The people building PhaseWell.
Operators, clinicians, and strategists who came to PhaseWell because the mission is real, and are here to make sure it stays that way.




Carsten Bick
Chief Executive Officer
Carsten Bick is the CEO of PhaseWell Research, joining the company at its inception in December 2024, bringing over fifteen years of clinical operating leadership to the team. Most recently, Carsten served as Senior Vice President and Head of Operations at IVX Health, a national ambulatory infusion company focused on providing access to advanced biologic pharmaceuticals for patients with complex chronic conditions. At IVX, he oversaw expansion from 10 to over 100 clinics while growing annual revenue to $1.2B, culminating in a sale to Linden Capital in 2024.
His prior experience includes senior leadership positions at naviHealth, a leading post-acute care management business acquired by Optum, where he led the growth of the company's utilization and care management services covering nearly six million patients, and R1 RCM, a national revenue cycle management provider for health systems.
Carsten holds a bachelor's degree in economics from Vanderbilt University.


Roberto Ramirez
Chief Financial Officer
Roberto Ramirez is the Chief Financial Officer of PhaseWell Research, bringing over eighteen years of experience building finance organizations that drive growth, unlock operational scale, and deliver client and investor outcomes. Prior to joining PhaseWell, Roberto was an Operating Partner at American Securities, where he led finance transformation across a broad portfolio. During his tenure, he also served as interim CFO at SimonMed, a national imaging provider performing over 2 million scans annually across 150+ locations, and at RealManage, where he led financial operations supporting 300,000 households across the U.S.
Earlier in his career, Roberto led global strategic finance at Asurion, guiding revenue growth from $7B to $12B in service to over 300 million subscribers. He began his career in finance and consulting roles at Deloitte, Accenture, and The Hershey Company.
Roberto holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from Villanova University, graduating cum laude.


Alison Shekman
Chief of Staff
Alison Shekman is the Chief of Staff of PhaseWell Research, joining the company at its inception in December 2024. Prior to joining PhaseWell, Alison served as a CXO at Shore Capital Partners, where she partnered with CEOs and executive teams on value creation projects across the firm’s healthcare portfolio.
Earlier in her career, Alison held leadership roles at Crowe, advancing to Manager in the healthcare consulting practice. In this role, she led complex engagements for major health systems, focusing on revenue cycle optimization, financial performance improvement, and operational efficiency. Her work generated over $40 million in net revenue gains for her clients through the implementation of data-driven strategies and technology-enabled solutions.
Alison holds an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management and a bachelor’s degree in finance and economics from Washington University in St. Louis.


Courtney Wagner
VP, Head of Quality & Regulatory Affairs
Courtney is the Vice President of Quality and Regulatory Affairs at PhaseWell Research and also serves as the company’s Privacy Officer. She brings almost 30 years of clinical research experience, including more than a decade in Quality leadership. Prior to joining PhaseWell, she led the Quality function at ObjectiveHealth, where she built a Quality Management System from scratch, implemented Quality by Design across its elements, and scaled corporate QMS oversight through dozens of research site joint ventures.
Earlier in her career, Courtney led clinical trials at Pharmacia, Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America, and Covance. At Takeda, she managed an $80 million study budget, drafted clinical sections of an IND application, and served on the program team for the company’s highest-priority compound.
Courtney holds a master’s degree in clinical research administration from George Washington University and is a Certified HIPAA Privacy and Security Expert (CHPSE).


Leah Zilla
VP, Head of Business Development
Leah Zilla is the Vice President and Head of Business Development. She brings 17 years of experience in clinical research business development, consistently driving commercial growth across a wide range of clinical trial services and technologies. Her career spans roles supporting decentralized clinical trials (DCTs), clinical trial financial management, patient and site engagement solutions, and imaging and cardiac safety services. Throughout her career, she has delivered high-performance results, including exceeding multi-million-dollar quotas, expanding enterprise accounts, and launching innovative solutions.
Leah has consistently delivered top-tier commercial results exceeding sales targets 1.2-3.5 times of annual quota which earned her “BD Representative of the Year” 10 times. Leah's ability to align complex solutions with sponsor needs has earned her a reputation as a trusted leader in clinical research commercialization.
Leah holds an MBA from Fitchburg State University and a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from St. Louis University.


