Accel Research Sites

Accel Clinical Services (ACS), the parent company of Accel Research Sites, is excited to announce its acquisition of the assets of AMPLIFY Clinical.

This acquisition includes AMPLIFY’s highly regarded Meridien Research site network, the acclaimed NeuroStudies destination research unit, and the formidable InSearch site business development network. This combined enterprise will create a Southeastern U.S. clinical research powerhouse consisting of over 100 team members with multi-phase and multi-therapeutic capabilities serving Sponsor and CRO needs in both healthy and patient populations. The combined team’s headquarters will be in ACS’s newly established corporate office in Lake Mary, Florida.

Concurrently, ACS announces an expanded executive team with expertise in business and clinical operations, marketing, and finance. CEO Matt Maxwell describes the impetus behind Accel’s recent changes. “Despite ongoing scientific advancements, the clinical research infrastructure has been slow to evolve, which has led to major inefficiencies in the way researchers, providers, and patients can connect to develop and access new solutions for disease prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. This acquisition, new corporate headquarters, and addition of new executive team members will position us to be major change agents in an industry ready for new thinking.”

Maxwell will remain Accel Clinical Services’ Chief Executive Officer. He joined Accel in 2018 and became CEO in April 2019. Maxwell has over 13 years of clinical research leadership experience and is currently pursuing his Doctor of Business Administration. Melissa Hodges also remains on the Accel leadership team in her recently appointed role of Vice President, Quality and Compliance. Hodges has over 25 years healthcare and research experience, including 18 years at Accel.

In addition to Maxwell and Hodges, ACS announces these additions to the executive team:

Tim Vargas serves as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer for Accel Clinical Services. Vargas is the driving force behind the significant organizational transformation and the recent acquisition. He received a B.S. in Finance and Accounting from Wichita State University and an MBA with honors from Rollins College.

Christina Dolan joined ACS in February and serves as Vice President of Marketing. Dolan, a marketing veteran, will lead all marketing and patient recruitment activities, bringing extensive experience leading world-class marketing teams. Dolan holds a B.A. from Purdue University, where she currently sits on the advisory board of Purdue’s LAMB School of Communications. She also holds an MBA from Rollins College.

Dr. Lora Parahovnik joined ACS in March and serves as Accel’s Vice President of Clinical Operations. She is responsible for leading study conduct at all site locations for the combined enterprise. Dr. Parahovnik received her B.S., Medicinal and Pharmaceutical Chemistry from Bar-Ilan University and holds dual M.S. degrees in Environmental Bio-Electrochemistry and Advanced Materials Chemistry plus a Ph.D. in Environmental Microbiology from the prestigious Technion – Israel Institute of Technology.

Michael Audley will serve as ACS’ Vice President of Technology. He is responsible for assuring Accel maintains the highest levels of efficiency and employs the most innovative solutions in the evolving medical and research technology landscape. A Veteran of the United States Air Force, Audley holds a B.S. in Business from the University of Phoenix.

ACS plans to play a significant role in a future research landscape that is evidence-based, efficient, and provides access to treatment options for as many patients as possible. “All providers and patients deserve access to clinical trials. It is our duty to help patients in need get access to novel treatments, especially when no effective options are approved for general use,” Maxwell says. “This organization and its team of over 100 researchers, stands ready to serve the patients of today and the patients of the future.”