Opening the Digital Front Door in Clinical Trials to Improve Patient and Clinician Satisfaction

Melissa Nezos, Executive Vice President, Clinical Operations, Firma Clinical Research

Melissa Nezos is Executive Vice President of Clinical Operations at Firma Clinical Research where she leads the Clinical and Project Management teams responsible for delivery of home health. Melissa has worked for over 20 years in a number of global organizations within Clinical Operations, Project Management, and Process Change departments. Her experience spans both large and mid-sized CROs, overseeing large, multi-continent clinical operations teams. Melissa has brought her extensive clinical knowledge and expertise into the decentralized clinical trials arena and has been invited to speak at multiple conferences to present.

Recognized within the industry as a champion for progression, Melissa has been instrumental in delivering global organizational change initiatives. She has been an Executive Steering Committee member for several external organizations, advocating progression and promoting change within the industry.

As an advocate for data driven and technology led solutions, she has leveraged her ability to work across operational functions to successfully implement innovative clinical monitoring and data quality strategies. Melissa lives in Cary, North Carolina with her husband and 2 children. When her twins are not keeping her busy, she is an active volunteer for several local organizations within the Triangle.

Jerika Acosta, President, JMedBio

Jerika Acosta is the President of JMedBio Corp. with over 19 years of industry leadership and management experience in Phase I-IV pharmaceutical and device clinical trials. She has worked in CRO, pharma, and academic environments, including operational oversight of multi-therapeutic global programs leading to successful regulatory submissions and product launches for multiple leading organizations.

Using her scientific training, industry knowledge, and passion to support various projects in clinical development, safety, medical writing, and regulatory, Jerika has designed, managed, and executed a large number of clinical trials worldwide.

She managed multi-compound portfolios inclusive of adult and pediatric trials in large programs. Jerika’s background includes Clinical Development, Program Management, Strategic Planning, Risk Management, and Process Excellence.

Jerika holds a B.S. degree in Pharmacology from Rutgers University and continued her studies towards her PharmD from the Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy. She’s a member of the Association of Clinical Research Professionals (ACRP).

Amy MK Rovitelli, MS, CHRC, Critical Care Research Coordinator, Division of Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine

Amy has over 23 years of experience in health care research at the University of Rochester. She worked with both pediatric and adult research populations in the areas of cardiology, oncology, and pulmonary & critical care, and has continued her education to stay current with the latest regulations required to work effectively with industry sponsors, local & national investigators, institutional review boards (IRBs), and the FDA.

Ben Baumann, COO, OpenClinica

Ben co-founded OpenClinica with colleague Cal Collins in 2006 to make it easier for study teams to carry out high-quality clinical research using modern technology. As OpenClinica’s chief operating officer, Ben has helped develop the company into a leading provider of cloud-based solutions to automate and accelerate clinical trials and deliver a superior end-user and patient experience. His passions include finding human-centric ways to unlock existing sources of real-world data for clinical research. Ben earned a bachelor’s degree with honors from Harvard University.