Rohit Singh
VP, Head of Corporate Development
Rohit is the Vice President of Mergers & Acquisitions at PhaseWell Research. He has spent over 10 years in healthcare investing and M&A, with a focus on partnering with founder-owned organizations for the next chapter of growth. Prior to PhaseWell Research, he was a private equity investor and life sciences vertical lead at GI Partners and Norwest Venture Partners. He started his career in investment banking at Deutsche Bank within the healthcare & life sciences group.
Within the clinical trial industry, he has held board member/observer positions at Clinical Ink, eClinical Solutions, and Target RWE (fka Target PharmaSolutions). His other healthcare investments and board roles include Blue Cloud Pediatric Surgery Centers (acquired by TPG Rise), Scratchpay, Onsite Dental, and American Endovascular.
Rohit holds a bachelor's degree in environmental economics & policy from U.C. Berkeley.


Taryn Nash
VP, Head of Human Resources & Talent Acquisition
Taryn Nash is the Vice President of Human Resources and Talent Acquisition at PhaseWell Research. A strategic HR executive with more than 20 years of progressive leadership experience, she has a proven track record of aligning HR strategy with organizational priorities to drive meaningful results. Her business acumen has been shaped by diverse industry experience spanning healthcare, consumer packaged goods, MedTech, and technology, within both global and domestic organizations.
Before joining PhaseWell, Taryn served as Director of Human Resources at Acadia Healthcare, where she developed a corporate talent strategy that reduced turnover by 8%, increased engagement by 13%, and delivered $2.3 million in cost savings. At Mars Petcare, she supported R&D by growing the succession pipeline by 20% and saving $3.5 million in overhead. Earlier, she held HR roles at Baxter and Siemens.
Taryn holds a graduate degree in Human Resources Management from Sheridan College and an Honours Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from McMaster University.


Jennifer Gilkey
Controller
Jennifer Gilkey is the Controller at PhaseWell Research. She brings over seventeen years of progressive finance leadership experience, with a focus on financial reporting, capital markets, and finance transformation in the healthcare and life sciences sectors. Prior to joining PhaseWell, Jennifer served as Vice President of Financial Reporting at Summit Behavioral Healthcare, where she led financial reporting, strategic forecasting, treasury oversight and system-wide finance transformation.
Before Summit, Jennifer spent over fifteen years at Ernst & Young in both the U.S. and U.K., most recently as a Senior Manager in the Financial Accounting Advisory Services practice. She supported clients through complex transactions including IPOs, debt and equity offerings, M&A, and SEC reporting. She also led internal control implementations and technical accounting efforts across global engagements, working with clients in life sciences, manufacturing, and agriculture.
Jennifer is a Certified Public Accountant and holds both an MBA and bachelor’s degree in accounting and information systems from Murray State University.

Aaron Campo
Board Director

Aaron Campo
Board Director
Mr. Campo is the leader and founding partner of Renstar Medical Research, a clinical trial site that has conducted more than 700 studies with over 100 biopharmaceutical sponsors. In his role, Mr. Campo oversees all aspects of site operations, sponsor relationships, and long-term business strategy.
Beyond Renstar, Mr. Campo also leads IMS Pharmacy and Neurological Specialists of Central Florida, further demonstrating his commitment to integrated, high-quality care across the healthcare continuum. Known for his operational excellence, Mr. Campo emphasizes data-driven decision-making, cohesive team development, and rigorously defined standard operating procedures—principles that have enabled him to grow and scale multiple successful ventures throughout Central Florida.
With more than 25 years at Renstar, Mr. Campo began his career as a Network Administrator and has played a pivotal role in the organization’s growth and evolution. His deep operational knowledge and entrepreneurial mindset continue to shape the site’s strategic direction and industry leadership.
Aaron holds a bachelor's degree in business administration and management from University of Florida.

Daniel Castillo
Board Director

Daniel Castillo
Board Director
Dr. Castillo is the Chief Executive Officer of Optum Care Delivery. He previously served as the CEO of Optum Health East, where he led regional operations within UnitedHealth Group’s health services and innovative platform, focusing on care delivery optimization and value-based growth.
Dr. Castillo is the Co-founder of Emvenio Research, a decentralized clinical research organization enabling broader trial access through community-based and mobile site models. Dr. Castillo also serves on the Board of WiserCare, a healthcare IT company specializing in analytic driven shared decision making.
Previously, Dr. Castillo was the President of Matrix Medical Network, a national provider organization backed by private equity, where he oversaw a workforce of 5,000 clinicians delivering in-home and mobile health services nationwide.
Dr. Castillo continues to practice as an emergency medicine physician at Northwestern Medicine in Chicago, maintaining clinical engagement alongside executive leadership.
Dr. Castillo holds an MD from the Medical College of Wisconsin and an MBA from University of Chicago's Booth School of Business.

