ADVENTHEALTH RESEARCH INSTITUTE - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Clinical Research Coordinator
- Member of the Research Coordinator Team
Job Titles:
- Clinical Research Coordinator II Non
Job Titles:
- Postdoctoral Research Scientist
Ammar Hussain, MD, is board certified in neurology and psychiatry, with a special qualification in pediatric neurology. He specializes in helping patients with pediatric epilepsy syndromes, seizures, and other neurological disorders. His outstanding credentials include his medical degree from King Edward Medical University in Lahore, Pakistan. Dr. Hussain completed his pediatric neurology residency and advanced fellowship training in epilepsy at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, VA. He formerly served as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurology/Division of Pediatric Neurology at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine in Chapel Hill. Dr. Hussain is a member of the American Epilepsy Society and the American Academy of Neurology.
Job Titles:
- Research Admnistrative Coordinator
Job Titles:
- Board - Certified Neurologist
- Neurologist
Anita Fletcher, MD, is a board-certified neurologist with specialty training in neuroimmunology and neuroinfectious diseases. Dr. Fletcher received her medical degree from the University of Louisville School of Medicine where she also completed a Neurology residency. Following residency, Dr. Fletcher completed a Neuroimmunology and Neuroinfectious Disease fellowship at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, MD where she also served as Director of the Neuroimmunology Clinic for the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.
Dr. Fletcher is a highly experienced neurologist with a passion for serving patients with multiple sclerosis, neuroinfectious diseases, and autoimmune disorders such as Sjogren's, Sarcoidosis, and Lupus. She understands that a person with a complex diagnosis requires a dedicated team to improve outcomes and alleviate suffering.
Job Titles:
- Clinical Research Nurse Coordinator
Job Titles:
- Clinical Research Coordinator
- Member of the Research Coordinator Team
Job Titles:
- Medical Director of Neurology
Anwar Ahmed, MD, is a highly qualified neurologist and our Medical Director of Neurology whose special interests include movement disorders and tremor analysis in Parkinson's disease and related neurodegenerative disorders, as well as dystonia. He joined our team in Central Florida from the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, where he served in multiple leadership roles in the movement disorders and neurological restoration programs and the Huntington Disease Center of Excellence. A graduate of the esteemed Dow Medical College in Pakistan, he completed his neurology residency at Wayne State University's hospitals in Michigan followed by a fellowship in surgical approaches to movement disorders and motor physiology at Columbia-Presbyterian University Medical Center in New York and a clinical research fellowship in movement disorders at the Cleveland Clinic. His research and published works have focused on such topics as unusual movement disorders, treatment of tremor caused by multiple sclerosis, brain stimulation for movement disorders, and Parkinson's disease.
Job Titles:
- Research Scientist Postdoctoral Research
Job Titles:
- Member of the Research Coordinator Team
- Clinical Research Coordinator I Non
- Clinical Research Coordinator I Non - RN / Research Support Staff
Job Titles:
- Clinical Research Coordinator
Job Titles:
- Clinical Research Supervisor
Job Titles:
- Clinical Research Coordinator
Job Titles:
- Research Support Assistant
Job Titles:
- Executive Director Research Operations at AdventHealth
Dr. Christopher Davis serves as Executive Director Research Operations at AdventHealth, with responsibilities for the Oncology, Translational Research Institute for Metabolism and Diabetes, Cardiovascular, Neuroscience, Digestive Health Surgical Institute, and Pediatric Research teams. Prior to his current appointment, Dr. Davis served as Director for the Translational Research Institute for Metabolism and Diabetes, where he facilitated administrative and operational processes to support the clinical research goals of the department.
Dr. Davis earned his Ph.D. from the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in the College of Medicine at the University of Florida, Gainesville. He then undertook his postdoctoral training in the laboratory of Dr. Eric Olson at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas where his primary research focus was to better understand the molecular mechanisms of cardiovascular development and disease.
Following his postdoctoral training, Dr. Davis joined the Cardiovascular and Metabolic Disease Department at Wyeth Pharmaceuticals where he led efforts to identify and validate novel therapeutic targets for heart failure. Following his tenure at Wyeth, he joined the Hypertension Department within Merck Research Laboratories where he focused on developing, validating, and leveraging pre-clinical models of cardiovascular and cardiopulmonary disease.
