Our executive team is comprised of a diverse group of clinical trial and technology experts who average over 20 years of industry experience.
Management Team
US TEAM
Yijun Huang, PhDCO-FOUNDER & CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Dr. Huang has 25+ years of experience in leading software and hardware development for medical imaging applications, both in academic and in FDA-regulated environments. Dr. Huang is dedicated to the development of methodologies that increase efficiency, gain additional insights, shorten development time, and reduce costs for specialty clinical trials.
Ronald Danis, MDCO-FOUNDER & CHIEF SCIENTIFIC OFFICER
Dr. Danis co-founded MERIT’s predecessor EyeKor, Inc. in 2012 with Dr. Huang and Dr. Christopher Murphy, bringing extensive experience as a practicing medical retina specialist to the company. Dr Danis is involved in the design and conduct of many clinical trials, and serves on leadership committees and data safety and monitoring boards for several ongoing studies.
Heather Baumhauer, MSSENIOR VP, CLINICAL SERVICES
Heather is dedicated to providing exceptional clinical trial support. With a research background that includes academic, reading center, and CRO settings, Heather approaches each project with the goal to deliver the best service possible. Heather has been an ACRP Certified Clinical Research Coordinator since 2012 and uses the skills she learned as a CCRC to lead a team of clinical trial professionals. Heather adds more than 15 years’ experience to MERIT’s Clinical Services team.
Qienyuan Zhou, PhDVP, MEDICAL & SCIENTIFIC AFFAIRS
Dr. Zhou oversees the MERIT team of graders and data scientists and analysts, working together with our partners to assist with study design and consultation. Dr. Zhou works extensively with study sponsors and Independent Reading Centers (IRC) to develop imaging protocols and grading forms to meet the specific needs of each trial. Her team is focused on maintaining quality initiatives and providing timely deliverables to ensure the effective execution of clinical trials for our partners.
Nathan DiersVP, PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT
Nathan leads the software development team and provides oversight for MERIT’s IT and software validation teams. He works to improve the functionality of the EXCELSIOR™ platform while maintaining the quality and regulatory standards vital for clinical trials. In addition, Nathan works with the management team to develop new capabilities and monitor resource allocation.
Shinji Yue, MS, MBAVP, ONCOLOGY
Shinji Yue leads the oncology commercial strategies at MERIT. He has 20+ years of global commercialization and market development experience in medical imaging, AI software, and medical devices for clinical trials. Shinji is responsible for growing the oncology business; developing commercial relationships with sponsors; and building and managing an exceptional team to meet aggressive revenue and profitability targets.
Julia Oxley, MBAVP, MARKETING, CONTRACTS & PARTNERSHIP MANAGEMENT
Julia leads MERIT’s teams dedicated to marketing, contract management and partnership management activities. She collaborates with CROs and sponsors to ensure MERIT services align with clients’ needs. Julia’s teams are dedicated to delivering exceptional customer service via open communication throughout the entire partnership.
Kymberly LarsonVP, REGULATORY COMPLIANCE
Kym brings 20+ years of Quality Assurance and Regulatory Compliance experience to her role at MERIT. Her broad GxP background includes experience in process improvement, risk assessment, CAPA, and HIPAA. Kym provides regulatory leadership to cross functional teams and ensures compliance throughout the company.
In addition, Kym acts as MERIT’s Data Protection Officer (DPO) and is responsible for the development and delivery of a comprehensive information security and privacy program.
In addition, Kym acts as MERIT’s Data Protection Officer (DPO) and is responsible for the development and delivery of a comprehensive information security and privacy program.
Anne GouldingDIRECTOR, OPHTHALMOLOGY ACCOUNT MANAGEMENT
Anne collaborates with CROs, sponsors, and independent reading center personnel to optimize the study start-up process and maintain transparency and communication throughout the course of the study. Her extensive experience working on grant and industry-funded studies enables Anne to help ensure study objectives are achieved using state-of-the art processes.
Catherine Chintala, PMPDIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS, ONCOLOGY
With over 20 years of experience working in clinical operations at CROs and imaging core labs, Catherine has expertise managing oncology clinical trials from start up to close out. She works closely with Sponsors, designing and implementing processes to meet project timelines while helping to ensure study needs are clearly communicated across key stakeholders. Catherine’s background also includes Sponsor governance, managing KPIs, and standardizing processes for teams and departments to run more efficiently. Drawing upon her experience in a variety of indications and response criteria, Catherine can partner with your team to help make your clinical trial a success.