David Johnston
Board Director

David Johnston
Board Director
Dr. Johnston has led large-scale clinical research and laboratory operations across global organizations. As President of PPD, Dr. Johnston was responsible for 36,000 employees and oversaw three core business divisions: Clinical Development, Patient Advisory Services, and Analytical Services. Dr. Johnston also managed enterprise-wide functions including Process Improvement, Quality Assurance, Learning and Development, and SG&A operations.
Previously, Dr. Johnston served as Executive Vice President of Global Clinical Development and EVP of PPD Laboratories, where he directed global trial delivery and laboratory service expansion.
From 2009 to 2013, Dr. Johnston held the role of Senior Vice President and Global Head of Clinical Trials at LabCorp Clinical Trials, where he managed global clinical operations during a period of significant growth.
In addition to PhaseWell Research, Dr. Johnston currently advises Inceptor Bio and Locus Biosciences, contributing to clinical development strategy and operational planning in the biotech sector, and is an executive advisor with Water Street Healthcare Partners.
Dr. Johnston holds a PhD in Microbiology and Immunology from the UNC School of Medicine and a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

Rob Goodwin
Board Director

Rob Goodwin
Board Director
Mr. Goodwin currently serves as Chief Operating Officer of Parexel, where he leads core clinical and operational functions with responsibility for quality, compliance, and innovation across global clinical trial delivery. Previously serving as Senior Vice President of Clinical Development and Operations at Pfizer, Mr. Goodwin oversaw global execution of clinical programs as well as some of the core groups to enable clinical trials, with a focus on optimizing trial delivery and operational scalability.
From 2010 to 2015, Mr. Goodwin served as Vice President of Safety Evaluation and Reporting in Pfizer’s Worldwide Safety and Regulatory division. In this role, Mr. Goodwin managed global functions including case processing, medical review, aggregate safety reporting, and regulatory medical writing across local and global markets.
Previously, from 2005 to 2010, Mr. Goodwin held the position of Vice President and Worldwide Head of Global Clinical Data Services, where he was responsible for clinical data management and operations within Development Operations.
Mr. Goodwin holds an MBA from Fairleigh Dickinson University’s Silberman College of Business, a master’s degree in research measurement and quantitative analysis from Southern Connecticut State University, and a bachelor’s degree in psychology and business from Eastern Connecticut State University.

Mike Gabrail
Board Director

Mike Gabrail
Board Director
Mr. Gabrail serves as a leader and advisor to Gabrail Cancer Center Research, where he supports site strategy and contracting. He has been instrumental in continuing the vision established by the center’s founder, Dr. Nashat Gabrail, contributing to its growth and sponsor network.
In addition to his contributions to clinical research, Mr. Gabrail is a practicing attorney with expertise in tax and property law, with a particular focus on regulatory and policy issues at the intersection of real estate and taxation.
Mr. Gabrail is also the founder and principal of The Crossroads Group, an investment firm with a diversified portfolio spanning multiple industries, and the co-founder of the Gabrail Family Foundation, which provides educational and financial support to students from underrepresented backgrounds.
Mr. Gabrail holds a JD from Case Western Reserve University and a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Miami University.

Kevin Offel
Lead Independent Director

Kevin Offel
Lead Independent Director
Mr. Offel is a seasoned healthcare executive with a strong track record of leading and scaling multi-site healthcare platforms. He has served as President and CEO of Centennial Hospice, My Dentist, Great Lake Dental Partners, and other nationally recognized healthcare organizations, where he delivered operational transformation and sustainable growth.
Mr. Offel’s prior roles include Executive Vice President of Operations at MDVIP, a national leader in personalized medicine, and Vice President of Operations at CareCore National, a specialty benefits management company. Across these positions, he has consistently driven efficiency, expanded service capabilities, and enhanced quality of care.
Mr. Offel is a former U.S. Army Blackhawk helicopter pilot. He also serves as Lead Independent Director for Great Lakes Dental Partners, Strongpoint Partners, and EyeSouth Partners, and is a Board Director for Specialdocs Consultants. His leadership has been instrumental in driving strategic governance and long-term growth, leading to successful recapitalizations.
Mr. Offel holds an MBA from Emory University’s Goizueta Business School and a bachelor’s degree in systems engineering from the United States Military Academy.