Job Titles:
- Clinical Research Coordinator
Job Titles:
- Research Scientist Postdoctoral Research
Job Titles:
- Member of the Research Coordinator Team
- Clinical Research Coordinator Non
Job Titles:
- Director of Clinical Research Operations
- Director of Oncology, Neuroscience and Pediatrics Clinical Research
Delores Barnes serves as Director of Clinical Research Operations, supporting Cardiovascular, Critical Care, Neuroscience and Transplant Institutes at AdventHealth. In this role, Delores has accountabilities for the operational performance of the research teams supporting the clinical trials and research projects at AdventHealth. Prior to her current appointment, Delores served as Senior Manager - Clinical Research Operations with responsibilities for Cardiovascular, Critical Care (COVID), Neuroscience and Transplant Research teams.
Delores earned her Bachelor Science in Nursing from East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina. She further expanded her education to earn her Master of Business Administration from Webster University.
Delores was able to begin her journey at AdventHealth in 2000 and joined the research team in 2010. She has a strong clinical background in critical care, with an emphasis in cardiology through her previous roles as an RN in Cardiac Critical Care and Heart Catherization Recovery. She joined research as a RN-Clinical Research Coordinator in Cardiovascular Research and advanced to Supervisor and Manager. She leveraged her leadership skills and clinical expertise in her previous research roles, which positioned her to transition to provide leadership for multi-specialties and multi-campus clinical research operations at AdventHealth.
Deogracias R. Peña, MD, is an internationally recognized pediatric nephrologist and the founding physician of AdventHealth Medical Group's first-ever pediatric kidney specialty practice in Central Florida. He is board certified in pediatrics and pediatric nephrology, a Certified Clinical Hypertension Specialist and Medical Director of Pediatric Nephrology at Advent Health for Children in Orlando. Dr. Peña earned his medical degree at the University of the Philippines College of Medicine. He completed his post-graduate internship and pediatric residency at New York Medical College's Lincoln Medical & Mental Health Center in the Bronx, and his clinical fellowship in pediatric nephrology at the University of Florida College of Medicine in Gainesville.
Job Titles:
- Business Development Coordinator
Job Titles:
- Biostatistician
- Senior Manager
- AdventHealth Orlando in 2010 As a Biostatistician
- Senior Manager and Biostatistician / Center for Academic Research Excellence
Dr. Julie Pepe joined AdventHealth Orlando in 2010 as a Biostatistician supporting investigator-initiated studies for eighteen different research departments. In 2018, Dr. Pepe was charged with establishing the Center for Collaborative Research, to centralize and expand research support services associated with study development, analysis, and publication.
As Senior Manager of the Center for Collaborative Research, Dr. Pepe and her team engage with a wide variety of clinical researchers across the organization, to guide project development and promote high quality standards in data management and statistical analysis. The Center for Collaborative Research's disciplines include, but are not limited to, protocol design, data management, grant writing, statistical analysis, manuscript preparation, medical editing, regulatory submissions, health economics, resident research mentoring, and research education. Dr. Pepe is a voting member of the Research Oversight Committee and the statistical representative of the Cancer Protocol Review Committee.
Dr. Pepe previously served as a faculty member of the Statistics Department and Associate Director of the Institute of Statistics at the University of Central Florida. In addition to her numerous papers and publications, Dr. Pepe has been a statistical consultant for prominent organizations such as Coca Cola, Disney, Lockheed Martin, National Aerospace, Nature Conservancy, State of Florida, and the U.S. Army.
Job Titles:
- Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgeon
Dr. Kevin D. Accola, MD is a board-certified internal medicine, hematology and oncology physician. Dr. Accola earned his medical degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago and completed his internship and medical residency at Baylor College of Medicine & Emory University School of Medicine. To date, he has performed approximately 9,000 cardiac surgical procedures, of which 2,400 (currently 300+ cases per year) involved heart valve operations. As an established member of the surgical community, Dr. Accola is a member of many medical organizations, including but not limited to, the Patient Advocacy Council, the Society of Thoracic Surgeons, the Florida Medical Association, the Florida Society of Thoracic Cardiovascular Surgeons Council,and the American College of Cardiology. Dr. Accola's cardiac specialties include mitral valve repair, aortic valve procedures, and ascending aortic aneurysm. His clinical interests comprise new valvular technology, cardiac protective drugs, and critical care studies.
