Emerging Investigator Physicians Share Insights on Lowering Participation Barriers

Dr. Blair is a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics and a Diplomate of the American Board of Pediatrics with a lifelong commitment to improving the lives of children and their families in Dallas. He completed his undergraduate studies at Texas A&M University and received his medical degree from the University of Texas Health Science at San Antonio. He completed his pediatric internship and residency at the University of Texas Medical School at Houston.Forest Lane Pediatrics, founded by Dr Blair, has expanded to twelve physicians with office locations in Dallas and Plano. Before coming to Dallas, he practiced in Sherman, Texas where he managed private practices as well as hospital-owned practices. He is a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Dallas County Medical Society, Texas Medical Association and the American Medical Association. Dr Blair lives in Dallas and has four sons. Dr Blair and his staff at Forest Lane Pediatrics are committed to excellence in caring for children and adolescents. He has been selected six times as one of D Magazine’s Best Pediatricians in Dallas.

Jennifer Byrne’s career has been devoted to leading organizations, building teams, and cultivating partnerships centered on advancing the clinical research enterprise to better connect patients and providers to clinical trials. Ms Byrne founded Javara with a vision to revolutionize the industry by accelerating access to research – for patients, biopharma companies and healthcare systems alike. Her passion and commitment to transforming the clinical research landscape into an integrated component of healthcare are at the forefront of Javara’s mission.As the former CEO of PMG Research and Founder of Greater Gift (501(c)3), Ms Byrne’s involvement in the clinical research enterprise has been vast across collaborations with hundreds of pharma, device, Contract Research Organizations (CROs), technology, site organizations, and other research service providers for the direct execution of over 7,500 Phase I-IV industry sponsored clinical trials. Her stellar track record for consistent and excellent quality in patient, provider and client experiences associated with research trials is but one of many professional accomplishments. As a clinical research thought leader, Ms Byrne thrives on building high performing teams and partnerships within the evolving healthcare and biopharmaceutical landscapes, leading to better outcomes for all stakeholders.Ms Byrne has been recognized as a CenterWatch Top 20 Innovator and was included in the 2021 PharmaVOICE Women of Influence. She has been the recipient of both the NC Biotechnology Entrepreneurial Excellence Award as well as ACRP’s 2018 Innovation in Clinical Research Award. Ms Byrne currently co-chairs the Racial Equity Task Force at Wake Forest Baptist Health, and serves as the Board Chair for Greater Gift, a Trustee for The Association of Clinical Research Professionals (ACRP) and an Advisory Board member to CISCRP. She is also an Advisory Chair for the Masters in Clinical Research Management with Wake Forest University and serves in Advisory roles with the Wake Forest Institute of Regenerative Medicine, the Dioko Fund, and the North Carolina Biotech of the Piedmont Triad. Ms Byrne sits on the Leadership Advisory Board for the Avoca Quality Consortium and the Workforce Innovation Steering Committee for ACRP and Board Chair for The Summit School. She is a graduate of Texas A&M University.

   

Dr Tina Kennelly received her undergraduate degree from Clemson University in 2005 and graduated from the University of South Carolina school of medicine in 2009. She then did her internship, residency and chief residency at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. In 2013 she moved to Charlotte and joined Mecklenburg Medical Group as an Internist. In 2018 she became a founding partner of Tryon Medical Partners which serves over 150,000 patients in the greater Charlotte area. She then became the Director of Research for TMP where she has served as the Principal Investigator for numerous research projects including the Moderna COVE study as well as the Janssen ENSEMBLE study.