DRAPER, UTAH / ACCESS Newswire / October 16, 2025 / CenExel, a leading, wholly owned clinical research site network, announces the formation of the CenExel Task Forces, designed to strengthen collaboration, enhance scientific innovation, and further elevate patient care across its nationwide network.

The new CenExel Task Forces, which are focused on Psychiatry, Pain, and Metabolic research, unite key opinion leaders and operational experts from across CenExel's nineteen Centers of Excellence to advance clinical research through shared expertise, strategic alignment, and collaboration.

Task Force Leadership

• Psychiatry Task Force: David Walling, PhD, Chief Scientific Director, CenExel Psychiatry

• Pain Task Force: Todd Bertoch, MD, Chief Medical Director, CenExel Pain

• Metabolic Task Force: Kimball Johnson, MD, Chief Medical Director, CenExel Metabolic

These therapeutic task forces will drive CenExel's mission to put patients first by optimizing trial design and delivery, ensuring access to innovative therapies, and reinforcing consistency and quality across the network. The initiative also strengthens the partnership between scientific and operational leaders, enabling CenExel to provide sponsors and CROs with even greater data quality and reliability.

"Our leadership team is the backbone of CenExel," said Ryan Brooks, CenExel's Chief Executive Officer. "These new Task Forces harness the collective expertise and compassion of our most experienced clinicians and researchers. By bringing them together to share insights and align strategy, we're ensuring that every decision - scientific, operational, and commercial - ultimately support the patients in our communities who trust us with their care."

In conjunction with the Task Force initiative, CenExel also announced several leadership appointments that reflect the company's continued investment in operational excellence and scientific depth:

• Jennifer Clifton - Executive Site Director, CenExel Savannah

• Karen Ortiz - Executive Site Director, CenExel Denver

• Jane Joaquine - Executive Site Director, CenExel Riverside

• Vera Grindell - Regional Rater Trainer, CenExel West

The Task Forces will convene regularly to align scientific and operational priorities: monthly full-team meetings to share strategy and insights, biweekly subgroup sessions to focus on therapeutic or functional areas, and quarterly reviews with executive leadership to guide network-wide growth and innovation.

CenExel's establishment of these Task Forces reflects its ongoing commitment to advancing clinical research with a patient-first mindset by combining scientific rigor, compassionate care, and deep community engagement to deliver meaningful breakthroughs for patients and their families.

SOURCE: CenExel Research