Job Titles:
- Director, Translational Research
- Is Director of Translational Neuroscience
Dr. Kirk Erickson is Director of Translational Neuroscience and Mardian J. Blair Endowed Chair of Neuroscience at the AdventHealth Research Institute, Neuroscience Institute. Dr. Erickson received his Ph.D. at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and was a post-doctoral scholar at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Engineering. He was also a Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at the Univeristy of Pittsburgh before starting at AdventHealth. Dr. Erickson's vast research program focuses on the effects of physical activity on brain health across the lifespan. This research has resulted in > 250 published articles and 15 book chapters.
Dr. Erickson's research has been funded by numerous awards and grants from NIH, the Alzheimer's Association, and other organizations. He has been awarded a large multi-site Phase III clinical trial examining the impact of exercise on cognitive function in cognitively normal older adults. His research resulted in the prestigious Chancellor's Distinguished Research Award from the University of Pittsburgh. He was named a Fellow of the Academy of Behavioral Medicine Research in 2016, and a Distinguished Scientist Award by Murdoch University in 2018. He currently holds a Visiting Professor appointment at the University of Granada, Spain.
Dr. Erickson was a member of the 2018 Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee, and chair of the Brain Health subcommittee charged with developing the second edition of the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. His research has been featured in a long list of print, radio, and electronic media including the New York Times, CNN, BBC News, NPR, Time, and the Wall Street Journal.
Dr. Leslie Pineda is a board-certified neonatologist whose current research focus is on improving neurological outcomes in the neonatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) population. She joined AdventHealth for Children in 2016 and has been an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at UCF College of Medicine since 2017. Dr. Pineda received her MD from Dartmouth Medical School. She did both her residency and fellowship at Duke, where she was very involved in research and quality improvement projects which resulted in first-author publications and national presentations. Her work addressed the neonatal gastrointestinal microbiome and necrotizing enterocolitis and the benefits of palliative care consults and educational gaps on palliative care in residency training. Concurrent with her neonatology fellowship at Duke, she earned a master's degree in Public Health at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she received training in research, epidemiology, leadership, management, and policy. At Duke, she was a certified examiner involved in identifying and enrolling infants in hypothermia trials and cord blood trials. Dr. Pineda has been actively involved in identifying and enrolling infants in multicenter clinical trials for adjunctive therapies to hypothermia for HIE. She has taken the lead to change AdventHealth for Children's current practice to initiate enteral feedings during hypothermia for HIE.
Job Titles:
- Surgical Director of the Neuroscience Institute, Neurology Physician
Dr. Melvin Field, MD, is a board-certified neurology physician in Orlando. As Surgical Director of the Florida Hospital Neuroscience Institute, Dr. Field believes that to be a top physician you must possess a genuine desire to improve yourself every day. By pioneering innovative neuroscience procedures, researching new technology and therapies, instructing international forums for advanced minimally invasive techniques, and leading our Neuroscience Institute to adopt new advancements in technology, it's obvious why Dr. Field is internationally considered a top physician.In both treating patients and conducting research, Dr. Field looks to innovative technology and the expert team of passionate surgeons, pathologists and nurses working alongside him to provide each patient the highest level of care. He specializes in minimally invasive cranial and spinal neurosurgery, Gamma Knife Stereotactic radiosurgery, complex spinal surgery and surgical management of neurovascular compression syndromes. Through ongoing research, Dr. Field seeks better treatments for elite athletes through improved management of sports-related concussion, and faster, safer recovery from spinal surgery. He also seeks a better understanding of the biomechanics of golf-related spinal disorders.While these cutting-edge technologies, techniques and advancements are impressive; Dr. Field is the first to say that understanding patients' needs and fears can improve surgery success and recovery. He spends as much time as possible getting to know his patients, answering questions and quelling fears. Each patient is different, and each deserves the best care for his or her needs. Combining his advanced skill set and caring leadership, Florida Hospital Neuroscience Institute remains a pacesetter in neuroscience health care, providing the most advanced treatments and compassionate care available.
