRC, he spent more than a decade at Advanced Clinical, where he expanded the commercial function from a small U.S.-only entity into a global team. In that role, he focused on integrating and leading teams to drive performance and efficiency, while also spearheading a major rebranding effort that repositioned the company from a niche resourcing firm to a recognized midsize global CRO. His earlier experience includes roles at Covance (now Fortrea), PharmaNet (later inVentiv Health, now Syneos Health), and PRA Health Sciences (now ICON). He was also recognized as one of PharmaVoice’s 100 Most Inspiring People in 2019.
Mr. Casarella earned his Bachelor of Science in biology from DeSales University, where he serves on the President’s Advisory Council, and an MBA in marketing and strategic management from the Villanova University School of Business. He also mentors graduate business students at Villanova, reflecting his commitment to collaboration and developing the next generation of leaders, and he was recognized for this effort with the Above and Beyond Award.
In his personal time, Mr. Casarella enjoys music, reading, spending time with his wife and two children, and is an avid enthusiast of Orangetheory Fitness.
Senior
Leadership Team
Ms. Isaacks brings over 20 years of CRO and site-side clinical research experience in the CNS space. Her expertise spans global project management, clinical operations, clinical development strategy, and client services. She has a proven track record of prioritizing early sponsor engagement, cultivating high-performing clinical teams, and maintaining a relentless focus on data integrity. She has specialized in CNS research throughout her career and has been a part of multiple NDAs, resulting in product approvals in psychiatry and neurology indications.
Her operational acumen and expertise in clinical assessment and electrophysiological measures of cognitive function further support her ability to work closely with clients and project teams to execute complex CNS studies.
Outside of the office, Ms. Isaacks enjoys outdoor fitness activities, gardening, collecting vintage fashion, and volunteering at her local cat rescue (in addition to wrangling her own three cats).
Ms. Speno is an industry leader with more than 15 years of experience and possesses extensive knowledge in the clinical trials industry, including sponsor relations and working within the central nervous system sector. Her most recent role was Senior Executive Director of Business Development with CenExel, who recently acquired Apex Innovative Sciences and, prior to that, Clinical Trial Centers Alliance, a specialty site network. She worked alongside KOLs in the early phase CNS sector, translational medicine, biomarkers, and complex specialty populations.
Ms. Speno enjoys paddleboarding, pickleball, and her dog, Cali, when she has time away from work.
Ms. Walaker has 20+ years of clinical trial experience. Prior to joining CRC in 2013, she managed various Phase I-IV clinical research projects from start to finish for indications such as stroke, dermatology, and bioequivalence/bioavailability. Ms. Walaker served as a Division Manager with Hill Top Research, a Clinical Research Associate with Coaxia, Inc., and a Clinical Research Coordinator with PRACS Institute.
In her downtime, Ms. Walaker enjoys paddling her outrigger canoe in the Gulf of Mexico. When not enjoying water activities, she spends time reading or playing with her dog, Apollo.
Ms. Marrs came to CRC in December of 2022 with 16+ years of experience in data management and project management. She has worked primarily in the CRO space with small and large pharma and emerging biotech companies. She is an expert in project support, talent management and planning, employee development, and continuous improvement of internal systems.
Ms. Marrs grew up in Texas and currently resides in Kansas City, KS. She likes to travel, exercise, and spend time outdoors with her family and friends. She also has a passion for real estate, baking, and volunteering for the humane society.
Ms. Kemper has 30+ years of clinical trial and regulatory experience in driving simulations and pediatrics in CNS programs. She joined CRC in 2007, having previously served as Manager, Clinical Trials at Somerset Pharmaceuticals, Inc. In that role, she managed Phase I-IV clinical research projects for depression, Alzheimer’s Disease, Parkinson’s Disease, OCD, and ADHD. Ms. Kemper was part of a team that submitted hundred IND submissions and three NDAs. She also worked at the FDA as a spokesperson for the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.
Ms. Kemper’s hobbies include creating culinary delights (she holds an MS in Health Sciences alongside a culinary institute degree) and watching the NFL, PGA golf, and the Olympics.
Ms. Blank has 16+ years of clinical data management experience in the pharma/biotech and CRO sectors. She has managed multiple Phase I-IV studies with indications in oncology, ophthalmology, infectious disease, and women’s health. Some of the disease states in the Phase I-IV CNS programs she oversaw include Alzheimer’s disease, depression, OCD, and PTSD. She has worked at CROs such as IQVIA, PPD, and Syneos. She also served as Clinical Research Manager at the University of Utah.
Ms. Blank joined CRC as an Associate Director, Clinical Data Management in June of 2022 and has been instrumental in the rapid growth and development of the data management team, resulting in her promotion to Director, Clinical Data Management in January 2023.
