Office of the Clinical Director
- Forbes D. Porter, MD, PhD, Clinical Director
- Meg Keil, PhD, Associate Director, Nursing and Protocol Navigation
- Maryellen Rechen, BS, RN, Special Assistant to the Clinical Director
- Donna Peterson, BS, RN, Protocol and Institutional Review Board (IRB) Coordinator
- Simona Bianconi, MD, Staff Clinician
- Jenny Blau, MD, Staff Clinician
- Andrew Demidowich, MD, Staff Clinician
- Larry Nelson, MD, Staff Clinician
- Karen Adams, CRNP, Nurse Practitioner
- Sheila Brady, CRNP, Nurse Practitioner
- Lee Ann Keener, RN, Research Nurse
- Margarita Raygada, PhD, Genetic Counselor
- Craig Abbott, PhD, Statistician
- Denise Phillips, Clinical Research Coordinator
- DuShon Hutchinson, Patient Care Coordinator
- Fathy Majadly, BS, Patient Specimen Coordinator
- Loc Trinh, Research Chemical Engineer
The NICHD intramural clinical research program currently includes 85 protocols with five main areas of focus: 1) adult, pediatric, and reproductive endocrinology; 2) human genetics; 3) normal growth and development; 4) national/international public health; and 5) women's health. The protocols are conducted by 36 NICHD principal investigators and 122 NICHD associate investigators. The NICHD clinical protocol portfolio spans the spectrum from Natural History to therapeutic trials. Eleven protocols involve an investigational drug or device. Four protocols support our teaching mission. Approximately half the protocols include pediatric patients.
The conduct of studies is guided by two entities administered by the Office of the Clinical Director: the NICHD Institutional Review Board (IRB) and the NICHD Data Safety Monitoring Committee (DSMC). The NICHD IRB is chaired by Karim Calis, PharmD, MPH and has 12 members and three alternates. This past year was notable for transition of the chair position from Dr. Gilman Grave after 28 years of service to NICHD. The composition of the NICHD IRB is diverse, both in terms of medical and ethical expertise and affiliation. The IRB has specific expertise in reproductive endocrinology, gynecology, pediatrics, endocrinology, genetics, and the ethics of human subject research. NICHD's IRB is a resource for other institutes that have protocols involving children or women's health and supports the National Children's Study. The NICHD DSMC is chaired by Frank Pucino, PharmD, and has six other members. Both committees possess expertise in issues related to clinical trials, ethics, pediatrics, genetics, and reproductive medicine.
Contact
For more information, email fdporter@helix.nih.gov or visit http://science.nichd.nih.gov/confluence/display/ocd/Home.