Job Titles:
- Chief Scientific Officer, Senior Vice President of AdventHealth
- Senior Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer of AdventHealth Guiding the Research Vision for AdventHealth
Dr. Steven R. Smith is the Senior Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer of AdventHealth guiding the research vision for AdventHealth across the system. AdventHealth is a multi-state hospital system with 50 hospital campuses, more than 1,200 care sites and over 80,000 team members. Dr. Smith's oversight includes all research operations, services and oversight for the nine states in which we serve.
Dr. Smith earned his medical degree from the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, Texas in 1988. Smith completed his residency in internal medicine at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, Texas and subsequently completed a two-year fellowship in clinical endocrinology and metabolism at the Ochsner Clinic and Hospital in New Orleans, Louisiana. He was a faculty member at Pennington Biomedical Research Center for 15 years prior to joining AdventHeaIth.
Eduardo M. Castillo, PhD, is a neuropsychologist and former tenured professor at UT-Houston, Medical School. After earning his doctorate degree in Neurosciences (University of Madrid, Spain) he moved to UT-Houston to complete his post-doctoral training and then serve as Instructor, Assistant Professor, and then tenured Associate Professor (2008). In 2012 he joined FHFC as Director of the first MEG Lab installed in the State of Florida. Dr. Castillo specializes in functional neuroimaging and has published more than 80 peer-reviewed articles and 12 chapter books. His research has been funded by the NSF, the NIH and the DoD. Dr. Castillo is reviewer for the NIH, the ANEP; and for multiple per-review journals in areas of cognitive and clinical neurosciences. Dr Castillo is also the USA Editor of the Journal of Pediatric Epilepsy and a frequently invited speaker at International conferences.
Job Titles:
- Clinical Research Coordinator
- Member of the Research Coordinator Team
Job Titles:
- Research Services Admin Specialist
Dr. Hellinger is a board-certified radiologist and the Chief of Interventional Radiology at the Florida Hospital Neuroscience Institute. He has performed more than 500 interventional neuroradiology procedures to date and his innovative talents in interventional neuroradiology set his practice apart from others in the state of Florida.
Dr. Hellinger received his Medical Degree at the University of Miami and completed his residency in radiology at Massachusetts General Hospital. Prior to becoming director of interventional neuroradiology at Massachusetts General he served as an instructor and clinical fellow in diagnostic and interventional neuroradiology at Harvard Medical School.
Dr. Hellinger's research is frequently published and this pioneering research has led to various clinical trials and frequent presentations at professional conferences. He is a senior member of the American Society of Neuroradiology and a member of the American Society of Interventional and Therapeutic Neuroradiology.
Job Titles:
- Research Budget Specialist
Job Titles:
- Clinical Research Coordinator Non
Job Titles:
- Research Budget Specialist
Job Titles:
- Research Neuro Data Engineer
Job Titles:
- Co - Medical Director of the Neuroscience Institute, Neurologist
Holly Skinner, DO, is a board-certified neurologist with additional board certification and training in epileptology and sleep medicine. She specializes in helping adults with seizures or epilepsy, and patients of all ages with sleep disorders including obstructive sleep apnea, narcolepsy, restless leg syndrome, REM behavior disorder, insomnia and others. She obtained her medical degree from Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, then completed internship and residency training at the Medical University of South Carolina - where she was named Chief Neurology Resident. After, she completed fellowship training in clinical neurophysiology with emphasis in epilepsy and sleep medicine at the University of Florida, where she also obtained a master's degree in clinical and translational science. Currently, her efforts are dedicated to the care of adult patients with AdventHealth Medical Group's elite epilepsy practice as well as sleep-disorder patients of all ages at the AdventHealth Sleep Disorders Center, where she is Co-Medical Director.
Job Titles:
- Child Clinical Health Psychologist
Dr. Abraham-Pratt is a licensed psychologist specializing in the psychological aspects of weight management problems in children. Her goal is to help improve kids' self-esteem and overall mental health while putting them on track for healthy lifestyle choices through adulthood. Dr. Pratt earned her doctorate degree in counseling psychology from the University of Miami in Coral Gables. She completed her internship in clinical child psychology at the University of Miami's Miller School of Medicine / Mailman Center for Child Development and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in clinical child and pediatric psychology at the same location. Awards & Recognition Orlando Magazine, 2016 & 2017 Premier Doctor Awards Differentiators Dr. Pratt is board certified as a health psychologist by the American Board of Professional Psychology and specializes in pediatric psychology. She has certified training by the American Diabetes Association's Mental Health Provider Diabetes Education Program and is part of the Children's Hospital Association and American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Healthy Weight Expert Exchange. She has been part of several AdventHealth CREATION Health initiatives thus far.
