RESEARCH DONE BRIGHT
BRIGHT Research Partners is a contract clinical research organization (CRO) specializing in medical devices.
- We manage clinical trials from concept to completion, with smarts and sophistication to make the complex appear simple
- We provide clinical research solutions with innovative strategies, superb execution, and personalized service
- We are right-sized to become a seamless extension of your team
- We take pride in using our broad and deep experience and lessons learned to make your life easier

Backstory
BRIGHT Research Partners was founded in 2008 with a mission to provide the med-tech industry with creative, sophisticated, and quality-focused research. Headquartered in the medical device hub of Minneapolis, Minnesota, BRIGHT has built a team focused on excellence.
We pride ourselves in not only our quality deliverables, but employee satisfaction, a collaborative culture, and work-life balance. You can take a deeper dive into BRIGHT’s backstory in this blog article by our founder, Andrea Fenton Abbs.


Our Values
Trust: We act in a responsible, moral, ethical, and sustainable way to support our mission, our team, and our clients.
Tenacity: We are passionate about clinical research and persistent in helping our clients succeed.
Transparency: We build strong relationships through honesty, authenticity, and clear communication.
We value strong relationships with every person on the study team. Our clients also benefit from the relationships we’ve developed with experienced physician investigators, key opinion leaders, top-notch clinical research sites, and core labs.
Ideal Clients
We work with medical device companies that require clinical studies for their Class II and III products; we provide strategic and effective solutions to design and direct their trials.
New clients come to BRIGHT primarily through referrals, which is a testament to the confidence clients have in our experienced and personable team.
We want to build long-term relationships with clients who share our core values. Our ideal clients are:
Strategic leaders who begin with the end in mind and appreciate the critical role clinical trials play in the success of their business
Efficiency and quality experts who invest in doing it right the first time
Ethical professionals who act with integrity and treat others with respect and kindness
The Team
Andrea Fenton Abbs
Chief Executive Officer, Founder
Andrea founded BRIGHT Research Partners to provide companies with a refreshing alternative for their clinical research needs…
Tom Goudreault, MBA
Chief Operating Officer
Tom has over 30 years of management experience in healthcare, higher education and consumer packaged goods and leads the…
Scott Brown, PhD
Chief Scientific Strategist
Scott has 18 years of experience in biostatistics for clinical trials, covering a wide variety of therapeutic areas including…
Joan Grebin Hazen, BA, MBA
Director of Clinical Study Execution
Joan brings over 30 years of clinical research experience and a passion for quality to BRIGHT. She has worked for a variety of organizations…
Melissa Ingram, PhD
Director of Clinical Research
Melissa has more than 15 years of research experience, in both academia and industry, and is interested in translating science into products…
Jeremy Abbs, MBA
Business Development Strategist
Jeremy has been an enthusiastic advocate of BRIGHT for years, both as Andrea’s husband and medical device professional…
Lisa Gallatin, RAC
Director of Clinical Regulatory & Quality
Lisa uses her 17 years of regulatory experience to assist BRIGHT clients in the development and execution of thoughtful, creative…
Robin Solinsky, CCRP
Director of Clinical Data Systems
Robin has worked on all aspects of clinical trials, from beginning to end, across a multitude of companies that range from small start-ups to industry giants…
Marit Slawson
Director of Project Planning & Analysis
Marit has a strong background in project management and quality assurance, including various senior engineering roles and…
Lisa Rillo, BSN, RN, CCRA
Monitoring Manager
Lisa has more than 25 years of clinical research experience working a variety of roles in the pharmaceutical, medical device…
Brian Harvey
Manager of Clinical Data Systems
Brian brings an enthusiasm for data management and nearly 20 years of clinical research experience to BRIGHT. He previously worked at the University of Minnesota…
Mary Ovick
Manager of Clinical Operations & Auditing
Mary is an operations and project management professional with over 9 years of clinical research experience. Mary is highly proficient…
Jean Gettis, MS, CCRA
Clinical Research Associate
With over 20 years of clinical research experience, Jean began her career as a study coordinator with Radiant Research…
Kim Hartz, MS
Clinical Research Associate
Kim enjoys all aspects of research collaboration including relationship development, trial planning/strategy and the full execution of clinical studies…
Louise Wohlford, RN, BSN
Clinical Research Associate
Louise’s nursing experience in cardiac and neuro ICUs, interventional cardiology, and electrophysiology have served her well for her real passion, clinical research…
Hannah Bearinger, PhD
Associate Study Director
Hannah brings a wealth of experience in materials science, engineering, and medical device product development, giving her a unique ability to…
Danielle Gustafson, MS
Associate Study Director
Dani has study director and monitoring experience in cardiovascular and peripheral vascular studies, and she’s eager to apply her 7+ years…
Emily Vollbrecht
Associate Study Director
Emily brings 6+ years of experience leading clinical trials at large academic health centers, including the University of Minnesota and…
Kathryn Evans Cizio, CCRP
Project Manager
Kathryn brings 10 years of clinical and project management experience. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in health promotion and…
Noelle Hadley, MS
Biostatistician
Noelle earned her Master’s degree in biostatistics from Tulane University and began her career in medical research…
Santiago Charry
Clinical Data Specialist
Santiago is a graduate from the University of Minnesota with a Bachelor of Science in biology as well as a minor in environmental…
Rebecca Koller
Clinical Research Associate
Becca brings her passion for science and her experience in clinical operations to the BRIGHT team…
Anisa Ahmed
Clinical Quality Systems Specialist
Anisa is a recent graduate from the University of Minnesota, where she received a Bachelor of Science degree in genetics, cell biology, and development with a minor in Spanish studies…
Anna Rillo
Clinical Research Associate
Anna is an experienced registered nurse, health advocate, and clinical researcher. Driven by her passion for innovation, she takes pride in identifying and providing the best available evidenced-based practices…
Emily Zabeli, RN
Clinical Research Associate
Emily’s passion and curiosity for innovation and care excellence have driven her to the field of clinical research after working more than 10 years as a registered nurse…
Drew Hemer
Clinical Research Associate
Drew has two years of experience in the coordination and management of both pure and applied research, including recruitment management for multiple Phase IV…
Barb Danson
Quality Systems & Technical Writing Advisor
Barb has 30+ years of medical device experience working in clinical, quality, and regulatory roles at ATS Medical, Vascular Solutions…
Todd Grantham
Data Management Programmer
Todd is an experienced technology and training professional with over 11 years of combined experience in clinical research database and reporting tool development; electronic trial master file (eTMF) and electronic…
Malori Niver
Business Operations Manager
Malori brings 6 years of business administration experience to BRIGHT, where she gets to wear her favorite hats that include accounting, marketing…
Katherine Giorgio
Data Management Intern
With a background in applied biological sciences, Katherine feels right at home in her medical device clinical research career. Her experience ranges from data collection in observational studies in children…
Connect
Tell us how BRIGHT can assist you with your next project. From consultation to completion, we are here to help.
BRIGHT is always seeking talented professionals who fit our culture and mission. If you are interested in joining our team, please send your résumé and cover letter to jobs@brightresearchpartners.com
612-345-4544
730 Second Avenue South, Suite 500
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55402
Bright Research Partners
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55402