Mission
To provide our patients with the opportunity to participate in innovative clinical research. Following Good Clinical Practice guidelines, Duke’s Clinical Research Unit (CRU) provides optimum staff coverage to meet protocol timelines within budget.
About Us
The Clinical Research Unit (CRU), formerly known as Clinical Anesthesiology Research Endeavors (CARE), is a departmental initiative to further organize our clinical research efforts in all areas of anesthesia and perioperative research at Duke University Medical Center and its affiliated sites. It began as an organization in 1999. After achieving great success in the cardiothoracic and critical care medicine divisions, the unit officially launched in January of 2003. The CRU is composed of an extensive network of investigators, clinical research support staff, biostatistics staff, perioperative and outcomes database staff, and business development staff.
The department has an outstanding reputation in clinical research, focused in the areas of postoperative nausea and vomiting prevention, preservation of cognitive function after surgery, transesophageal echocardiography, role of inflammation in clinical outcome, intravenous fluids, hemodilution and blood substitutes, hemodynamic monitoring, genetics and outcome, organ protection during surgery, pain management, regional anesthesia and clinical pharmacology. This research has led to changes in clinical practice and has improved outcomes for patients after cardiac and non-cardiac surgery.
The principles that guide us are:
- Quality Improvement.
- Improving outcomes for patients by improving clinical practice through clinical research.
- Improving medical practices by sharing knowledge gained through scholarly publications.
Tiffany Bisanar, MHA, BSN, RN, CCRP
Assistant Research Practice Manager
Bonnie Funk, BSN, RN, CCRP
Research Practice Manager
Alicja Szydlowska, BS, MBA, CCRC
Assistant Research Practice Manager
Financial Practice Manager:
Tammy Kim, MA, CRA, AGM, RAA
Clinical Research Coordinator Senior:
Yanne Toulgoat-Dubois, BA
Clinical Research Coordinators:
Ashley Burke, BS, CCRC
Courtney Holland, BS
Erick Lorenzana-Saldivar, BS
Emmalee Metzler, BA, CCRP
Dan Mungal, BA
Sharon Norman
Omowunmi Olaleye, MS, CCRP
Jhana Parikh, BS
Jacob Ribet, AS, BS, RRT
Hayden Rigsbee, BS
Peter Waweru, BA ,CCRP
Clinical Research Nurse Coordinators:
Kristen Cossaart, BSN, RN, CCRN
Jessica Pennell, BSN, RN
Kelly Rodden, BSN, RN
Carrie Schlabaugh, BS, RN
Clinical Research Specialist, Senior:
Alana Atkins, BS
Stratton Barth, BS
Jaleesa  Garner, MS
Summer Granger, MS
Isaac Oyediran, BS
Ayesha Syed, BS
Brittany Thomas, BS
Clinical Research Specialist:
John Relucio, BS
Statistical Support:
Mary Cooter, MS, Biostatistician II
Yi-Ju Li, PhD, Program Leader, Biostatistics and Clinical Outcomes
Viral Panchal, DrPH, Biostatistician II
John Hunting, MPH, Biostatistician II
Wenjing Qi, PhD, Postdoctoral Associate
Project Planning and Startup
- Coordination with Industry Staff
- Recruit Investigators
Enrollment
- Randomize patients from caseload
- Coordinate with study monitor
- Strict adherence to study protocol
Analysis
- Coordination with Industry Statistical Plan
- Interim Analysis available
Completion
- Ensured followup of all queries
- Longitudonal followup available
Presentation
- Presentation at National and International Scientific Meetings
- Manuscript preparation with industry review
- Neurological Outcomes in Cardiac, Thoracic and Medical Patients.
- Investigational Cardiopulmonary Bypass lab providing pre-clinical support for neurological outcomes research.
- Role of Inflammation in Affecting Clinical Outcome.
- Perioperative Organ Protection.
- Brain Protection in Cardiac and Thoracic Surgery.
- Preservation of Heart Function.
- Blood Substitutes.
- Minimally Invasive Surgery and Off Pump Cardiac Surgery.
- Transesophageal Echocardiography (TEE).
- Renal Protective Strategies.
- Molecular Biology.
- Genetics of Perioperative Outcomes (Genomics).
- Medical Economic Assessments of Interventions in Cardiothoracic Surgery.
- Perioperative Control of Nausea and Vomiting
- Perioperative Control of Pain
- Pediatric Drug Development
- Anesthesia and Postoperative Cognitive Decline
Kamrouz Ghadimi, MD, MHSc
Director of CRU (Clinical Research Unit)
Associate Professor of Anesthesiology
Anne D. Cherry, MD
Assistant Director of CRU (Clinical Research Unit)
Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology
Contact Us
Clinical Research Unit (CRU)
Department of Anesthesiology
Duke University Medical Center
P.O. Box 3094
Durham, NC 27710
CRU Phone: 919-684-0861
CRU Fax: 919-681-8076 [Attn: Bonnie Funk]