About Us

As Principal Investigator, Dr. Varano has led over 75 clinical trials, and has participated in more than 20 others in a Sub-Investigator role, working with 25 different Pharmaceutical companies, and is GCP/ICH certified. Double-board certified, Dr. Varano specializes in Internal Medicine and has a sub-specialty in Geriatric Medicine. Dr. Varano has developed community programs serving older patients and their caregivers as Program Director and Geriatrician of the Elder Horizons Program at Yale New Haven Hospital. She has obtained certification as Diplomat of the American Board of Internal Medicine. Dr. Varano holds an M.D. from the Chicago Medical School, and a B.S. from Saint Joseph’s College. Dr. Varano leads our regional team of investigators, setting the standard for performance across our locations, working with other PIs to evaluate participation in new studies, and training new investigators as they begin their own work in clinical research.

Lauren joined CRC in 2012, and works with our team as a sub-investigator on many of our high-volume studies. She earned her Bachelor’s degree from Mount St. Mary College, and her MSN from Quinnipiac University.

Dr. Ferrentino is an OB/Gyn, awarded his M.D. by the NY Medical College, and completed his residency with the National Naval Medical Center.  Dr. Ferrentino works with CRC as a Sub-Investigator on a range of women’s health studies, complementing his work in private practice in our community.

Nancy Baker has served as Site Director of CRC since 2014 and manages all administrative and financial aspects of the site.  Nancy is the key contact for Sponsors and CROs on topics related to contracts and budgets and manages logistical issues to ensure efficient operation of the facility.  Nancy has also applied her 25+ years in high-tech roles in the software industry to ensure that CRC is using technology to achieve best practices in study execution and to keep CRC at the cutting edge of the clinical trials industry.

Rachel leads our clinical trial coordination as Assistant Site Director. She has more than 20 years of experience working with sponsors and CROs to evaluate and execute highly successful studies across a range of indications. Rachel is a Certified Clinical Research Professional, maintaining good standing with the Society of Clinical Research Associates since 2005, and IATA Certified since 2001. Working primarily out of our Milford location, Rachel sets the standard for Coordinators in terms of recruitment, training, and performance across the CRC organization as a whole.

Adina joined CRC in 2019 as a Research Nurse, primarily responsible for work on vaccine studies.  Adina has extensive experience as a nursing professional, working with patients in home, institutional, and clinic settings.

Gail Hopkins has been a member of the CRC team for over 25 years, developing strong ties with our volunteer community as a Patient Recruitment Manager, and as our Office Manager, helping to organize a broad range of logistics for the efficient execution of trials.  Currently Gail serves as a Study Coordinator, while continuing to design and lead our patient recruitment efforts across all our trials.

Patrice is a Study Coordinator Assistant, guiding our clinical trial subjects through their study visits.  Patrice holds a Bachelor’s degree in Biology and Chemistry from Loyola University Maryland, and is currently studying for a Master’s in Public Health. Patrice has extensive experience in clinical settings.

Diana is a Study Coordinator, working with our study patients at each step of the clinical trial visits. Diana holds an Associate degree in Applied Science from SUNY as well as a Certificate in Phlebotomy.  She has worked in a Study Coordinator role since 2019, including experience in pediatric trials.

Aleah Newton is a Lab Coordinator, with extensive experience as a phlebotomist.  She has a Certificate in Phlebotomy from Connecticut Center for Arts & Technology. She is responsible for working with our patients in specimen collection and testing, as well as for overall organization of our on-site laboratory.

Damian is an Associate Lab Coordinator/Phlebotomist, working with our study subjects to gather blood and other biological samples as part of the clinical trial process.  Damian holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Health Sciences from the University of Bridgeport, and has extensive experience collecting biological samples in clinical settings.

Linda Welch serves as Receptionist and EDC Specialist for CRC, joining the team in 2016.  Linda has training across a range of EDC systems, ensuring the timely transmission of study subject data to Sponsors and CROs.

Joan has been working with our team since 2017 as a Research Nurse, bringing with her a 30-year history of work as a Research Nurse and Study Coordinator for safety and efficacy trials in the areas of rheumatology, cardiology, endocrinology, neurology, urology, infectious disease and musculoskeletal diseases.

Jill Alave has been a part of the CRC team as Bookkeeper since 2014.  Jill manages Accounts Payable and Accounts Receivable and provides support to the organization across a range of banking and accounting functions.