Medidata Unveils New Academic Board to Bridge the Gap Between Research and Patient Care

Showcased at the annual AACI-CRI meeting, a new Academic Site Advisory Board will work to bridge the gap between clinical research and clinical care at academic medical centers

NEW YORK, June 22, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Medidata, a Dassault Systèmes brand and leading provider of clinical trial solutions to the life sciences industry, today introduced its Academic Site Advisory Board at the annual meeting of the Association of American Cancer Institutes Clinical Research Innovation (AACI-CRI), June 23-25, 2026, in Chicago, IL. The new board creates a direct collaborative channel to solve the unique operational and technical challenges faced by academic medical centers (AMCs) as they drive critical clinical research forward.

The launch of the Academic Site Advisory Board marks a major strategic expansion of Medidata’s industry-leading Sites Insights Program. This initiative is purpose-built to address the unique operational realities of clinical sites by driving new solutions that eliminate workflow bottlenecks, deliver true financial transparency, and optimize the execution of decentralized and hybrid clinical trials.

“Medidata has done a great job of not putting all sites into the same box because it's not one size fits all,” said Christina Brennan, MD, Senior Vice President, Clinical Research, Northwell Health. “We are coming together as partners to explore solutions that will advance the industry, enhance the patient experience, and reduce the burden on our sites and clinical trial staff.”

Academic medical centers spearhead some of the world's most complex and critical clinical research. However, these institutions face unique operational roadblocks. They must navigate intricate institutional infrastructures and balance demanding patient care with rigorous research, all while battling the administrative drain of 'double data entry' across electronic health records (EHRs) and clinical trial platforms.

“Being site and patient-centric is the driving force behind Medidata’s approach to technology development to ensure that our products are shaped by the very users and participants who bring clinical trials to life,” said Alicia Staley, chief patient officer, Medidata. “By collaborating with some of the nation's most innovative clinical research leaders, we will gain the insight we need to advance technology that addresses the unique needs of AMCs, drive patient and site-centricity, and elevate the clinical trial experience.”

The new board is composed of academic clinical trial site leaders from more than a dozen of the nation’s most prestigious research institutions including Mount Sinai Health System, Northwell Health, and Mayo Clinic. It is specifically designed to address the unique complexities of AMCs, which represent more than half of Medidata’s user base and conduct between 60-70% of all clinical trials worldwide.

A Nationwide Collaborative Effort
The initial board is comprised of a diverse group of MDs, PhDs, RNs, and clinical trial executives from premier institutions across the United States, including:

• Michelle Cohen, MS, Sr. Director, Medicine Clinical Trials Office, Mount Sinai Health System
• Christina Brennan, MD, Sr. Vice President, Clinical Research, Northwell Health
• Robert Stillman, MA, RN, CPHIMS, FHIMSS, Director of Clinical Research Informatics, Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, James Cancer Center, and Solove Research Institute
• Christine Champagne, BA
• Jaqueline Quivers, DHSc. Assoc. Director Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center Clinical Research Office, UT Southwestern Medical Center
• Milijana Urgrenovic Petrovic, MPM, LSSGB, Senior Director of Clinical Research Operations, Moffitt Cancer Center
• Katherine Gano, MS, Clinical Research Administrator, Mayo Clinic
• Rebecca Craig, MSHS, CCRP, Clinical Research Supervisor, Dept of Neurology, UC Davis Medical Center
• Denise Snyder, MS, Assoc. Dean for Clinical Research, DOCR, Duke University School of Medicine
• Lauren Wall, MS, Sr. Director, Cancer Clinical Trials Support Office, University of Chicago Medicine, Comprehensive Cancer Center
• Erin Monari, PhD, Administrative Director of Research, University of Florida Health, Cancer Institute
• Sandy Annis, BA, Executive Director Clinical Operations, University of Kansas Cancer Center
  
  

The Academic Site Advisory Board will work in tandem with Medidata’s Patient Insights Board. This holistic approach ensures that technological innovations are built with direct input from both the clinical sites managing the trials and the patients they serve. This November, Medidata will bring all its advisory boards, including the Site Tech Board and Executive Site Advisory Board, together at the Annual Insights Summit to foster cross-pillar collaboration, ensuring that the clinical trial ecosystem is more efficient, transparent, and patient-centric.

During the AACI-CRI meeting in Chicago, board members will deep dive into strategies to address the unique challenges faced by academic research sites and explore potential technology solutions that could be implemented to address them. Attendees at the meeting can learn more about Medidata’s commitment to Site and Patient Centricity by visiting us at Booth #5

You may also visit Medidata’s Sites Insights and Patient Insights pages to learn more about how Medidata engages research sites and patients to embed site and patient centricity into Study, Data, and Patient Experiences on the Medidata Platform.

About Medidata  
Medidata is powering smarter treatments and healthier people through digital solutions to support clinical trials. Celebrating over 25 years of ground-breaking technological innovation across more than 38,000 trials and 12 million patients, Medidata offers industry-leading expertise, analytics-powered insights, and one of the largest clinical trial data sets in the industry. More than 1 million registered users across approximately 2,300 customers trust Medidata’s seamless, end-to-end platform to improve patient experiences, accelerate clinical breakthroughs, and bring therapies to market faster. A Dassault Systèmes brand (Euronext Paris: FR0014003TT8, DSY.PA), Medidata is headquartered in New York City and has been recognized as a Leader by Everest Group and IDC. Discover more at www.medidata.com. Listen to our latest podcast, from Dreamers to Disruptors, and follow us at @Medidata.  

About Dassault Systèmes
Dassault Systèmes is a catalyst for human progress.   Since 1981, the company has pioneered virtual worlds to improve real life for consumers, patients and citizens. Through the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, AI-powered, science-based virtual twins help 390,000 customers of all sizes, in all industries, collaborate, imagine and create sustainable innovations that drive meaningful impact. For more information, visit: www.3ds.com.

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