Employee Spotlights

MERIT Employee Spotlight is a series featuring team members introducing themselves, outlining their role at MERIT, and providing insight into why they chose to work in the clinical trials industry.

Employee Spotlights

Beth Burkhart, DHA, MS, PMP
Senior Project Manager, Respiratory

I support clinical studies across the full project lifecycle, contributing to study coordination, documentation, vendor and site communication, regulatory support, and close-out activities....

Anam Lari
Partnerships Associate

What I appreciate most about MERIT is the collaborative and forward-thinking culture. There’s a real team mentality here, everyone genuinely wants to see each other succeed, and that energy translates into the quality of work we deliver....

Nichole Calver, BS, R.T. (R)(MR)(CT)
Oncology Image Quality Assurance Specialist II

My responsibilities include processing clinical trial data in EXCELSIOR, data upload, and data quality evaluation. I’m a certified CT/MRI Technologist with over 20 years of experience in Radiology....

Li Fan
Product Development Specialist

I’ll never forget one patient I imaged for a clinical trial - after being treated with an investigational drug, he broke down in tears and told me it was the first time in decades he could see clearly. That moment solidified my belief that clinical...

George Adjin-Tettey, BS, CNMT, RT (N)(MR)
Oncology Image Quality Control Specialist II

As a certified Nuclear Medicine and MRI technologist with over a decade of experience in hybrid PET/MRI imaging, I bring a unique blend of multi-modality skills and expertise to an experienced and robust oncology team....

Sally Asad
Oncology Project Manager

I love working alongside a talented group of individuals with diverse backgrounds and areas of expertise, which creates a truly dynamic and collaborative environment. It’s incredibly rewarding to be part of a company that helps bring novel therapies to those who need them....

Christopher Sylvia
Oncology Sales Specialist

I work closely with clinical operations, outsourcing, and medical teams to understand study objectives and present tailored imaging solutions. I enjoy the combination of independence, account ownership, and strong team support at MERIT....

Margi Newman
Content Developer

I love the variety of the types of writing and editing that I get to provide, and that I’m always learning about new advances in clinical research. It’s also great to be part of a fantastic team that is appreciative of my efforts....

Shawn Wilker, MD
SENIOR READER, OPHTHALMOLOGY

My expertise and passion lie in ophthalmic imaging and testing, making my role at the reading center a perfect fit. I play an active role in shaping the center’s involvement in major clinical trials, working closely with sponsors who seek guidance on the best imaging...

Alyssa Bartholomew
Imaging Quality Control Specialist II, Oncology

I am a certified CT/MRI Technologist and have over a decade of experience in Radiology. I love to share my knowledge base with my team and help out any way I can! I am so honored to be a part of the oncology research community....

Laura Rozek
Project Success Manager

I have been in the Ophthalmology field for 24 years. Being a Project Manager means interacting daily with many departments at MERIT as well as Sponsors, CROs, and sites. We work as a collective team to make sure that trials run as smoothly as possible...

Stephanie Jacoby
Project Manager III

I thoroughly enjoy my work environment, particularly the friendship with my colleagues and the overall positive atmosphere. Contributing to clinical trials is deeply rewarding, knowing that my efforts play a part in advancing medical research and improving patient outcomes....

Emily Radar
Project Manager I

We have a great team of experts with an array of backgrounds and clinical experience, which allows us to look at issues from different perspectives....

Michael Wright
Database Administrator

Day to day, it is my coworkers that make MERIT so enjoyable – we have a wonderful cast of people who are fun to work with. Looking at the bigger picture, I love working in an industry where the primary goal is to make people’s...

Amanda Weber
Associate Director, Partnership Management

Effective partnership management and relationship development are integral to the success of MERIT. The activities and contributions of our team are complementary to that of the medical and scientific expertise MERIT provides....

Gene Kim
Associate Director of Medical Affairs & Innovation, Oncology

As a member of our medical affairs team, I build relationships with our KOLs and radiologists to support our sponsors’ imaging outcome needs. I work closely with the EXCELSIOR software development team to integrate necessary features, response criteria, and eCRF functions that are aligned with...

