CTU Team
The CTU Team is a group of motivated research professionals who are inspired by the brilliant faculty with whom we work. We truly enjoy clinical research and we always look to add value to our partners.
Amanda Baer
Senior Director of Clinical Research Operations
baer2@pennmedicine.upenn.edu
(215) 349-5023
Amanda has been at Penn for 17+ years and has broad experience in a diverse range of therapeutic areas. She has extensive experience managing phase I—IV clinical trials and leads a highly productive DOM Clinical Trials Unit consisting of research project managers, coordinators, assistants, and regulatory manager. She has served on the Penn IRB as well as on numerous advisory committees and task forces to improve clinical research and human subjects protection. She brings her entrepreneurial spirit to the team and specializes in Research Operations, Strategy, Process Improvement and Mentoring.
Haideliza Soto-Calderon
Associate Director
haideliza.soto-calderon@pennmedicine.upenn.edu
(215) 662-4491
Haideliza is an Associate Director with 20+ years of experience in research. She has experience in both academia and the pharmaceutical industry. Haideliza has project managed phase I-IV clinical trials for investigational devices and drugs in gene therapy, cardiology, hematology, infectious disease (COVID-19), pulmonary, gynecological cancer, rheumatology, sleep, and translational medicine. She excels in working with sick patients, subject retention, and has vast experience completing and maintaining regulatory documentation. She has overseen a multisite clinical trial for the American Society of Hematology.
Melissa Fernando
Senior Project Manager
fernand@pennmedicine.upenn.edu
(215) 662-2025
Melissa is a senior project manager with over 15 years of research experience at Penn Medicine. She has over 10 years of experience in end-to-end clinical trial management. She has a successful track record of running complex multi-center research trials both within the US and internationally. Her key experiences include leading multi-site study launch; project and database management; coordination and implementation; and regulatory management and documentation. Melissa is passionate about leading and developing teams, working on trials in innovative areas, and delivering impactful benefits for patients.
Liz Beothy
Project Manager
eabeothy@pennmedicine.upenn.edu
(215) 615-0310
Liz is a Project Manager with 20+ years of experience in human subjects research at Penn Medicine, in areas such as ENT, surgery, cardiology, radiology, oncology, sleep medicine, and psychiatry. She has dedicated her career to advancing medical practice through scientific inquiry. Prior to joining the CTU, Liz spent 7 years as the research manager and compliance officer for the Dept. of Otorhinolaryngology, overseeing all aspects of the department’s clinical research program. She has extensive experience with regulatory compliance and IRB submissions, as well as the management and conduct of industry-sponsored and investigator-initiated drug, device, tissue, observational, and retrospective studies from start-up to closure, and the recruitment, training, and mentorship of high-caliber clinical research personnel.
Lauren Vincent
Regulatory Specialist
laurv@pennmedicine.upenn.edu
Lauren is a Regulatory Specialist with 7+ years of experience in research. Before joining the DOM CTU in 2021, she worked as a clinical regulatory coordinator in the Lipid/Atherosclerosis Clinical Trials Unit. She has extensive experience in regulatory and monitoring. Lauren has a B.S. in Public Health from Temple University, a Master’s in Regulatory Affairs from University of Pennsylvania, and is currently pursuing a Master’s in Bioethics.
Yvette Frimpong
Clinical Research Coordinator
yvette.frimpong@pennmedicine.upenn.edu
(215) 573-5107
Before joining the CTU in September 2019, Yvette graduated from Penn with a Bachelor’s degree in neuroscience. While at Penn, she genotyped mouse DNA at a CHOP cancer research lab and, later, was a research assistant with a psychology research lab, where she recruited child and adult participants and conducted studies involving number cognition. In the DOM CTU Yvette has gained a wealth of experience including work in lipids, Huntington’s disease, pulmonary, imaging, and others. Yvette hopes to accumulate a diverse skill set while at the CTU so that she can one day become a well-rounded physician and help advance healthcare in Africa.
Busra Karatas
Clinical Research Coordinator
busra.karatas@pennmedicine.upenn.edu
Busra joined the DOM CTU in November 2021 after earning a B.A. in Biological Science from Rutgers University. Before joining the DOM CTU team, she honed her skills as a Clinical Research Technician at Investigational Drug Services, where she was responsible for compounding and preparing medications for clinical trials. Since joining the DOM CTU, Busra has expanded her expertise, gaining valuable clinical experience, regulatory knowledge, and problem-solving skills, among many other competencies.
