Office of the Clinical Director, NICHD
- Catherine M. Gordon,
MD, MS, Clinical Director - Laverne Mensah, MD, Deputy Clinical Director
- Karim A. Calis, PharmD, MPH, Director of Clinical Research and Compliance
- Mahlet Asrat, MHM, Chief of Staff
- Lealem Asrat, MHM, Patient Care Coordinator
- Monique Bertschy, MBA, Patient Care Coordinator
- Denise Phillips, Program Specialist
- Glynnis Vance, Research Protocol Coordinator
- Veronica Gomez-Lobo, MD, Senior Staff Clinician
- Mary Fairbanks, MD, Staff Clinician
- Denna Zeltser, MD, Staff Clinician
- An Dang Do, MD, PhD, Clinical Tenure-Track Investigator
- Carlos Ferreira, MD, PhD, Clinical Tenure-Track Investigator
- Sarah Sheppard, MD, PhD, Clinical Tenure-Track Investigator
- Lisa Halvorson, MD, Reproductive Endocrinology & Infertility
- Micah Hill, DO, Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility
- Roberto Romero, MD, Maternal Fetal Medicine
- Ibukun Agbede, CRNP, Nurse Practitioner
- Andrea Bowling, FNP, CRNP, MSN, CLT, Nurse Practitioner
- Sheila Brady, CRNP, MSN, Nurse Practitioner
- Alberta Derkyi, FNP, CRNP, MSN, Nurse Practitioner
- Desiree Labor, MSN, CRNP, Nurse Practitioner
- Harinder Raipuria, DNP, FNP, Nurse Practitioner
- Deborah Stein, MSN, CRNP, Nurse Practitioner
- Erika Goldsberry, BSN, RN, C-RNCOB, C-EFM, Research Nurse Specialist
- Tiffany Hauser, MBA, BSN, RN-CCRP, Research Nurse Specialist
- Kisha Jenkins, BSN, RN, Clinical Nurse
- Sara Talvacchio, BSN, RN, Clinical Nurse
- Ka Wing Joyce Lam, RN, Research Nurse
- Craig Abbott, PhD, Statistician
- Derek Alexander, BS, MPH, Clinical Program Manager
- Harveen Kaur, MPH, Clinical Research Coordinator
- Umber Shafique, MD, Protocol Monitoring Specialist
- Fathy Majadly, BS, Patient Specimen Coordinator
- Parna Chattaraj, MS, Lab Manager
The NICHD Office of the Clinical Director is responsible for research oversight, scientific review, and administration of the clinical research program within the Division of Intramural Research (DIR). Clinical research activities are coordinated with the Scientific Director and address diseases focusing on pediatrics and women’s health.
NICHD Office of the Clinical Director: Professional, Administrative, and Biorepository Staff
Top: Laverne Mensah, Karim Calis, Alberta Derkyi
Center: Umber Shafique, Catherine Gordon, Deena Zeltser
Bottom: Denise Phillips, Mahlet Asrat, Glynnis Vance, Fathy Majadly
NICHD Office of the Clinical Director: Professional, Administrative, and Biorepository Staff
Top: Laverne Mensah, Karim Calis, Alberta Derkyi
Center: Umber Shafique, Catherine Gordon, Deena Zeltser
Bottom: Denise Phillips, Mahlet Asrat, Glynnis Vance, Fathy Majadly
The Institute's current clinical research portfolio includes clinical trials, natural history studies of rare diseases, and drug and device development. The clinical research program currently includes 66 protocols, conducted by 24 NICHD Principal Investigators and 104 associate investigators. Approximately half of the protocols include pediatric patients, with the majority focusing on rare diseases. Thirty-three (32%) of the protocols involve investigational drugs or devices. Current research areas include developmental disorders, healthy human development, bone and mineral metabolism, developmental endocrinology, neurosciences, genetics, translational imaging, pediatric and reproductive endocrinology, lymphatic anomalies, infertility, fertility preservation, and population health. These clinical research activities are governed under the NIH Intramural Research Program (IRP), with patient participation coordinated through the NIH Clinical Center. Delivery of quality and safe patient care in the Clinical Center is vital in the context of NICHD’s clinical research programs and services.
Partnerships and collaboration efforts, both between and within NIH institutes, and externally through research agreements with leading academic institutions nationally, and partnerships with industry, through technology transfer or cooperative research and development agreements, foster advancement of science and cutting-edge scientific research. Emphasis is placed on nurturing a clinical research environment that encourages creativity and on expanding the fundamental scientific knowledge of summer interns, postbaccalaureate research trainees, as well as postdoctoral and clinical fellows in various basic science and clinical disciplines. The aim of the various components of the Office of the Clinical Director are to achieve the mission of NICHD: “NICHD leads research and training to understand human development, improve reproductive health, enhance the lives of children and adolescents, and optimize abilities for all.”
Contact
For more information, email catherine.gordon@nih.gov or visit https://www.nichd.nih.gov/research/atNICHD/Investigators/gordon.