Job Titles:
- Medical Director, Vascular Neurology Specialist
Dr. Acosta is bilingual, being fluent in both English and Spanish and is passionate about serving a broad patient group across Central Florida. She completed her residency in neurology at the University of South Florida College of Medicine and was the recipient of the Outstanding Dedication & Commitment in Stroke award. She is currently pursuing her fellowship in Stroke at the University of Texas, Health Science Center at Houston. She is a member of the American Heart Association, the American College of Physicians, the American Academy of Neurology and the American Medical Association. She and the physicians at Tri-Country Neurology provide comprehensive neurological care at Florida Hospital Apopka, Altamonte, Orlando, East Orlando and Winter Park.
Job Titles:
- Consulting Director, Neuro Clinical Trials
Ira Goodman, MD, is a Board-Certified adult Neurologist with a special interest in neurodegenerative diseases. He received his MD degree from the Medical College of Pennsylvania and completed his Neurology Residency at the University of Florida in 1983. He has practiced Neurology in the Central Florida area for over 35 years and in addition to Private Practice Neurology has been very active in Medical Education. He was a Director of Medical Education at Orlando Health for many years and has faculty appointments in the Departments of Medicine and Neurology at the University of Florida, Florida State University and the University of Central Florida. In addition, Dr. Goodman has participated in the AdventHealth Geriatric Fellowship Program.
Dr. Goodman developed and was Director of the State funded Memory Disorder Center of Central Florida at Orlando Health until 2011. He has been and is currently extensively involved in Clinical Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases, being Principal Investigator (PI) and conducting dozens and dozens of Clinical Research Trials over the years. He has authored multiple publications and has presented to multiple audiences, including the FDA. He has also worked with numerous Pharmaceutical Companies in the development and writing of Clinical Trial Protocols and has and currently sits on numerous Pharmaceutical Company Advisory Boards. Most recently, Dr. Goodman has accepted the position of CMO for SiteRx, a Clinical Trial Recruitment platform that facilitates patient access to Clinical Research. Dr. Goodman has been recognized by Orlando Magazine for over 20 consecutive years in their annual "Top Doctors" issue and has appeared in numerous media outlets.
Job Titles:
- Medical Director of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Pediatric Neurosurgeon
James Baumgartner, MD, is a board-certified pediatric neurosurgeon with more than two decades of experience providing minimally invasive surgical procedures to help children who experience seizures associated with epilepsy or other neurosurgical disorders. He consults with patients and their parents at AdventHealth Medical Group's neurosurgery practice next to AdventHealth Orlando and is the Surgical Director of AdventHealth for Children's Comprehensive Pediatric Epilepsy Center. Dr. Baumgartner is an eminently qualified physician whose outstanding credentials include his post-graduate degree in pharmacology from Cambridge University in England, his medical degree from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and his neurosurgical residency and pediatric neurosurgery fellowship training at the University of California - San Francisco.
Job Titles:
- Research Engagement Program Specialist
Job Titles:
- Co - Medical Director ( Head & Neck ), Otolaryngologist
Job Titles:
- Manager Clinical Research Operations
Job Titles:
- Clinical Research Coordinator
Job Titles:
- CF - Research Operations Program Manager
Job Titles:
- Clinical Research Data Operations Manager
Job Titles:
- Business Development Manager, Research Partnerships II
Julien Nogues leads the internal business development team for the AdventHealth Research Institute. As the Business Development Manager, Julien navigates sponsor and investigator-initiated research projects seeking sponsor funding from the concept stage by partnering with emerging drug development and biopharma companies.
Prior to accepting this position, Julien managed the pursuit of AdventHealth's National Cancer Institute (NCI) designation, the launch of the Moffitt-AdventHealth clinical research unit (CRU) in Celebration, and the continued success of the MCC-AH Joint Research Operational Committee (JROC). Julien has more than 10 years' experience in clinical research, data management, data analytics and forecasting, and patient care.
