Academy Board of Trustees

CHAIR
Robert O’Connor, CCRA, ACRP-CP, FACRP, is a senior clinical scientist in The Procter & Gamble Company’s Baby, Feminine, and Family Care BioSciences Department. He has a BA in Biology from Drew University in New Jersey and a master’s degree in Biology from The University of Cincinnati. Before joining Procter & Gamble, Rob worked as a clinical research associate at ClinTrials in Nashville, TN., and at Kendle Research Associates in Cincinnati, OH. He joined Procter & Gamble in 1994 and worked for several years as a clinical researcher in the OTC medicine division before moving to the Paper Division. In his current role as a Clinical Scientist, Rob is responsible for protocol development, study design and management, and post-study activities for Pampers diapers and baby wipes. In addition, he is responsible for IRB review, FDA compliance, and monitoring of the safety of study subjects. He has served as the Principal Investigator on over 50 clinical studies.  Rob’s research has been published in numerous peer-reviewed journals. He is a Fellow of the Association of Clinical Research Professionals. He is a recognized expert in Bio-Instrumental skin measurements and has served as an internal Procter & Gamble IRB member, as well as an adjunct Professor at the University of Cincinnati.

VICE CHAIR
Dee Tilley, RN, CGRN, CCRC, ACRP-MDP, ACRP-PM, FARCP, is a clinical research nurse for Bon Secours Mercy Health St. Vincent Medical Center. She has 25 years of research experience in Phase I-IV clinical trials, with a special interest in infectious disease, gastroenterology, and rare diseases. She obtained her CCRC certification in 2006, her ACRP-MDP subspecialty designation in 2019, and her ACRP-PM subspecialty designation in 2021. Dee received an associate degree in Nursing from the University of Toledo. She first became involved with ACRP by writing items for the CCRC exam in 2013, served as a committee member for the CCRC exam from 2014 to 2020 (including time as the committee Chair from 2018 to 2020), and participated in the creation of the ACRP-MDP exam. She is also certified with the Society of Gastrointestinal Nurses (SGNA) since 1991, was the founding president of the Maumee Bay Chapter of SGNA, and initiated the annual Gut-Together educational conference. She is dedicated to the process and oversight of ACRP.

IMMEDIATE PAST CHAIR
Steven Ziemba, PhD, MBA, CIP, CCRC, CPI, ACRP PM, FACRP, is the Lead IRB Reviewer and Assistant Professor in Healthcare Administration for Northcentral University, an accredited and nationally regarded online university.  He is also the founder and principal of Research Site Consult, LLC, a consulting business for healthcare organizations involved or interested in clinical research.  Mr. Ziemba holds several graduate degrees and professional designations, including a PhD in Healthcare Administration, MS in Biomedical Science and MBA with a concentration in Pharmaceutical Industry Studies.  Additionally, he is certified as a Clinical Research Coordinator (CCRC) and Principal Investigator (CPI), a Certified IRB Professional (CIP), Fellow of the Association of Clinical Research Professionals (FACRP) and Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE).  In addition to his work, Mr. Ziemba is an active volunteer of the Association of Clinical Research Professionals, working with the association as it strives to enhance the quality of clinical research.  Among other activities, he has served on the association’s Board of Trustees, including as its 2016 Chair.

PUBLIC MEMBER
Michael Smedley, Jr., BA, BFA, MBA, holds degrees from Penn State and Purdue University. Currently working for a Fortune 500 company, Walt Disney Imagineering, his academic and professional experience has helped him develop a strategic approach to driving growth and innovation within organizations. As a patient impacted by a rare genetic retinal disease, Michael brings a unique and personal perspective to clinical research. His leadership in fundraising campaigns and collaboration with researchers and clinicians have supported studies focused on achieving meaningful outcomes, particularly within the rare disease community. Michael is committed to leveraging his experience and skills to help guide ACRP’s strategic direction and foster its continued growth.

ACRP Board Liaison
Suheila Abdul-Karrim, MICR CSci, RQAP-GCP, CCRA, ACRP-MDP, FACRP, is an independent clinical research consultant providing services and training to pharmaceutical industry sponsors, contract research organizations, clinical investigators, and clinical research associates (CRAs). Based in South Africa, she has a post-graduate degree in science from the University of Witwatersrand and more than 29 years of clinical trials experience as a CRA, clinical research manager, GCP trainer, and auditor. She travels extensively to train investigators, site staff, and CRAs on ICH-GCP principles and best practices, and conducts monitoring and auditing activities in Africa, Asia, India, the Americas, and Europe. An advocate for diversity in clinical research, she lectures part-time to students and is passionate about continuous learning. She has presented at local and international conferences and has various publications. She has maintained her CCRA Certification since 2000 and has served ACRP as an item writer, Chair of the Training and Development Committee, leader of a GCP interest group, and Editorial Advisor to the Clinical Researcher journal. She is currently active on the ACRP Content Committee and the Fellows Advisory Panel. She also is qualified as a Chartered Scientist in the United Kingdom and is a Registered Quality Assurance Professional (RQAP) in Good Clinical Practices.

