Overview

"Advancing the Future of Medicine"

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Clinical Research Services (CRS) is a department within CHI St. Alexius Health fully dedicated to providing research support services to physicians within our region and the valued patients they serve. CHI St. Alexius Health is a tertiary care facility affiliated with PrimeCare, a network that includes more than 150 physicians both in private and institutional practice. CRS has been conducting clinical trials for more than 25 years. This collaboration between our experienced investigators and highly motivated clinical research team allows us to offer the latest research medicines and treatments to our patients along with the highest quality service to our patients and sponsors.

Our office consists of three full-time employees and provides comprehensive research services and personalized care to research patients 24 hours a day, seven days a week. In addition, nine clinical pharmacists with residency training have extensive experience as study coordinators. Responsibilities of our dedicated staff include placement of studies with appropriate investigators, regulatory and IRB document submission, study tracking, finalization of contracts and budgets, patient recruitment, study coordination and completing case report forms. Careful precautions are taken to ensure the protection of our study participants’ rights and welfare. Participants are kept informed throughout the course of their participation in a clinical trial.

Mission

The mission of CRS is to advance the future of medicine by providing research opportunities for participants, physicians, and our community and sponsor organizations. Our comprehensive clinical expertise, innovative approach and high quality are demonstrated by fostering relationships through integrity, teamwork, and excellent customer service.

Vision

The vision of CRS is to be a leading investigative site contributing to the research of groundbreaking medication and future technologies by ensuring accuracy, timeliness and dependability. This vision supports continuing research endeavors with numerous sponsors, physician investigators and CROs.

Research Experience

CRS has been involved in clinical research since 1987. Our professional staff has more than 200 years of combined experience in clinical trials.

Our involvement in inpatient and outpatient phases 1 to 4 clinical and device research studies has contributed substantially to the development of new drugs and treatments for the following conditions:

Our reputation for accuracy, timeliness, and dependability stands above the rest as evident by our repeated research endeavors with sponsors and CROs, such as the following:

Sponsors:

CLINICAL RESEARCH ORGANIZATIONS:

Facility Description

CRS offers a professional atmosphere for our research patients and monitors. We are equipped with a patient waiting room, complete exam rooms, a phlebotomy station with processing capabilities and a secured area for investigational drug storage. We provide a dedicated room for our monitors, complete with phone and computer accessibility. This room has its own separate access so that our monitors can work even when our main office is closed. We also provide wireless internet access.

As a department within CHI St. Alexius Health, a level II-trauma center with 308 beds, CRS is centered among CHI St. Alexius Health’s multispecialty clinics, which include neonatology, nephrology, pediatric neurology, neuro-surgery, physical medicine, rheumatology, urology, and heart and lung.

The medical complex is equipped with:

• CT scan;
• PET scan;
• MRI;
• Hologic DEXA scanners;
• State-of-the-art radiotherapy cancer care center;
• Accredited sleep laboratory;
• Outpatient hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis center;
• regional laboratory services; and
• full electrophysiologic and interventional cardiology labs.

CRS is easily accessible by public transportation. We are only 10 minutes from Bismarck International Airport, which is serviced by several major airlines.

