The who of UNC Radiology’s Clinical Research Division explains why our Department’s clinical investigations bypassed the worst of pandemic-driven investigative setbacks and returned to pre-pandemic levels of productivity by late 2020 — our team.
When the University suspended all non-critical, in-person studies for three months, our team swiftly shifted all major areas of coverage offsite. From facilitating study start-ups and follow-up virtually, to equipping at-home workspaces for core image de-identification/transmittal, we never stood a chance of falling behind.
Mid-2021, our team has reached a point of new and upward personnel growth. Clinical Research Assistant Kacee Little, MS, joined us in early 2021, bringing to our team a life sciences educational background with concentrations in kinesiology and biotechnology. We additionally welcomed Research Nurse Fallon Jones-Jefferson, RN, MS to our team. Fallon has over 17 years of clinical experience in Women’s Health, Public Health, and Army Medicine and is working toward finishing her PhD in Nursing Research from the University of Texas at Austin. We also were able to hire our former Clinical Research Intern, Adriana Delgado, to our team full-time as a Clinical Research Assistant in summer 2021. Adriana joins us after training in the clinical research associate program at Durham Technical Community College. As a native Spanish speaker, Adriana adds a needed skill to the team, and we are excited to have the ability going forward to enroll Spanish-speaking participants in our studies.
Hardworking, effective members in any workplace are ready for greater responsibility. In June 2021, our team’s three-year Lead Clinical Research Assistant (RA) — Markeela Lipscomb, CCRC — was promoted to Clinical Research Coordinator. In July, Hannah Mignosa-Martin replaced Markeela as our next Lead Clinical Research Assistant. At a timely point an experienced senior member is promoted to a higher-level role, a junior member has opportunity for upward internal growth and is qualified to fill the vacated position. Markeela and Hannah have handled the demands of their prior roles with excellence. We’re thrilled both are taking on roles with higher levels of oversight to keep our sponsor-investigator-initiated and FDA-regulated trials accountable to the mission of the Clinical Research Division.
Markeela noted: “I am very excited about my new coordinator position on the team. Since my start with the Clinical Research Division, I have experienced many professional development opportunities and career growth within the team. I believe I will continue to receive great support from Terry and am looking forward to what the future holds for me here in Radiology.”
The Clinical Research Division welcomes promising new hires and celebrates well-earned promotions. We equally share in well-wishing those who depart UNC Radiology to begin new career chapters. This fall, UNC Radiology will say goodbye to a seven-year faculty member, Dr. Ari Isaacson, whose strength in teaching, patient care, and clinical research has established him within the institution, his subspecialty, and academic radiology overall. As our Director of Clinical Research, Dr. Isaacson has introduced first-of-kind IR procedural trials and fostered industry-funded investigative partnerships that have placed him alongside early-career investigative interventional radiologists.
Associate Director, Clinical Research Terry Hartman, MPH, MS, CCRC, “We are all sad to see Ari go. I have worked with Ari since I began as a research assistant in the department several years ago. Under his leadership, Ari created an environment that allowed our team to thrive and to develop and our success has rippled through the department.”
PHOTOS (L to R): Markeela Lipscomb, CCRC – Clinical Research Coordinator / Hannah Mignosa-Martin – Lead Clinical Research Assistant