Coordinators are most familiar with the barriers and successes that are encountered throughout the accrual process. The Research Coordinator Advisory Committee (RCAC) at NC TraCS serves as a regular partner with the Recruitment and Retention Program to share expertise and ensure that new initiatives are grounded in the experiences of those interacting with participants.

The RCAC brings together research coordinators from across nine UNC-Chapel Hill and UNC Health departments, each with their own experiences, perspectives, and insights. Members of the RCAC will inform TraCS on the development of initiatives, resources, and training programs related to participant recruitment and retention.

Meet our RCAC Members

	Said Alhassan Said Alhassan is a clinical research coordinator with the UNC Neurosciences Clinical Trials Unit. He graduated from UNC in 2021 with Biology and Psychology B.S. degrees. He began working with UNC in September of 2022. He is primarily involved in industry-sponsored neuromuscular disease clinical trials. As his patients are older adults, he is interested in improving research outreach to older patients. He hopes to learn from RCAC and help in any way possible. His career goal is to become a clinical psychologist.
	Cassandra Donahue Cassandra Donahue joined the UNC Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Obesity Clinical Research Unit as a clinical research coordinator and dietitian in 2021. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Dietetics from James Madison University, where she also minored in Chronic Illness. She went on to complete her dietetic internship through the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. She recently received her certification to become a Diabetes Care and Education Specialist (CDCES) and has an interest in availability of resources and nutrition to those with diabetes in relation to management of care. She is a member of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and both the Diabetes and Research Dietetic Practice Groups. After graduating, Cassandra started working in long-term care, where she loved forming relationships with the residents and seeing how something as simple as a good meal could make their day (especially amid a pandemic). As someone living with type one diabetes for over 20 years, she can honestly say she never thought that she would end up working in diabetes research—but she is thrilled at the opportunity to be on the other side of diabetes care.
	Edmund Fernandez Edmund Fernandez is a research specialist and data systems coordinator with the UNC Writing Skills Development Program in the Department of Health Sciences. His research focuses on children's writing skills and cognitive processes from preschool through seventh grade. His expertise includes data management, assessments, recruitment, and integrating new systems to enhance data collection and project integrity. Though not from a clinical background, his dedication to community and research support aligns with committee objectives. He emphasizes the need for clear communication among researchers, school leadership, teachers, families, and staff to ensure study success and prevent recruitment and retention challenges. Edmund is excited to collaborate with other coordinators and share his experiences.
	Caisi Hecht Caisi Hecht is a Clinical Trials Associate at the Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities at the UNC School of Medicine. She has been working at the CIDD since the summer of 2021 and has been helping build the CIDD Clinical Trials Program under PIs Mark Shen, PhD and Jamie Capal, MD. While the team primarily specializes in industry-sponsored investigational drug trials for individuals with Angelman Syndrome, they have also recently branched into additional neurodevelopmental disorders and investigator-initiated trials. Through these trials, Caisi works directly with patients by being a main point of contact for families, leading them through visits, and managing scheduling and organizational needs. Caisi was brought to the RCAC by an interest in sharing her passion for patient relations, gathering new information to help develop the budding CIDD program, and collaborating with other coordinators to support the research landscape at UNC.
	D'Amani Hillman D'Amani has been working in clinical research for 4 years. She currently works for UNC Pediatric Hematology Oncology as a research coordinator. Her journey with clinical research started as a lab technician. The more she learned about clinical research, the more she appreciated the advocacy work that went in to providing access to research studies for patients. Her hope for being on the Research Coordinator Advisory Committee is to provide a perspective from a pediatric focused coordinator and to find a bridge to integrate clinical trials meant for both pediatric and adult populations. She also hopes to bring a broader understanding of the social determinants of enrolling in research studies and how to provide support for families and patients who want to participate without the barrier of those determinants.
	Sara Kelley Sara Kelley is a project manager with the UNC Kidney Center. Currently, she manages several observational and interventional research studies related to kidney disease. Sara has worked as a research coordinator previously in several rare disease studies related to kidney disease as well as studies related to diabetes. She has a passion for patient engagement, health care accessibility, and community involvement with research. She received a Master of Public Health degree in Epidemiology from East Carolina University. Sara is excited to be a part of the RCAC to help improve the participant experience in research and collaborate with fellow researchers at UNC.