Investigator Experience

Jeffrey Orchard, MD
Family Medicine

Shelly Seifert, MD
Family Medicine

Patricia Bramati, MD
Family Medicine

Jason Moe, MD
Family Medicine

Joy Froelich, MD
Family Medicine

Denise McDonough, MD
Family Medicine

Steven Scherr, MD
Family Medicine

Robert Tanous, DO
Internal Medicine

Syed Hyder, MD
Neurology

Todd Gray, MD
Urology

Tessa Marburger, MD
Neurology

Nicholas Bradbury, MD
Interventional Radiology

Brent Herbel, MD
Interventional Radiology

Daniel Tarver, MD
Interventional Radiology

John Witt, MD
Obstetrics/Gynecology

Jerry Obritsch, MD
Obstetrics/Gynecology

Shannon Bradley, MD
Obstetrics/Gynecology

Jan Bury, MD
Obstetrics/Gynecology

Thomas Hutchens, MD
Obstetrics/Gynecology

Marissa Ann Wisdom, MD
Obstetrics/Gynecology

Carla Zacher, MD
Pediatrics

Siriwan Kriengkrairut, MD
Pediatric Neurology

Monica Paulo, MD
Pulmonology

Nowarat Songsiridej, MD
Rheumatology

Lisa Frances, MD
Rheumatology

Stan T. Diede, MD
Cardiovascular Diseases
Internal Medicine

Paul E. Jondahl, MD
Family Practice

Mustafa Kathawala, MD
Gastroenterology
Internal Medicine

Syed Zaidi, MD
Gastroenterology
Hepatology

Julie M. Schwartz, MD
Internal Medicine

Craig DeGree, PhD
Psychology

Brian J. Hebert, MD
Internal Medicine

Robert G. Oatfield, MD
Cardiology

Carmen Ilie, MD
Cardiology
Interventional Cardiology

Nicholas Mahr, MD
Cardiology

Colby Halsey, MD
Cardiology
Electrophysiology

Vijay Phooshkooru Rao, MD
Oncology

Kyle Russo, MD
Radiation Oncology

Aaron Luebke, MD
Hematology
Oncology

Jeffrey Eugene Hostetter, MD
Internal Medicine

Michael Ray Brown, MD, PhD, FACS
Cardiothoracic Surgery

Michael Booth, MD, PhD
Cardiothoracic Surgery

Kevin Robert Dahmen, MD
Pediatric Psychiatry

Troy Darin Pierce, MD, MS
Orthopedics

Duncan Blaine Ackerman, MD
Orthopedics

Brock Norrie, MD
Orthopedics

Donald Howard Grenz, MD
Internal Medicine

John David Botsford, MD
Internal Medicine

Supha Kijpttayarit Arthurs, MD
Infectious Disease

Timothy John Bopp, MD
Orthopedics
Radiation Oncology

Kurt Gerard Datz, DO
Internal Medicine

Jessica Ruhland, MD
Radiology
Specially trained breast radiologist

Andrew Hetland, MD
Otolaryngology

Carol Koenig Miller, RN, FNP

Jennifer Bryan, FNP/BS

Rick Hofferber, FNP-C

Brian Torske, NP-C

Bernie Fischer, RN, FNP-C

Cynthis Folk, FNP-BC

Deb Fueller, FNP-C

Cara Jahner, FNP-C

Dawn Loraas, FNP-BC

Kendra Roloff, NP, MBA

Melanie Schlittenhardt, NP

DNPMelissa Ulberg, FNP-C

Sara Wiedrick, FNP-C, CDE

Staff Expertise

Dan McPherson, PharmD, BCNSP
Cardiology
Critical Care
Nutrition
29 years’ experience in clinical research

Deb McPherson, PharmD, BCNSP
Pediatrics
Neonatal Intensive care
Nutrition
29 years’ experience in clinical research

Dawn Mayer, PharmD
Anticoagulation services
17 years’ experience in clinical research

Kenton Omvig, PharmD
Geriatrics
General Practice
23 years’ experience in clinical research

Carrie Sorenson, PharmD
Surgery
Infectious Disease
16 years’ experience in clinical research

Dorothy Sander, RPh
Infusions
26 years’ experience in clinical research

Sheri Hardy, LPN, CCRC
12 years’ experience in clinical research

Joan Galbraith, BS, RPh,
Pharmacy Quality and Clinical Research Manager
7 years’ experience in clinical research

Patient Demographics

Characteristics of our patients include prominent northern European and Native American populations. We also have the largest per capita diabetes population in the nation. Our service area encompasses central, eastern, and western North Dakota, northern South Dakota, eastern Montana and western Minnesota. This area is made up of a population of approximately 400,000 individuals.

Other Information

CRS has the option of using our own IRB or a central IRB for clinical trials.

Our department personnel have experience in using remote data entry.

Our clinical research team is committed to providing:

• Rapid study start-up;
• Proactive patient enrollment;
• Clean data submission;
• Highly experienced principal investigators; and
• Initial training and continuing education for all support personnel.