| |
President
2024
Aris Beoglos Eliades, PhD, RN, CRN-BC, supports research and evidence-based practice at Akron Children’s Hospital. During her tenure at Akron Children’s, she served in education and research leadership positions within the nursing division and the Rebecca D. Considine Research Institute and was instrumental in building the nursing research program and advancing clinical research nursing. Prior to her roles at Akron Children’s, she was faculty at The University of Akron and a research coordinator at Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital. She has been the recipient of several awards recognizing research expertise including the March of Dimes Ohio Research Nurse of the Year. Aris has served as member and Chair of the IACRN Research Committee, Leadership Fellow Mentor, and member of the Committee Chair & Leadership Collaborative. A published author, reviewer, and speaker, she is passionate about mentoring nurses to build and share their expertise to advance the practice of clinical research nursing.
|
| |
President-Elect
2025
Tamara Kempken Mehring, MSN, RN, CRN-BC™
has been a clinical research nurse since 1996. She has held positions as CRN
coordinator, direct care CRN, charge nurse, and has been involved in protocol
implementation and operationalization. In 2011 she graduated from Edgewood
College with her master’s degree in nursing education. She is currently the
Clinical Research Unit clinical nurse specialist at UW Health.
Tamara is an active member of the International Association
of Clinical Research Nurses (IACRN) the only professional organization for
clinical research nurses. She has served on many IACRN committees and
workgroups, BoD member at large and is the current president elect. She is one
of 4 coauthors of the Scope and Standards of Practice for Clinical Research
Nursing, contributed to the IACRN Clinical Research Nursing Core Curriculum, and
cofounder of the Clinical Research Nurse Certification Council (CRNCC). In 2022
she was awarded the IACRN Distinguished Clinical Research Nurse Award. She is
passionate about clinical research nursing and her role in supporting cutting
edge research and making the future of healthcare better through clinical
research.
|
| |
Treasurer
2024
Sheryl Forbes, PhD, MEd, RN, CRN-BC, CCRP is a Nursing Research Quality Specialist at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas. Sheryl has been an oncology nurse since 2010 and involved in clinical research since 2013. In her current role, Sheryl engages in multiple projects and programs impacting patients enrolled in clinical trials and the research staff who care for them. She sits on various institutional committees and leads quality improvement initiatives to create best practices. Sheryl has been a member of IACRN since 2015 serving on the Board of Directors as a Member at Large and Treasurer. She has also served on a variety of committees, including the Education Committee, Research Committee, Committee Chair & Leadership Collaborative, and as a mentor for the Leadership Program. Sheryl’s research interests include ethical issues in clinical research, specifically those in clinical research nursing.
|
| |
Secretary
2025Catherine A. Griffith, PhD, RN is the current IACRN Secretary and has been an active member of IACRN since 2009. She has a critical care background, having served as an adult burn/trauma nurse followed by many years as the MGH Clinical Nurse Specialist of the Blake 8 Cardiac SICU. It was in the ICU setting where Catherine was introduced to clinical trials. She became interested in the communication pathways between bedside nurses and research study teams motivating her to change specialties to Clinical Research Nursing. Catherine currently serves as an Advisor to the MGH CRN Collaborative, a group working tirelessly to increase the voice and visibility of CRNs through advocacy and networking.
|
| |
Chair, Committee Chair & Leadership Collaborative (CC&LC)
2025
Melissa Schmitt started her nursing career in 2005 at the Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Hospital on the Spinal Cord Injury Unit. In 2008, she transitioned from a staff nurse position to a Clinical Research Nurse Coordinator for various Neuroprosthesis and Drug trials where she continues to work on a variety of studies across the Cleveland VA, Case Western Reserve University, and Metro Hospital. Melissa currently works with a multi-disciplinary team that applies electrical stimulation to interface with muscles, nerves, and organs to restore function in persons with spinal cord injury, stroke, or amputation. Melissa supports the projects by submitting and maintaining regulatory documents and approvals, leading patient recruitment, serving as the main contact for research participants, and experimental design, including qualitative analysis and mixed methods.
Melissa Schmitt's commitment to professional development and leadership roles is evident in her involvement with IACRN and the CCLC. She joined IACRN in 2020 and was a fellow in the 2021 Cohort IACRN Leadership Program. Her experience was so rewarding that she continued to serve as a facilitator and Mentor for the Leadership Program. Since 2022, she has been actively involved with the CCLC and will further demonstrate her commitment by serving as the 2025 chair of the committee.
|
| |
Member-at-Large2024
Kristen Legor, PhD, JD, RN, OCN, CRN-BC is the Vice President of Clinical Research Nursing Operations and Associate Chief Nurse at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI) in Boston, MA. She is responsible for the practice of Clinical Research Nursing across the enterprise - inclusive of adult and pediatric ambulatory and inpatient practice settings. Dr. Legor oversees the review of new therapeutic and pertinent non-therapeutic research protocols, coordination of clinical trial education programs for clinical and non-clinical staff, and training of all new research nurses and research nurse residents. She is chair of the Dana Farber/Harvard Cancer Center (DF/HCC) Clinical Operations Nursing Committee and has served as a member of and the DF/HCC Institutional Review Board for over a decade. Dr. Legor is also responsible for overseeing the clinical research nursing track for the DFCI Oncology Nurse Residency Program which was initiated in 2016. She is a member of the Oncology Nursing Society (ONS), recently serving as Director at Large for the local Boston Chapter; a member of the International Association of Clinical Research Nurses, serving as a longstanding member of the education committee and co-authoring a chapter in the first edition of the Core Curriculum for Clinical Research Nursing; and a member of the Organization of Nurse Leaders (ONL).
|
| |
Member-at-Large
2025
Lee Ann Lawson BSN MS APRN CCRC is an Associate Medical Director for Fabry Disease at Amicus Therapeutics, a global, patient dedicated, biotech company dedicated to discovering, developing, and delivering high quality treatments for patients living with rare metabolic diseases. Lee Ann has more than 20 years of nursing experience, with a strong passion for providing family centered care to those living with rare disease. Lee Ann worked 15 years at academic translational research programs in various clinical research roles including study nurse, study coordinator, regulatory coordinator, and co-investigator. Lee Ann joined IACRN in 2017 and participated in the IACRN Leadership Program in 2018. Lee Ann authored the Informed Consent Chapter in the Clinical Research Nursing Core Curriculum (2021), facilitated the IACRN Leadership Program (2021-2023), served on the Education Committee (2018-2022) served as chair-elect of the CCLC (2023).
|
| |
Global Member-at-Large
2024
Noriko Fujiwara, RN, Ph.D., CRN-BC, OCNS, CCRP, is a research nurse and oncology/ palliative care nurse
specialist at the IMSUT Hospital, the University of Tokyo, Japan. She has been
actively involved with the IACRN since 2010 and has served as president of the
IACRN Japan Chapter since 2016. Her global contributions include serving as an
advisor to other international chapters on the Chapter Governance Committee
(since 2016) and implementing global events through the Conference Planning
Committee (2021–2024). She also co-authored the "Drug Development
Process" chapter in the Clinical Research Nursing Core Curriculum (2021)
and mentored in the IACRN Leadership Program (2020, 2023). In 2024, she was
honored with the DCRNA Award. She has been dedicated to enhancing the quality
of clinical research through collaboration with patients and the public, and by
promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).
|
|
.jpg)
