Magee-Womens Research Institute & Foundation

Megan Ritter, M.S. (Data Manager) - Ms. Ritter has been working for Dr. Krans for the past 3 years. She has been involved with both the clinical and research data associated with Dr. Krans work. Specifically on the clinical side, she has worked in collaboration with the Pregnancy and Womens Recovery Center, the Parent Partnership Unit (PPU) and the Perinatal Addiction Consultation and Education Services (PACES). On the research end, Ms. Ritter works on creating the data collection and management system for each project including survey and form creation, quality control throughout the project's duration, and final cleaning and analysis. In addition, she works with the group's volunteer research assistants to guide them in their research role with the team as it relates to data collection and work in the Electronic Medical Records. Ms. Ritter has five years of experience in project planning/management, database management, and data analysis.

Ellen Stewart, BS (Clinical Research Coordinator) - Ms. Stewart has been working for Dr. Krans for the past 7 years on multiple studies evaluating clinical interventions for pregnant and postpartum women with OUD. As such, she has developed expertise in recruitment, enrollment and follow-up for this highly transient population which is often difficult to track and monitor. She also has developed expertise conducting qualitative interviews focused on sensitive issues such as illicit drug use, sex, and contraception. As a clinical research coordinator, her primary responsibilities include training, assisting with the development of the IRB protocol and data safety and monitoring plan, assisting with development of the project manual of operations, assuring the integrity of the data, protecting human subjects and ensuring that the study protocol is followed correctly. She also collaborates with outside teams on nationally recognized Clinical Trial Network studies. She assists in coordinating participant recruitment and data collection and conducts participant interviews for studies.

Maya Patterson, BS (Clinical Research Assistant) - Ms. Patterson has been working for Dr. Krans for the past two and a half years on several studies evaluating clinical interventions for pregnant women with OUD. She has a background in clinical care as well as working with marginalized groups. As a research assistant and study coordinator, her primary responsibilities include assisting with the development of protocols and procedures, protecting human subjects, and overseeing study progress. These experiences have honed Ms. Patterson’s critical thinking, leadership abilities, and communication skills. Maya also assists with grant and manuscript development, assisting in concept visualization, drafting, and figure design.

Candace Drzik, BS (Research Assistant) - Ms. Drzik has been working for Dr. Krans for the past year on multiple studies evaluating clinical interventions for pregnant and postpartum women with OUD. She has developed expertise in data collection, recruitment, enrollment, and follow-up for this population which is often difficult to track and monitor. As a Research Assistant, her primary responsibilities include assisting the Data Manager with data collection, cleaning, and monitoring as well as coordinating and conducting participant recruitment, enrollment, and study interviews.

Danaia Winbush, BS (Research Assistant) - Ms. Winbush joined Dr. Krans team this year as a research assistant focused on assisting with participant recruitment, conducting study assessments, maintaining accurate files for all participants and managing participant payments. Assist with daily project objectives, including- multiple studies evaluating clinical interventions for pregnant and postpartum women with OUD. She specializes in the field of working with a vulnerable population with her 3 years of experience of working on a medical and surgical oncology unit caring for a variety of oncology patients but specializing in gynecological cancer. Exhibiting excellent communication skills and an ability to work with a diverse group of individuals.

Samantha Mayo, BA (Regulatory Affairs Coordinator) - Ms. Mayo has over 6 years of grant administration experience and has experience working with several principal investigators and their respective teams on multiple studies. She has a background in accounting, which she utilizes for lab and study budget adherence. As a regulatory affairs coordinator, her primary responsibilities include ensuring regulatory compliance for all of Dr. Krans’ studies, assisting with the development of the IRB protocol, assisting with development of the project manual of operations, assuring the integrity of the data, protecting human subjects and ensuring that the study protocol is followed correctly. She continually develops skills initiating and managing a range of relevant regulatory documents for multiple studies concurrently. Finally, she assists Dr. Krans in supervising other members of the research team.

Walitta Abdullah, CADC (Research Principal) - Ms. Abdullah has been conducting clinical research for over 20 years with individuals who use substances and been working as a Research Principal for Dr. Krans for the past 7 years on multiple studies that incorporate qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis. As such, she has developed expertise in recruitment, enrollment, and follow-up for underserved populations, such as women with substance use disorders, who are often difficult to enroll and retain in research studies. Ms. Abdullah also has over 10 years of experience using motivational interviewing techniques and has conducted hundreds of qualitative interviews focused on sensitive issues such as illicit drug use, sexual behavior, and contraception. As Research Principal, she coordinates participant recruitment and data collection. Given her extensive qualitative interviewing experience, she conducts and transcribes participant interviews for multiple studies. She also assists with the development of the IRB protocol, data safety and monitoring plan, development of the project manual of operations, data integrity monitoring, protection of human subjects and ensures that the study protocol is followed correctly. In addition, Walitta is currently working as Research Coordinator for the Baby Steps III study: Testing a Clinician and Patient Intervention to Promote Smoking Cessation Among Pregnant Women-under Dr Judy Chang of UPMC Magee- Womens Hospital and Kathryn Pollak of Duke University Health System (DUHS).

Kathleen Smith (Administrative Supervisor) - Ms. Smith has spent her entire career working in an administrative support capacity commencing after graduation from Bradford Business School located in Pittsburgh, PA.  She has supported the administrative efforts in the landscape of for-profit and not-for-profit organizations and their executives with a special emphasis on the healthcare industry, and, specifically, the research component of their work that includes recruiting, onboarding professionals and students, extensive scheduling and complex calendar management, project management, travel arrangements, and high-volume reviewing, editing, and final submission of manuscripts to numerous scientific journals on behalf of the Principal Investigators (MDs and PhDs) that she assists in her role which requires excellent organizational skills.

Maria Strish, BS (Senior Clinical Research Assistant) - Ms. Strish has a BS in Health Science with minors in Math, Public Health, and Health and Human Services. She has worked with multiple investigators for over a year and a half on multiple projects related to pregnancy complications. Her responsibilities include participant recruitment, enrollment, data abstraction, data reporting, and carrying out study protocols.