Ms. Busch has been in finance and accounting for 15+ years, with half of her career spent in the medical device industry. She joined CRC in 2022 after years of leading accounting and finance teams as they successfully provided month-end reports, forecasts, budgets, and audits. Ms. Busch’s true passion is creating plans of action based on budget assumptions and goals, delivering year-over-year profitability and leverage for the company.
Ms. Busch is a big professional hockey fan, naming her 2 dogs after Detroit Red Wings players (Ozzie and Tuzzi), and is now also a Tampa Bay Lightning fan.
Elita earned her undergraduate degree from the University of North Carolina, and her MBA from Campbell University. She spent the first 10 years of her career in various finance and accounting roles including risk management, cash management, internal audit, and business controls, including several years at Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions, where she helped build an audit team and a framework of internal controls.
Once she joined the clinical research industry in 2016, she was hooked.
By the time Elita joined CRC in June of 2022, she brought several years of project financial analysis, finance business partnering and proposal budgeting experience within the clinical research industry. Her clinical experience includes time at Syneos, RTI International, and most recently, Aperio Clinical Outcomes, where she supported business development and executive management by building proposal budgets and providing ongoing financial analysis.
Elita is energized by creating and improving tools and processes, and loves collaborating cross-functionally to support operations teams in meeting their financial goals.
Medical
Leadership Team
Dr. Hough brings over 15 years of clinical psychology and research experience, specializing in schizophrenia, substance use disorders, major depressive disorder (MDD), and psychedelic research. With over a decade of experience as a licensed clinical psychologist, she has developed a strong career as both a treating clinician and researcher, known for her strategic contributions to clinical trial programs and her close collaboration with pharmaceutical companies on scientific synopses and protocol development.
Dr. Hough has played pivotal roles in Phase 1-3 clinical trials for schizophrenia, contributing to three FDA approvals, including KarXT, Latuda, and Austedo. She has served as an investigator on key opioid use disorder studies, including Bioxcel Therapeutics’ Serenity trial and Indivior’s Sublocade. Her expertise in psychedelic research spans MDD, treatment-resistant depression, and PTSD, where she has advanced treatments through ketamine infusion trials and psilocybin research for the Usona Institute.
In addition to her work in these areas, Dr. Hough has significant experience in Human Abuse Liability trials, where she has served as an investigator, protocol developer, and DSMB board member across several studies, including those examining the abuse liability of Lyrica and Gabapentin. She is also recognized for developing the Hassman Research Institute Cannabis Impairment Scale and has provided consultation on “go-to-clinic” strategies for NIDA, NINDS, and NIH grants.
Dr. Hough earned her Psy.D. from LaSalle University in Philadelphia, PA, and her Master’s from Columbia University. Her extensive training in psychometric assessments and leadership in CNS research make her a valuable contributor to advancing innovative treatments in psychiatry and addiction.
Dr. Blob has over 22 years of clinical trial experience. He has obtained board certification in both Internal Medicine and Emergency Medicine and has provided medical oversight of clinicals trial from a Principal Investigator, Pharmaceutical Company and CRO perspective. He taught and practiced emergency medicine from 1980 to 1998. During this time, he founded and ran two small healthcare companies. In 1998 he opened a phase 1 research center and conducted numerous studies that supported the FDA approval of EMSAM, the transdermal selegiline system developed to treat major depression.
Dr. Blob became the Medical Director of Somerset Pharmaceuticals, Inc. in 2002 and was the primary presenter to the FDA Psychopharmacological Advisory Committee in October 2006.
Dr. Blob is a co-author of several scientific articles pertaining to tyramine sensitivity and has presented tyramine safety data both nationally and internationally. Dr. Blob received his B.S. Biology from Loyola College, and his MD and Post Graduate Training from the University of Maryland.
Dr. Patroneva has over 25 years of experience in CNS drug development, focusing on neurology and psychiatry indications including Alzheimer’s disease, epilepsy, major depressive disorder, and sleep disorders. Her extensive experience includes early and late-phase protocol design, regulatory submissions, and medical affairs in various roles at AstraZeneca, Neurogene, Harmony Biosciences, Marinus Pharmaceuticals, Teva Pharmaceuticals, and Takeda Pharmaceuticals.
With hands-on experience in designing and executing clinical trials across all phases and in regulatory submissions and interactions, Dr. Patroneva has led FDA negotiations for over 20 programs, including discussions on clinical endpoints, requirements, NDA submissions, and labeling. She has managed robust neuroscience portfolios with programs including Alzheimer’s, bipolar depression, schizophrenia, and epilepsy. Notably, she contributed to two FDA approvals in Major Depressive Disorder with PRISTIQ and TRINTELLIX, overseeing their successful launches. Additionally, she played a key role in the FDA approval of WAKIX for narcolepsy.