Alisha Daniels, MD, MHA, CCRC, ACRP-PM, is the Executive Director of the Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer Network (DIAN) at Washington University in St. Louis, where she leads operations and strategic direction for a global research program advancing clinical trials in neurodegenerative disease. With two decades of experience in clinical research, Dr. Daniels has served as a clinical research assistant, coordinator, project manager, and administrator on Phase I–IV studies across neurology, oncology, and nephrology.  She became certified as a CCRC in 2016 and earned the ACRP-PM specialty designation in 2019. A committed ACRP volunteer since 2019, she has served on the CCRC Global Exam Committee—most recently as 2024 Committee Chair—contributed as a certification exam item writer, and participated in ACRP Job Analysis Task Force activities.  Dr. Daniels is also an active author and collaborator on manuscripts, presentations, and scholarly works focused on research operations, rare disease networks, and Alzheimer’s disease research. She is passionate about advancing workforce development, strengthening quality and ethics in clinical research, and supporting ACRP’s mission to promote excellence across the global research enterprise.

Richard Dima, M.D., MBA, CCRC, is an Assistant Vice President of Clinical Research at Northwell Health. He has enjoyed the last 10 years of his career in clinical research. After earning his medical degree, he volunteered on a Naloxone awareness study at the peak of the nation’s opioid crisis. Being able to provide evidence-based data that can change medicine and patient outcomes for healthcare is what piqued his interest in pursuing a career in clinical research. Richard obtained his ACRP Certified Clinical Research Coordinator certification in 2017. He was part of the study team that conducted the first fully remote Decentralized Clinical Trial at Northwell Health. Richard oversees research coordinators and leaders conducting trials in multiple disciplines at multiple locations throughout Northwell Health. He also helped create a training program for new Principal Investigators participating in clinical trials, as well as training and being a mentor for new and seasoned research professionals throughout Northwell Health. He was a finalist for the Northwell Health Presidents Award for Teamwork with the Staten Island University Hospital/Northwell Health research team in 2020, is a member of the Northwell’s Clinical Trials Advisory Committee, is co-chair of the EPIC Research Clinical Workgroup building and creating research workflows and functionality within Northwell’s new EHR system, EPIC, specifically for clinical research and serves on the ACRP Professional Ethics Committee.

Hubert Lesur, ACRP-CP, CCRC, is 20-year experienced professional in Clinical Research, former COO of a private Site Management Organization, and President of HL Health Support, providing Clinical Quality Assurance consultancy services. International ISO9001 and GxP Auditor, he acquired over the last 10 years a unique multi-target profile, by assisting in a combined way Sponsors from Start-ups to Big Pharmas and Academics and Research sites on QMS development, compliance, training programs and clinical application of regulations. Based in Paris, France, he participated in various regulatory affairs working groups. His experience also includes volunteering activities, being Chair of a non-profit patient association for 4 years, President of the management Board of a Sexual Health Clinic, and Research Coordination over 14 geriatric units during the COVID-19 pandemic crisis. Hubert joined ACRP in 2018 and holds a CCRC certification since then and is an ACRP-CP since 2024. He participated in the 2018 CCRC Job Analysis and is a CCRC Exam Committee member since 2020.

Ramona Ramdeo, DNP, FNP-C, MBA, CCRC, CPI, is the Senior Director of Clinical Research for the Department of Medicine at Northwell Health. She has more than 25 years of drug and device clinical research experience and is a Family Nurse Practitioner who has functioned as a Principal Investigator, Sub-Investigator, clinical research coordinator, and co-author of pulmonary-related publications. With experience in clinical trials, patient registries, decentralized trials, controlled substance studies, and research grants,  she oversees clinical research for many of Northwell’s medical divisions, providing hands-on coordinator and investigator support and guidance for the safe and effective conduct of clinical research. She is an ACRP Certified Clinical Research Coordinator (CCRC) and Certified Principal Investigator (CPI), and a member of Northwell’s Clinical Trials Advisory Committee and Nursing Research and Evidence Based Practice Council. She served on ACRP’s Professional Ethics Committee from 2022-2024.

SECRETARY/TREASURER
Susan P. Landis joined ACRP as Executive Director in June 2021. Landis brings to ACRP more than 25 years of experience in organizational leadership, including as Vice President, Quintiles, where she helped build and lead a global clinical research engagement group. Most recently, Landis served for 6 years as Head of Strategic Engagement & Communications at Duke Clinical Research Institute, where she led external and internal marketing for the world’s largest academic research organization.