	Tuvara King Tuvara King has been a part of the UNC-Chapel Hill community in a variety of ways—as a student, a Resident Advisor, costume designer, and in research. She started her research career at the Carolina Population Center as a Research assistant with the Infant Care Project and the Pantry Study looking at health, development, and food security of African American Women and their infants. Tuvara has gained a wealth of knowledge about quantitative and qualitative research experience with Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute's NC-PreK Program and the Carolina Women's Health Research Center on a variety of studies looking at the health and well-being of pregnant women. She is now at the UNC Lineberger Office of Clinical & Translational Research in Oncology as a Clinical Study Coordinator to help improve cancer outcomes. Tuvara is excited about this opportunity and is passionate about study participants being well-informed before and during their participation in studies, and exploring ways to improve retention of study subjects.
	Margaret Lillie Margaret Lillie is a clinical research coordinator with the breast surgical oncology team at Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center. She currently works on translational multi-site trials, retrospective studies, and database building and management. She has previously worked in global health with a focus on evaluation research, maternal mental health, early childhood development, and polio eradication. When she is not working, she is involved in advocacy work for the LGBTQ+ community who have genetic predispositions to or have been diagnosed with breast or reproductive cancers. She is excited to collaborate with other coordinators across disciplines and content areas.
	Courtney McMillian Courtney McMillian, MPH is a Winston-Salem, NC native. She currently works for North Carolina Community Engagement Alliance (NC CEAL) which is 1 of the 21 teams funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). She is a graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill the Gillings School of Global Public Health with a concentration in Applied Epidemiology. Her involvement in research is birthed with a deep-seated passion in infectious diseases and the impact of social determinants of health among underserved and underrepresented people.
	Jennifer Pilotos McBride Jennifer Pilotos McBride is a Clinical Research Coordinator in the Department of General Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine (GPAM). She is originally from Havana, Cuba and immigrated to the US as a young child. She has a passion for working with underserved and historically disadvantaged populations—primarily the Hispanic/Latine/Latinx community and brings that passion to her work in clinical research. Currently, she is coordinating a national study known as the Greenlight Plus study that focuses on integrating low literacy and low numeracy health education into primary care settings, in children 0-2 years, with the goal of building healthy habits early in life. Jennifer hopes to carry her perspective and experience into a future career as a physician.
	Stephanie Peck Stephanie Peck is a Social/Clinical Research Specialist working within the UNC Neurosciences Clinical Trials Unit and School of Medicine. She has been working with Dr. Senyene Hunter on her Genetic Determinants of Neurological and Developmental Disorders study since 2022. This study seeks to better understand how changes in genes affect neurological and developmental disorders like epilepsy, while also overcoming barriers to enrollment. Stephanie's experience with diverse groups and her passion for prioritizing inclusion of underserved populations led her to the RCAC, and she hopes that the knowledge she gains here will shape how she moves forward in her research career.
	Amy Plymale Amy Plymale joined the UNC Center for Aging and Health (CAH) a year ago as a Study Coordinator. Amy mainly worked in industry sponsored clinical trials before making the switch to academic studies. Before working in Clinical Research, she was the manager of a privately owned family medical practice. One of Amy's daughters participated in multiple clinical trials growing up and these experiences led Amy to pursue work in clinical research. Amy enjoys spending time with all her pets (2 dogs, 4 cats and 7 chickens) as well as hiking and traveling with friends and family.
	Lauren Shumpert Lauren Shumpert is a clinical research specialist in the UNC Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine. She currently works on investigator-initiated trials, device trials, and behavioral intervention trials in the critical care setting. Her research career started at UNC during her undergraduate program in sociology and she has continued to build a diverse set of skills in clinical research. Lauren enjoys all things regulatory—IRB submissions, working with sponsors, and maintaining excellent compliance across all studies. She is passionate about her role as a researcher because it allows her to work alongside clinical staff to improve patient health and wellbeing.
	Jamie Steed Jamie Steed is a Clinical Research Specialist in the Center for Women's Mood Disorders with over 7 years of experience providing research support, coordination, and leadership for various studies, including social and behavioral studies, investigator-initiated research, and industry-sponsored Phase II and III clinical trials. Her responsibilities include managing study start-up and closeout, regulatory and IRB submissions, as well as recruitment and enrollment of subjects. She completed the first brexanolone postpartum depression clinical trials, including The Hummingbird Study and Robin Study, which led to the first FDA-approved drugs for postpartum depression. Ms. Steed is eager to collaborate with a diverse team of coordinators who can offer valuable experience and insights in recruitment and research best practices to ensure that research aligns with the needs and priorities of the community.