Julien earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Florida and is pursuing his MBA at Louisiana State University, Shreveport campus. He holds professional certifications as an Agile Certified Scrum Master, Smartsheet Certified Product Certification & Project Management Solutions, and PROSCI Change Management Practitioner. Julien is bilingual and actively serves on multiple community leadership boards.
Job Titles:
- Clinical Research Coordinator
Job Titles:
- Research Compliance Analyst - Study Conduct
Job Titles:
- Research Budget Specialist
Job Titles:
- Research Support Assistant
Job Titles:
- Pediatric Neurologist, Epileptologist
Ki Hyeong Lee, MD, MS, is a board-certified neurologist and epileptologist with AdventHealth Medical Group and the Medical Director of AdventHealth for Children's pediatric epilepsy center in Orlando. A leading provider of diagnostic and surgical techniques for addressing epilepsy and seizures, Dr. Lee completed three prestigious fellowships in clinical neurophysiology, epilepsy research and stroke at the Medical College of Georgia, Mayo Clinic Foundation in Minneapolis and Seoul National University Hospital in Korea, respectively. A noted researcher who regularly presents his work in published articles and international medical forums, he constantly seeks to advance the state of epilepsy patient care through medical breakthroughs and new technologies.
Job Titles:
- Research Regulatory Specialist
Job Titles:
- Clinical Research Coordinator II
Job Titles:
- Research Support Assistance
Job Titles:
- Exercise Physiology Manager
Job Titles:
- Supervisor Research Billing Tier I Review
Job Titles:
- CF - Program Manager - IDO
Job Titles:
- Clinical Research Coordinator II
"Majed Dasouki, MD, is a board-certified clinical and biochemical geneticist and cytogeneticist. Before becoming the Medical Director of Genomics and Personalized Health at AdventHealth for Children in 2020, he served as Director of Newborn Screening and led the biochemical genetics lab at the esteemed King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Center in Saudi Arabia. He has also served on the faculty and in various leadership roles at the University of Kansas, University of Missouri, Vanderbilt University, and elsewhere. His research interests include biochemical genetics and clinical cytogenetics, newborn screening and tandem mass spectrometry, novel therapies and clinical trials to address metabolic genetic disorders, gene mapping of single-gene disorders, and more. He has authored or co-authored 118 publications reflecting his diverse research findings in his field, most recently "Proteomics profiling to distinguish DOCK8 deficiency from atopic dermatitis"(Front. Allergy) and "Profiling of Cystic Renal Disease towards Biomarker Discovery" (Biology).
Dr. Dasouki's medical training has included elite fellowships in pediatric genetics at the University of Michigan and in biochemical genetics at the University of Missouri. Specialties: Congenital malformations (dysmorphology) and chromosomal disorders Familial genetic disorders Genodermatosis, cardiogenetics and neurogenetics Growth and developmental delays/intellectual disabilities Metabolic disorders (inborn error of metabolism) Oncogenetics (inherited cancer syndromes) Prenatal genetic abnormalities and preconception genetic counseling Undiagnosed genetic diseases."
Manuel Perez-Izquierdo, MD, is a board-certified vascular surgeon who specializes in endovascular surgery, arterial and venous diseases and non-operative and minimally invasive procedures. He is an Assistant Chief of Staff at AdventHealth in Orlando and has more than a decade of experience providing customized surgical treatments with outstanding patient outcomes. Dr. Izquierdo is a graduate of the Universidad Central de Caribe School of Medicine in Puerto Rico and carried out his residency training at both Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami and Orlando Regional Medical Center. He received his advanced fellowship training in vascular surgery and research at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center in New Jersey.
Job Titles:
- Research Regulatory Specialist Supervisor
Job Titles:
- Research Compliance Analyst - Study Conduct
Job Titles:
- Medical Director and Neurologist
Mitesh Lotia, M.D. is a fellowship trained Movement Disorder Neurologist with an impressive educational and training background. After completing a two-year Movement Disorders Fellowship at Baylor College of Medicine under the guidance of Dr. Joseph Jankovic, where he also served as a chief fellow, Dr. Lotia joined the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) as an Assistant Professor. At UAMS, Dr. Lotia served as the neurology residency Program Director and worked in multiple leadership roles.