Dr. Patroneva also has significant experience in rare neurology indications. She led the IND clearance for a gene therapy program in Rett Syndrome, allowing pediatric dosing, and actively managed another program in a pediatric neurodegenerative disease. Her expertise in orphan drug development has been crucial in advancing therapies for rare conditions, including Fragile X, CDKL-5, PCDH-19, and Huntington’s disease.
Dr. Patroneva is Board certified in Neurology and Epilepsy in Bulgaria and has authored numerous publications in peer-reviewed journals. She earned her M.D. from the Medical Academy in Sofia, Bulgaria, and an MBA in Health Management from Assen Zlatarov University. At CRC, she leverages her extensive expertise to support CNS research and drive innovation in psychiatry and neurology.
Dr. Versavel has over 30 years of experience in clinical development, specializing in neurology and analgesia. He has played pivotal roles in advancing programs for indications including epilepsy, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, and neuropathic pain. His leadership roles at Pfizer, Sunovion, Zalicus, Alzheon, Neurobo, Cavion, and Eliem Therapeutics, as well as his work as a clinical drug development consultant, have been instrumental in bringing innovative therapies to market.
Notably, Dr. Versavel led the NDA submission and approval process for eslicarbazepine acetate (Aptiom®) in epilepsy and served as the international clinical leader for pregabalin (Lyrica®), contributing to its NDA submission and subsequent approval for epilepsy, neuropathic pain, and fibromyalgia. In Alzheimer’s disease research, he created the development path and Phase 1 and 2/3 study outlines for a prodrug of tramiprosate and successfully managed its clinical trials. Additionally, Dr. Versavel supported the design of the Phase 1-3 studies assessing a novel dopaminergic agent for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease.
Dr. Versavel also possesses extensive knowledge and leadership experience in early clinical development, from First in Human to Proof of Concept. His work in translational medicine includes establishing a pharmaco-EEG and computerized cognition test unit at the Institute of Clinical Pharmacology of Bayer AG. He has significantly contributed to the clinical pharmacology development of nimodipine (Nimotop®), ipsapirone, and metrifonate for Alzheimer’s disease. He also initiated and managed laser evoked pain studies for the evaluation of several novel non-opioid experimental medicines.
Dr. Versavel was trained in neurology, is a Board-Accredited Physician in Clinical Pharmacology in Germany and has authored numerous peer-reviewed articles. He holds an M.D. from the University of Antwerp, Belgium, a Ph.D. from Charité Humboldt-University in Berlin, Germany, and an MBA from the University of Michigan Business School. At CRC, he brings a wealth of knowledge and strategic vision to drive the advancement of neurology and analgesia research.
Dr. Vaishnavi brings over 20 years of expertise in neuroscience, clinical psychiatry, and research to his role as Medical Director at Cognitive Research Corporation. He specializes in ADHD, major depressive disorder, PTSD, and Alzheimer’s disease, having made significant contributions to several pivotal clinical trials. His work includes serving as a principal investigator for trials that resulted in FDA approval for Rexulti for Alzheimer’s disease-related agitation, and trials supporting the FDA clearance of Rejoyn as an adjunct treatment for MDD and EndeavorRx for ADHD in children, adolescents, and adults.
Additionally, Dr. Vaishnavi has conducted groundbreaking research in transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) for PTSD, including an ongoing EEG-guided TMS study.
Dr. Vaishnavi holds a Ph.D. in Cognitive Science with a focus on cognitive neuroscience from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), were he also did his M.D. He did his residency in Psychiatry at Duke University, where he also completed the Duke-GlaxoSmithKline Clinical Psychopharmacology Fellowship Program. He has completed a fellowship in Behavioral Neurology & Neuropsychiatry from Johns Hopkins. He is a Fellow of the American Neuropsychiatric Association, nominated to and a member of the Sigma Xi Scientific Honor Society, and a Castle Connolly Best Doctor (2024). Additionally, Dr. Vaishnavi has authored more than 55 peer-reviewed papers and scientific abstracts, contributing to high-impact journals including JAMA Network Open, American Journal of Psychiatry, and Biological Psychiatry.
Dr. Vaishnavi is certified in Psychiatry by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, and in Behavioral Neurology & Neuropsychiatry by the United Council for Neurologic Subspecialties. At CRC, he leverages his expertise to guide clinical trial strategies, ensuring the delivery of high-quality data to advance CNS treatments. His dedication to improving patient outcomes through innovative research makes him an invaluable asset to CRC.