DDW 2023: PSI Team Spotlight
Digestive Disease Week 2023 is coming up May 6-9, and our team at PSI is excited to join the conversation with IBD and GI sponsors and partners like you. Stop by Booth #4511 for a chance (or schedule a meeting here) to speak with PSI experts helping to support IBD innovators across the globe. Here’s a closer look at two of our team members who are packing their bags for Chicago.
Alex Gilfanov
Project Director, Project Management
Dr. Alex Gilfanov, M.D., Project Director, has worked in the clinical research industry since 2006, including thirteen years with PSI. Specializing in gastrointestinal (GI) trials for the last seven years, he is responsible for supervising multiple large Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis programs.
As a project director, Alex provides general study supervision for investigators, sponsors, vendors, and functional departments at PSI, focusing on critical processes.
During his career, Alex has served in different roles across the clinical trial process, including treating physician, sub-investigator, and monitor, before managing and supervising clinical trials for the last 10+ years. This breadth of experience allows him to better understand the needs of patients and caregivers as well as all other stakeholders involved in clinical trials. A frequent guest at Digestive Disease Week, European Crohn’s and Colitis Organization Congress, United European Gastroenterology Week, and other large GI congresses, Alex is passionate about exploring all the current developments in gastroenterology to better understand the latest treatment options available to patients as well as the challenges they face along the way.
Heather Thompson
Site Support Specialist
Heather Thompson, Site Support Specialist, is focused on helping PSI to meet the growing demand for technical and operational expertise in gastroenterology in clinical research. A board-certified nurse practitioner with more than 15 years of gastroenterology experience (focused heavily on Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis), she has provided a wide range of patient-centered gastroenterology care in outpatient, emergency department, and inpatient settings and primarily managed a large population of inflammatory bowel disease patients (most of which were on biologic therapy), including routine office visits, medication selection, tracking laboratory testing, and procedure follow-up to track patient progress and disease progression/remission. She also has five years of experience conducting training, discussing disease processes, and providing education on clinical trials for the medical community. She served as the regional nurse practitioner speaker in the pharmaceutical industry from 2017 to 2022, focusing on biologic therapy.
Heather assists Project Management with study design and the creation of manuals, training materials, and study forms, as well as presenting at Investigator Meetings. Throughout the study, she is responsible for developing technical project tools, including site and project team training tools; identifying and tracking critical project issues; and assisting assigned CRAs with technical issues. Heather utilizes her clinical knowledge in working with multiple departments across the study lifecycle and is a critical resource for scientific and operational expertise to our Business Development, Project Management, and Clinical Operations Departments.