Laura R. Erker, PhDDIRECTOR, OPHTHALMOLOGY READING CENTER OPERATIONS
Dr. Erker brings over a decade of Reading Center experience to MERIT. Her primary functions include overseeing the team of ophthalmology graders/imaging analytics staff. Dr. Erker manages internal resources to ensure project reading needs are met and directs reader training and quality monitoring activities. She serves as a liaison between MERIT and Sponsors, CROs, and government and regulatory agencies. Dr. Erker leads departmental quality initiatives and ensures that project milestones are met while adhering to GCP as well as MERIT and study-specific procedures.
Xiangrun Huang, PhDDIRECTOR, CLINICAL DATA MANAGEMENT
Xiangrun oversees MERIT’s data management team. She leads departmental initiatives to improve quality processes, implement data quality control plans, and monitor department KPIs to measure work quality and operational efficiencies. She ensures that project milestones are met while adhering to GCP, MERIT, and study-specific procedures. Xiangrun has extensive expertise in examining optical properties of ocular tissues and developing optical instruments. She also has experience in mathematical/physical modeling of experimental data and investigating damage mechanisms in optic nerve neuropathic diseases.
Michael ThomasDIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS, RESPIRATORY
Michael oversees MERIT’s Respiratory Services group, which includes dedicated Respiratory Therapists and Project Managers. With experience across several therapeutic indications and study phases, and a passion for improving patient outcomes, Michael aims to deliver a best-in-class experience for clients. He brings 20 years of clinical operations and SaaS experience to MERIT.
Shawn Wilker, MDMEDICAL DIRECTOR, OPHTHALMOLOGY
Dr. Wilker is board-certified in ophthalmology and is a retinal specialist with over 15 years of clinical experience. At MERIT, he spearheads the development of evaluation procedures for ophthalmic imaging grading. Dr. Wilker’s roles include analyzing and reading images and/or data for ophthalmic clinical trials, performing reading quality control tasks, developing analysis and reading procedures for ophthalmic clinical trials, and providing training for readers.
Elaine BrownDIRECTOR, FINANCE
Elaine leads MERIT’s finance team to assure compliance with accounting, company, and legal standards. She works closely with company executives to achieve monthly goals for revenue and cost-control, providing consolidated financial reporting and guidance for decision making. Elaine coordinates with external auditors for annual financial audits and supports the Proposal Development teams by reviewing budgets and amendments for current, new, and prospective studies.
CHINA TEAM
David Huang, MD, PhD, MSGENERAL MANAGER, CHINA
Dr. Huang leads MERIT’s China team, providing measurable strategies and objectives for continuous growth and scientific advancement. He has over 25 years of experience in R&D and clinical trials within both leading pharmaceutical organizations and universities. Dr. Huang was a consultant physician and Associate Professor of Internal Medicine at Zhejiang University.
Yoki QianVICE PRESIDENT, GLOBAL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
Yoki is responsible for the strategic alliance between MERIT’s US and China operations. She coordinates the collaboration between US and China business development and operational tasks across different regions and serves as a strong advocate for Chinese pharmaceutical and biotech sponsors conducting global multi-regional clinical trials.
Percy WuDIRECTOR OF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT, CHINA
Percy leads our business development team in China, building relationships with strategic partners and advancing MERIT’s sales, marketing, and business development efforts. He has experience in global clinical data collection technology and has focused on improving clinical trial efficiencies, accelerating digital transformation, and bringing therapies to market faster.
Alex (Yang) Wang, MS, PMP, FCPDIRECTOR, PROJECT MANAGEMENT
With over 10 years of experience in clinical trials, including extensive hands-on experience in central imaging for oncology studies, Alex oversees daily operations of MERIT’s project management team in China. He’s proficient in quality and risk management and has a deep understanding of ICH-GCP and imaging endpoint guidelines. Alex leads Project Management in monitoring data review and quality control functions; providing training and support for clinical sites, reading centers, and clients using EXCELSIOR™; and ensuring study compliance for the lifecycle of a project.
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