He is widely published and an accomplished speaker. Dr. Lotia joins AdventhHealth Neuroscience Institute as a Medical Director for Movement Disorders, helping patients with Parkinson's disease, Dystonia, Tourette syndrome and other movement disorders.
Dr. Lotia is a recipient of A.B.Baker Teacher Recognition Award, founding member of Functional Neurological Disorder Society (FNDS), and an active member of American Academy of Neurology (AAN) and Movement Disorders Society (MDS).
Job Titles:
- CF - Program Manager Systems & Data
Job Titles:
- Research Regulatory Support Supervisor
Nivedita Jerath, MD, MS, is a board-certified neurologist with outstanding credentials and a special interest in helping patients with hereditary motor and sensory neuropathies. Growing up in Augusta, Georgia, she was a nationally ranked tennis player who decided to follow in her mother's footsteps and become a neurologist. A proud graduate of Harvard University where she was an award-winning student and athlete, she earned her medical degree at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and returned to Harvard for her neurology residency. She next followed her husband to Iowa City, where she completed consecutive fellowships in neurophysiology and neuromuscular diseases and earned a master's degree in translational biomedicine at the University of Iowa. Before moving to Central Florida to serve as a neuromuscular division director, Dr. Jerath served as Director of the Charcot Marie Tooth Association Center of Excellence and as a clinical assistant professor at the University of Florida.
Job Titles:
- Clinical Trial Application Specialist
Job Titles:
- Research Operations Manager
Job Titles:
- Senior Sponsored Programs Analyst
Job Titles:
- Medical Director, Neurosurgeon
Ravi H. Gandhi, MD, is an accomplished neurosurgeon, who is fellowship-trained in cerebrovascular skull-based neurosurgery and endovascular neurosurgery. He specializes in the detection and treatment of complex brain and spinal tumors, blood vessel disease of the head and neck and emergency treatment of neurological trauma and stroke. Dr. Gandhi has been published in a variety of peer-reviewed articles and book chapters and regularly speaks at medical forums and community outreach events.
Job Titles:
- Vice President, Research Operations
Rob Herzog serves as AdventHealth's Vice President of Research Operations and the Nicholson Center, providing administrative oversight of all research activities as well as clinical and surgical training and education, in support of the Chief Scientific Officer. AdventHealth Research Institute is the largest footprint for clinical research throughout the 49-hospital, 80,000 employee national AdventHealth system. His scope includes the clinical research operations for fourteen different research departments across Central Florida, including Cancer Research, Cardiovascular Research, Neuroscience Research and the Translational Research Institute for Metabolism and Diabetes, with a total portfolio of more than 500+ active clinical studies at any given time. During his tenure, Rob has established new infrastructure to facilitate high-impact clinical research including launching the Office of Sponsored Programs, the Office of Research Integrity and the Center for Collaborative Research, a core service designed to leverage the scale of the AdventHealth System-wide ‘data lake' with the goal to use rapid learning to advance discovery and improve the health of our communities. The Nicholson Center is a 54,000 sq/ft advanced medical learning facility equipped with multi-specialty, state-of-the-art equipment to provide comprehensive clinical and surgical training. This high-tech learning and simulation center has grown extensively to support a collaborative teaching environment that brings together global professionals to foster ongoing learning and medical innovation.
Rob began his career with AdventHealth in 2004, advancing to the role of Administrative Director for the Neuroscience Institute before moving into his current position in the Research Institute. He has served as an instructor for AdventHealth's leadership development training, launched multi-agency pilot programs to improve the health of the Central Florida community and supported grass-roots innovation through the Community Health Impact Council (CHIC). Rob is a board member and current Vice Chair of BioFlorida.
Prior to joining AdventHealth, Rob spent four years as the Director of Operations for Coventry Healthcare, Inc. He earned his Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Virginia, attending James Madison University and the University of Virginia, respectively.
Rob enjoys forging relationships with AdventHealth's 225+ clinical investigators, striving to link their innovative spirit with industry and academic partners to achieve the shared goal of transforming healthcare for the sake of each patient that we serve.
