Community-Based Research Series: Engaging New-to-Research Physicians within Community Healthcare

(Moderator) Irfan Khan, MD, CEO, Circuit Clinical

Irfan Khan, MD, Founder and CEO of Circuit Clinical®, is a Cardiologist who has served as a Principal Investigator on therapeutic and device clinical trials for over a decade. Delivering on his company’s mission, Dr. Khan is passionate about improving access and inclusion in clinical trials, increasing community engagement and fostering the patient experience through education and empowerment.

Over the last eight years, he has overseen Circuit Clinical’s growth in clinical research services through traditional, hybrid and decentralized community-based site models and their MD Prescreen service that optimizes patient referrals.

Daniel Marangoni, PhD, Head of Oncology Site Operations, Circuit Clinical

Daniel Marangoni, PhD, is a research psychologist with nearly 16 years of experience and leadership in sponsored research and clinical trials.  He is a performance-driven research administrator with the goal of helping to lead the development of high-functioning research teams at Circuit Clinical. Most recently, Daniel’s focus has been developing and maintaining robust clinical trial portfolios at community-based practices, especially in oncology.

Daniel leads the Oncology Clinical Research Team across our Madison, WI, and St. Louis, MS districts within SSM Health, a large multi-state health system part of our Site Partnership Network.

Karen Pypniowski, Vice President Site Operations, Circuit Clinical

Karen Pypniowski is a leader within healthcare, business development and clinical operations with over 12 years of experience in data and risk management, leading clinical teams, research project management, site operations staff management, district growth, PI engagement/training and over 14 years in business development in the CRO and site network space.

She has worked within multiple industry-leading companies, including AstraZeneca, PPD, PRA/ICON, Worldwide Clinical Trials and Accel Research Sites (now Alcanza), and led clinical teams across multiple therapeutic areas, including teams of over 20 employees.

She currently leads Circuit Clinical’s Site Partnership Network Teams and the Site Operations Teams for five districts. She is passionate about making a difference in the field of clinical research and pharmaceuticals, particularly in the area of community-based research.

Rita Vinod Knause, MD, Chief Medical Officer, Principal Investigator, North Hudson Community Action Corporation

Dr. Rita Knause graduated from Carnegie Mellon University, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology in 1993. She completed her medical education at St. George’s University School of Medicine in 1998. In 2003, Dr. Knause finished her residency in OBGYN from Christiana Care and was awarded the Laparoendoscopic Surgeon of the Year.

After being in private practice for four years, she started at North Hudson Community Action Corporation (NHCAC) in 2007. She practiced general OBGYN with a special interest in high-risk obstetrics. In 2018, she became the Director of the Women’s Health Department. Dr. Knause now serves as Chief Medical Officer for North Hudson Community Action Corporation (NHCAC) since February 2020.

Dr. Priya Rimal, Medical Director of Adult and Internal Medicine, Endocrinologist/Internist, Principal Investigator, North Hudson Community Action Corporation

Dr. Priya Rimal joined the North Hudson Community Action Center (NHCAC) in Nov 2023 as the Medical Director of Adult Internal Medicine and has worked across multiple locations in New Jersey and New York. Her goal is to provide care and education to patients in underserved communities and bridge the gap between clinicians, researchers, administrators, and patients. She came to NHCAC with over six years of endocrinology and internal medicine experience.

Born in Nepal, Priya came to the United States in 2018 as a diabetes and metabolism fellow at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science in Chicago.  During the COVID-19 pandemic in St. Louis, she volunteered as a telemedicine doctor for a medical provider in Nepal. She has done research in gastroenterology and quality of life improvement. She also authored and co-authored multiple papers on various medical and health topics and has been a correspondent for health publications. In her free time, Dr. Rimal enjoys running, hiking, and staying fit!

Peter Ricketti, D.O., Physician and Co-Owner, Mercer Allergy & Pulmonary Associates

Dr. Ricketti is a fellowship-trained allergist-immunologist and sleep medicine specialist from the University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine. Dr. Ricketti was a Magna Cum Laude graduate and earned his bachelor’s degree in biology from Villanova University in 2008. He then received his medical degree from the ​Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. Dr. Ricketti completed his internship and residency in internal medicine at Rutgers–New Jersey Medical School in 2015. He then completed advanced fellowship training in Allergy and Immunology and Sleep Medicine at the prestigious University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine.

During his fellowship, Dr. Ricketti was involved in multiple clinical trials at the University of South Florida Division of Allergy and Immunology Clinical Research Unit with basic and clinical research interests. During his allergy fellowship, Dr. Ricketti wrote book chapters relating to allergic rhinitis and stinging insect hypersensitivity along with various manuscripts relating to novel therapeutics in allergic rhinitis and chronic spontaneous urticaria. After completing his Allergy and Immunology fellowship, he remained as a clinical faculty instructor in the Allergy Division. Dr. Ricketti received his board certification in Allergy and Immunology through the American Board of Allergy and Immunology.

Dr. Ricketti completed an additional fellowship in Sleep Medicine at the University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine given his interest in upper airway dysfunction. During his allergy and sleep medicine fellowships, he became proficient in rhinolaryngoscopy and drug-induced sedation endoscopy to measure levels of upper airway obstruction that contribute to intolerance and non-adherence with PAP therapy in obstructive sleep apnea populations.