News

Meridian Clinical Research, a leading investigative research network, is celebrating its twentieth year in business. Meridian was founded by Nicole Osborn, the company’s CEO, in 1999. It began as a single research site in Omaha, Neb., where the company is headquartered. Meridian added locations in Norfolk, Neb., and Dakota Dunes, S.D., before establishing a strong presence in Savannah, Ga., where five of its research sites are located. More sites are located in Baton Rouge, La., Rockville, Md., Norfolk, Va., and Mexico. Meridian recently acquired Regional Clinical Research, which operates four investigative research sites in the southern tier of New York. … Read more

Meridian Clinical Research, LLC, based in Omaha, NE, has acquired the assets and operations of Regional Clinical Research, Inc., expanding its North American footprint to more than 20 investigative sites. Regional was established in 1993 by Bruce Bowling, MD, and Victor Elinoff, MD, and operates four research sites in the southern tier of New York. Meridian and Regional are longtime members of Platinum Research Network. The acquisition enhances Meridian’s existing therapeutic expertise in infectious diseases, neurology, and women’s health. “This is a perfect addition,” said Nicole Osborn, founder and CEO of Meridian. “We’ve known Regional’s leaders and collaborated on best … Read more

Bounphone Chanthavong (Willow), MPH, CCRC, is your 2019 PharmaTimes Clinical Research Coordinator of the Year! Willow is a research coordinator at Meridian’s neurology site in Savannah, Ga., and won the award on May 4, 2019, after a three-stage competition involving an initial online test, a written essay challenge, and an in-person presentation in Boston. This is an outstanding honor for an outstanding teammate — Willow has managed to set the bar even higher for Meridian. Congratulations, Willow! Meridian also congratulates Mercedes Livingston at Ventavia Research Group (a Platinum Research Network member) on winning silver in the competition. Well done and … Read more

Platinum Research Network was named highly commended for the Best Clinical Site or Network category at the 2018/2019 Vaccine Industry Excellence (ViE) Awards. The award recognizes investigative site networks that support diverse clinical trials for vaccines, introduce novel services to improve performance, achieve rapid enrollment, and uphold high subject retention. — Meridian Clinical Research is the largest member of Platinum, which provides access to more than 47 million patients worldwide. In 2018, Meridian and Platinum strengthened strategic partnerships with vaccine developers, added several vaccine research sites to its network, and expanded clinical infrastructure and peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) processing … Read more

Meridian Clinical Research and Savannah Plastic Surgery are partnering to conduct clinical trials in Savannah, Ga. Dr. Luke Curtsinger and Dr. Matthew McLeod at Savannah Plastic Surgery will serve as principal investigators and lead the conduct of research studies for novel surgical approaches, pharmaceutical products, and medical devices. “Clinical research makes progress possible,” said Dr. Curtsinger. “Conducting trials will enable us to offer expanded care options to our patients today, and will drive the development of next generation treatment approaches.” This will be Meridian’s sixth site located in Savannah, and its first plastic and cosmetic research site in North America. … Read more

Savannah, Ga., April, 2, 2019 — Bounphone “Willow” Chanthavong, MPH, CCRC, director and research coordinator at Meridian’s neurology site in Savannah, Ga., was selected as a finalist for the PharmaTimes Clinical Researcher of the Year — The Americas 2019. The finals are the third stage of a competition that welcomes the highest scoring candidates from previous questionnaire and essay challenges. Willow and other Meridian staff will attend the finals day at the Sheraton Hotel in Boston, MA, on May 4. “Willow is more than deserving of the recognition,” said Taryn Collett, CRCC, east coast clinical operations manager at Meridian. “She’s … Read more

Norfolk, Va., March, 4, 2019 — Ingrid Loma-Miller, MD, has been selected to serve on the National Medical Advisory Committee for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS). She is a principal investigator at Meridian Clinical Research, and is a physician at Neurology Specialists, a division of Neurology Consultants of Tidewater, PLLC in Norfolk, Va. Dr. Loma-Miller specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with multiple sclerosis. As a member of the National Medical Advisory Committee, she will advise NMSS efforts to advance knowledge about multiple sclerosis care. “I’m honored to be selected,” said Dr. Loma-Miller. “I’ve focused on serving … Read more

Congratulations to Keith Vrbicky, MD! He was named Faith Regional’s 2018 Physician of the Year. Charles Harper, MD, a Meridian principal investigator, was also recognized for 10 years of service at Faith Regional. Read the full announcement here.

For 2018’s Good Deeds Day, employees at each Meridian site were given a cash stipend and a simple instruction: Go into your community and make a difference. We were blown away by the thoughtfulness with which each Meridian site chose to donate to the community, support local charities, or perform small acts of kindness. As we look forward to 2019 we want to thank the communities we serve. Here’s a recap of how we connected with our communities for Good Deeds Day 2018…