Gabrielle Grosso
Clinical Research Coordinator
gabrielle.grosso@pennmedicine.upenn.edu
(215) 662-4491
Gabrielle joined the CTU in March of 2022 after earning a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Psychology from Drexel University. Prior to joining the team, she worked in the Neurosurgery Clinical Research Division at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center where she assisted in the conduction of various brain trauma and tumor resection studies. As a Clinical Research Coordinator with the CTU, Gabrielle hopes to gain an array of skills surrounding the clinical, laboratorial, and administrative tasks involved in the execution of clinical research before continuing her education.
Sarah Cohen
Clinical Research Coordinator
sarah.cohen1@pennmedicine.upenn.edu
(215) 573-6320
Sarah is a Clinical Research Coordinator with 2 years of experience. She has worked in genetics and orthopedic surgery with teenagers and their families, and has experience fielding calls at a crisis center. Currently in DOM CTU Sarah is working on projects about sleep apnea, interstitial lung disease, renal transplant, and breast cancer. Sarah specializes in increasing user-friendliness of data collection forms while ensuring their accuracy and validity.
Natalia Sonsin-Diaz
Clinical Research Coordinator
natalia.sonsin-diaz@pennmedicine.upenn.edu
Natalia joined the CTU in April of 2024 after earning a BS/BA in Neuroscience and Psychology from Johns Hopkins University. Prior to joining the team, she worked at Johns Hopkins Hospital on a cardiology study, where she performed neurocognitive tests on Congestive Heart Failure patients. She then launched her own investigation into the effect of chronic elevated inflammation on the development of Late-Life Depression, which was published in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry. Natalia also has 2 years of experience as a Family Based Therapist, working with kids at risk for out-of-home placement at St. Luke’s/Penn Foundation. As a Clinical Research Coordinator with the CTU, Natalia hopes to gain valuable clinical research skills before pursuing a graduate degree in Psychology.
Maddy Fair
Clinical Research Coordinator
maddy.fair@pennmedicine.upenn.edu
(215) 662-2081
Maddy joined the CTU in June of 2024. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania in 2022 and spent the following 2 years as a Clinical Research Coordinator in the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Maddy has wide-ranging clinical research experience, from working with children with insufficient sleep, to adults with overweight and obesity, and to children with conduct problems. As a Clinical Research Coordinator with the CTU, Maddy hopes to hone a diverse skill set to make valuable contributions to studies throughout Penn's Department of Medicine.
Elaine Tanel
Clinical Research Coordinator
elaine.tanel@pennmedicine.upenn.edu
(215) 573-8368
Elaine joined the DOM CTU in June 2024 after graduating from Penn with a B.A. in Mechanisms of Disease Biology. During her time as an undergraduate student, she dedicated three years to conducting research on melanoma persister cells at The Wistar Institute. Currently, she is actively engaged in an idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis clinical study and an asthma clinical study. She aims to integrate the insights gained from both her academic and clinical experiences to pursue medical school, aspiring to advance equitable healthcare initiatives.
Matthew Loreg
Clinical Research Coordinator
matthew.loreg@pennmedicine.upenn.edu
Matthew joined the CTU in July of 2024 after earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Swarthmore College. Prior to joining the team, he worked in Swarthmore's OCD, Anxiety, and Related Disorders Lab and Swarthmore's Resilience and Well-Being Lab where he studied the relationship between OCD and religiosity and conducted a variety of literature reviews. As a Clinical Research Coordinator with the CTU, Matthew hopes to gain valuable clinical experience and help increase the quality and quantity of clinical research conducted at Penn before pursuing a graduate degree in Psychology.
Fatimah Al Dulaimee
Clinical Research Coordinator
fatimah.aldulaimee@pennmedicine.upenn.edu
(215) 662-2081
Fatimah joined the DOM CTU in September of 2024 after graduating from the University of Rochester with a B.S. in Molecular Genetics and a B.A. in Studio Arts. Prior to joining the team, she worked as an Emergency Department Research Associate (EDRA) during all 4 years of her undergraduate studies. As an EDRA, she collaborated with Primary Investigators from departments such as Cardiology, Psychology, Radiology, Oncology, Infectious Diseases, and many more while conducting clinical research work at Strong Memorial Hospital's Emergency Department. Fatimah is eager to gain more experience in both clinical and administrative duties at DOM CTU to further improve her skill set and the quality of clinical research conducted at Penn.