The Duke Clinical Research Institute celebrated its staff and faculty who shine the way forward on Tuesday, June 13, announcing the winners of the inaugural DCRI Excellence Awards at the organization’s quarterly Town Hall virtual event and honoring winners and nominees at a reception in downtown Durham.
The awards’ theme was “Guiding Light — Shining the Light on Those at DCRI Who Are Leading the Way.” Award recipients were chosen by a selection committee for exhibiting extraordinary professional performance and service beyond the scope of their individual responsibilities and embodying the DCRI’s values of integrity, excellence, respect, diversity, equity, inclusion, innovation, and teamwork.
The inaugural DCRI Excellence Awards received 150 nominations of outstanding staff, faculty and teams from 25 different functional groups for the seven award categories. A selection committee comprised of DCRI leadership from six different functional groups chose this year’s winners.
“I’m delighted to celebrate the efforts and achievements of our Excellence Award winners, selected from a field of remarkable nominees,” DCRI Executive Director Adrian Hernandez, MD, MHS, said. “Our faculty and staff are the lifeblood of the DCRI, and our award winners’ leadership and commitment to the DCRI’s values shines the way forward toward an even brighter future for our organization. I’m grateful to everyone who submitted nominations, and to our selection committee who had the unenviable task of selecting winners from the impressive list of nominees.”
2023 DCRI Excellence Awards Winners
Rising Star Award
Uchechukwu “Uche” Ikeaba
Biostatistician II
DCRI Statistics
DCRI Innovator Award
RADx-UP Program Reporting Team
Yousuf Mohammed – Sr. Analyst, IT
Mohsen Ghiasi Ghorveh, Ph.D. – Sr. Analyst, IT
Sri Thotakura – Sr. Analyst, IT
Hetalkumar Patel – Sr. Analyst, IT
Prajwal Reddy Choudary — Data Engineer
Emily Kerstiens – Bioinformatician
Adam Post – Bioinformatician
Rakel Cook – Sr. Analyst, IT
Austin Batse – Sr. Analyst, IT
Jennifer Clarke – Sr. Analyst, IT
Jayalalitha Krishnamurthy – Senior Manager, IT
Bhargav Srinivas Adagarla – Sr. Bioinformatician
Chris Vetrano – Bioinformatician, Senior
Vineela Sunkepalli – Clinical Trials Project Leader I, DCRI Government
Konica Fleming – Project Leader
Bryan Feger, Ph.D. – Sr. Medical Writer
Ester Kim Nilles – Biostatistician
Steven Kemp - Biostatistician
Amanda Stebbins – Sr. Biostatistician
Daniel V. Lewis – Consultant – Business IT
Laura Johnson – Program Manager
Stand Out Performer Award
Allison Hayes DeLong
Clinical Trials Project Leader
Team Excellence Award
NIH Pragmatic Trials Collaboratory Operations Team
Alex Fist
Jill George
Darcy Louzao
Elizabeth McCamic
MariJo Mencini
Tammy Reece
Damon Seils
Karen Staman
Lauren Stewart
Gina Uhlenbrauck
Hannah Webster
Executive Director Award for Diversity and Humanism in Clinical Research
Antonio Jones, MPA
Financial Management Analyst
Excellence in Leadership Award
Hirra Fissler
Clinical Trials Project Leader
DCRI Government Operations
Rob Califf Excellence in Service Award
Lauren Cohen, MA, PMP
Assistant Director
Pragmatic Health Systems Research
2023 DCRI Excellence Awards Nominees
Excellence in Leadership Nominees
Rachel Olson
Anthony Cunnigham
Sharon Califf
DaJuanicia Holmes
Lauren Cohen
Sally Okun
Pam Monds
Kristen Norlin
Anne Dennos
Steven McNulty
Alma Chavez
Lynn Perkins
Marsha Marquess
Belinda Percival
Keri Baum
Emily O'Brien
Tina Harding
Matthew Wilson
Ricky Cooper
Anton Zuiker
Amanda Harrington
Micah Roberts
Ann Schutte
Jennifer Curry
Hirra Fissler
Renee Pridgen
Lauren Cohen
Valarie Morrow
Mohsen Ghiasi Ghorveh
Stephanie Harris
Hirra Zahir Fissler
Tammy Day
Derek Cyr
Nicole Solomon
Hira Zahir Fissler
Jack Shostak
Innovator Award Nominees
Pamela Monds
Brian Goings
Monica Leyva
Jenny Jackman
Matthew Bailey
Ricky Cooper
PRO Center
Kelly Jarrett
Nicole Kandray
Jennifer Hervey
Mohsen Ghiasi Ghorveh
RADx-UP program reporting team
Tammy Day
Rising Star Award Nominees
Jennifer Hervey
Ashley O'Steen
Erin Chang
Susana Almeida
LaShaunta Glover
Uchechukwu Ikeaba
Alina Samson
Ricky Cooper
Kimberly T Ward
Amy Brightwood
Alex Fist
Mohsen Ghiasi Ghorveh
Amy Brightwood
Danielle Thompson
Alexis McCloskey
Mia Cooper
Tammy Day
Marissa Bruce
Mariama Ibrahim
Uchechukwu Ikeaba
Melissa James
Mala Vora
Emily Kerstiens
Stand Out Performer Nominees
Allison DeLong
Laura Webb
Teresa Crumpler
Kerry Stenke
Katie Burnet
Nicole C. Solomon
Mohsen Ghiasi Ghorveh
Damon Williams
Lisa Monk
Megan Culley
Karen Hagerty
Lauren Arney
Anja Gottlich-Dumas
Gerald Bloomfield
Brenda Pattison
Ricky Cooper
Rosalia Blanco
Erin Latore
Juan Collazo
Meaghan Beauchaine
Megan Sykes
Kelly Mundy
Kady-Ann Steen-Burrell
Orshi Moy
Christie Milleson
Joni Whitt
Mohsen Ghiasi Ghorveh
Karen Chiswell
Marcus Layer
Samantha Raines
Tammy Day
Nicole Solomon
Jacalyn Farris
Zhen Huang
Team Excellence Award Nominees
PROACT Xa team
EMPACT-MI Site Management team
Kathy Williams
IGNITE II team
IPF/ILD-PRO Registry team
Financial Reporting Group
Cheryl Alderman, Zoe Sund — The Pediatric Trials Network
HERO Program team
PCORnet Coordinating Center
Joanna Cole
Ricky Cooper
Megan Culley
Alma Chavez
Tammy Reece
NIH Pragmatic Trials Collaboratory Coordinating Center Operations Team
CHANGE-AF RedCAP team
Research Communications & Engagement Team
Executive Director Award for Diversity and Humanism in Clinical Research Nominees
Antonio Jones
Jay Rao
Ricky Cooper
David Souto
Bryan Batch
Anna Giczewska
Rob Califf Excellence in Service Award Nominees
Kara Cozart
Taylor Nguyen
Sally Okun
Patty McAdams
Trevor Lentz
Claire Beard
Amanda Windham
Matthew Bailey
Isa Lamerton
Tom Redick
Lauren Cohen
Merilee Whalen
Tasha Owens
Brenda Franklin-Goode
Pia Lapidus
Mohsen Ghiasi Ghorveh
Karen Chiswell
Kerry Stenke
Tammy Day
Maria Grau-Sepulveda