Executive Spotlights

Yijun Huang, PhD
CO-FOUNDER & CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

MERIT operates within a sphere of collaboration rather than competition. We partner seamlessly with sponsors, CROs, technology providers, and academic groups....

Adaeze (Ada) Sonuga, MD
Director of Medical Affairs, Ophthalmology

My role is Director of Medical Affairs, Ophthalmology. This position entails a variety of responsibilities including grading ophthalmology images, data review, and some clinical development....

Kathleen Zielinski, MD
Director of Medical Affairs, Anterior Segment/Safety

I provide medical expertise for anterior segment ophthalmology clinical trials, including oversight of safety reviews. I work closely with sponsors throughout all phases of clinical research, ensuring the highest standards of data integrity and patient safety are consistently upheld....

David Bingaman, DVM, PhD, D. ACVO
Chief Development Officer, Ophthalmology

I work closely with MERIT's Sponsors to advance their clinical programs by matching MERIT’s endpoint offerings with their unique trial designs. angiogenesis. I have been in the ophthalmic drug & device development world for nearly 30 years, serving as a vision scientist and clinical trialist. ...

Qienyuan Zhou, PhD
VP, Medical & Scientific Affairs

As VP of Medical and Scientific Affairs at MERIT, I oversee the ophthalmology reader and data management teams as well as our reading center operations. I collaborate with our partners to assist with study design and consultation....

Ronald P. Danis, MD, FARVO
Co-founder & Chief Scientific Officer

I am a co-founder of and CSO at MERIT. I spend my time overseeing the clinical operations of the ophthalmology reading center and our ophthalmic R&D efforts....

Amber (Ying) Zhang, MD, DAPM
APAC General Manager

The opportunity to apply scientific rigor to shorten the distance between breakthrough discovery and patient benefit is why I’ve dedicated my career to clinical research. I’m driven by the knowledge that MERIT’s work directly accelerates the path of innovative therapies to patients who need them. ...

Xiangrun Huang, PhD
Director, Clinical Data Management

As soon as I joined MERIT, I was impressed by the culture here. Our team members support each other and often jump in to offer help when needed. We work hard to meet sponsors’ deadlines while ensuring data accuracy and completeness. ...

Peter Cueno
Director, Product Operations & Management

The Product Operations and Management (POM) group solves problems, and also proactively searches for solutions before something turns into an issue. From development to configuration and implementation to bug investigations and closeouts, the POM squad helps with all study phases in and out of EXCELSIOR....

LIN Chengyu
Medical Director, China

I oversee our oncology medical affairs in China and provide medical support to both US and China teams. Our medical team plays a crucial role in ensuring the integrity of imaging evaluations during clinical trials....

Catherine Chintala
Director of Operations, Oncology

At MERIT, we collaborate closely with our Sponsors and part of my role is sharing expertise and knowledge with our biotech and pharma partners, especially if they are new to working with a core lab and central reading....

Brittany Royster
Director, Ophthalmic Imaging

I work with the IQCS (Image Quality Control Specialist) team managing and monitoring the production, workflow, organization, evaluation, and site education for imaging procedures in our ophthalmology studies....

Percy Wu
Director of Business Development, China

The China business development team works very closely with our operation and medical team members to engage with prospective clients even before the study starts, so our partners can be confident in our capabilities and experience....

Heather Baumhauer
Chief Operating Officer

Within the MERIT Clinical Trials team, we see our Project Management (PM) division as the central hub, serving as the primary point of contact for both internal and external stakeholders, including sponsors, vendors, and sites, among others....

Julia Oxley
VP, Commercial Operations & Strategic Partnerships

At MERIT, we recognize that every client holds a unique position of importance, with distinct studies, approaches, and endpoints. Our dedicated team ensures that this individuality is acknowledged and leveraged to deliver exceptional services tailored to our clients’ specific wants and needs....

Shinji Yue
Vice President, Oncology

All members of our team have extensive knowledge and experience in imaging endpoint process standards of clinical trials. Our key players include expert project managers, imaging specialists, data management personnel, data quality evaluators, quality assurance staff, and adept software developers....

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