Job Titles:
- Research Support Assistant
Job Titles:
- Board - Certified Neurologist
- Neurologist
Ryan Mizell, MD, is a board-certified neurologist whose primary focus is on treating complex patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and neuroimmunology issues. After earning bachelor's degrees in exercise and sport science and biomedical sciences at the University of Florida (UF) and University of South Florida, respectively, he completed a master's degree in biobehavioral science with specialization in biomechanics at UF and earned his medical degree at the University of Central Florida. He thereafter carried out his internship and residency in adult neurology at the University of Louisville, followed by a fellowship in multiple sclerosis/neuroimmunology at the MS Center of Excellence at the Baltimore VA and University of Maryland Medical Center. His research has involved investigating the associations between the thinning of retinal layers, cortical lesions, and leptomeningeal enhancement in people with MS using 7 Tesla MRI.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Research Coordinator Team
- Clinical Research Coordinator II - Non
Scott J Pollack, MD., F.A.C.C, is an eminently qualified cardiologist who is board certified in clinical electrophysiology, internal medicine, cardiovascular disease and interventional cardiology. He received his undergraduate and Medical degree at Indiana University of Medicine and continued his training with a fellowship at American College of Cardiology. He then joined the Central Florida Cardiology Group, where he has been a member since 1987.
Job Titles:
- Research Regulatory Specialist
Job Titles:
- Research Support Assistant / Operations
Job Titles:
- Clinical Research Monitor
Job Titles:
- Clinical Research Monitor - Oncology
Job Titles:
- Research Admin Coordinator
Job Titles:
- Member of the Research Coordinator Team
Valeria C. Baldivieso Hurtado, MD, is a board-certified physician. After receiving her medical degree from the Autonomous University of Guadalajara, she completed an internship at Santa Maria Chapalita Hospital in Guadalajara, Mexico. Dr. Baldivieso also completed a Family Medicine Residency at Mayaguez Medical Center in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico and a Geriatric Medicine Fellowship at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, Florida. A skilled and experienced researcher and practitioner, Dr. Baldivieso is fluent in English and Spanish, and focuses on senior memory care and well-being.
Job Titles:
- Medical Director of Global Robotics
Dr. Patel is a board-certified urologist who has performed more robotic surgeries than any other surgeon worldwide, including more than 17,000 robotic prostatectomies to date. As Medical Director of the Global Robotics Institute at AdventHealth and Director of Urologic Oncology at AdventHealth Cancer Institute, he specializes in minimally invasive, robotic-assisted procedures to address cancers of the bladder, kidneys and prostate and reconstruct elements of the urinary system. A recognized authority in his field, Dr. Patel devotes considerable energy to helping train fellow surgeons around the world in the use of the latest robotic surgical techniques and tools in order to improve patient care and outcomes. He teaches advanced courses in robotic surgery for the American Urologic Association and is an active Professor of Urology at the University of Central. He also retains honorary professorships at several prestigious international universities and medical societies, including the University of Milan, the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Asian School of Urology, Ricardo Palma University College of Medicine in Peru, Korea University Hospital and the University of the State of Rio de Janeiro, and he has provided robotic surgery instruction or helped create new robotic surgery programs at numerous medical teaching facilities worldwide. Dr. Patel has co-authored or contributed to more than a dozen medical textbooks on topics including robotic surgery, minimally invasive urologic procedures, prostate cancer, robotic prostatectomy, emerging surgical technology, robotics in genitourinary surgery and others, and his work has appeared in more than 100 peer-reviewed medical journals. Prior to joining AdventHealth, Dr. Patel served as Director of the Center for Robotic and Computer-Assisted Surgery and as an Associate Professor of Urology and Bioinformatics at The Ohio State University Medical Center in Columbus, Ohio. Dr. Patel has been designated as one of America's Top Doctors® and as one of America's Top Urologists by Castle Connolly Medical and U.S. News & World Report, establishing him as among the top 1 percent of doctors nationwide. He is also a founder and director of the International Prostate Cancer Foundation and a founding editor and editor emeritus of the Journal of Robotic Surgery. Dr. Patel earned his medical degree from Baylor College of Medicine in Texas and completed a urology residency and subsequent urology fellowship at the University of Miami School of Medicine in Florida. He is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons.
Job Titles:
- Research Regulatory Supervisor
Job Titles:
- Clinical Research Coordinator Non