Santa Ana, California

Principal Investigator
Mark Leibowitz, MD is an experienced and skilled Investigator with approximately 25 years of research experience. Dr. Leibowitz has participated in an estimated 500 studies from Phase I-IV across a variety of different indications. As part of his research portfolio, Dr. Leibowitz has conducted highly complex studies in healthy subjects and diverse patient populations including continuous cerebrospinal fluid studies, First in Human, Single and Multiple Ascending Dose studies, Ethnic bridging programs, QTc studies, as well as, serving as Principal Investigator for many adaptive trial designs. His experience includes leadership roles such as Medical Director for research sites located in California and Texas. In addition, he is currently a contributing member for a Data Safety Monitoring Board.

Principal Investigator
Juan Pablo Frías, MD, a native of Chile, completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Florida and received his medical degree from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. After serving 5 years as a General Medical Officer in the US Navy, he completed his training in Internal Medicine at Vanderbilt University and the University of Tennessee, and his Fellowship in Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism at the University of California, San Diego. Dr. Frías has held leadership positions in Clinical and Medical Affairs at Eli Lilly, Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Pfizer, and Johnson & Johnson, where he served as Chief Medical Officer and Global Vice President of Clinical and Medical Affairs, Diabetes Care. Dr. Frías has held academic positions at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Barbara Davis Center for Diabetes, and the University of California San Diego School of Medicine, where he is currently on the clinical faculty. He is also active in the non-profit organization Taking Control of Your Diabetes (TCOYD), where he lectures at the organization’s Latino Initiative patient conferences and provides continuing medical education for healthcare providers. Dr. Frías has been involved in diabetes and metabolism-related research for over 15 years and has authored numerous publications in this field.

Principal Investigator
Tshekedi Dennis, MD is a board-certified Psychiatrist who has over 10 years of research experience as an Investigator and over 20 years in clinical medicine. He has conducted dozens of studies in indications such as Depressive Disorders, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), General Anxiety, Schizophrenia, Dementia, Addiction, and more. Dr. Dennis has received recognition as a Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and as a past recipient of the Faculty of the Year award from the UCLA-Kern Medical Center. In the Southern California community, Dr. Dennis is an Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry & Neuroscience at UCR SOM (University of California Riverside School of Medicine). He continues to be active with patient care as well as psychiatry education and training.

Principal Investigator
Stanley Hsia, MD is an Associate Professor of Medicine at Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, and a Health Sciences Associate Clinical Professor with the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. He is board certified in Internal Medicine as well as Endocrinology and Metabolism, and is a consultant endocrinologist for the Diabetes Clinic at the Martin Luther King Jr. Multi-Service Ambulatory Care Center. He has also served as a program director for residents and endocrinology fellows, and as a clerkship director for the Drew/UCLA medical students. Dr. Hsia has been conducting clinical research over the past 13 years, including both industry and investigator-initiated trials, and has been funded by grants from National Institutes of Health and the American Diabetes Association. He has also published original research, book chapters, review papers and CME programs on the management of lipid disorders, insulin resistance, and diabetes mellitus.

Principal Investigator
John Nelson, PA-C is a skilled Physician Assistant with over 20 years of medical and clinical research experience in a variety of indications such as Pulmonary Medicine and Critical Care, Internal Medicine, Gastroenterology, Infectious Disease, Emergency Medicine, and Geriatrics. He obtained his Physician Assistant certification from the USC School of Medicine. John currently serves as a Sub-Investigator for multiple Velocity sites in the LA area and is a member of the California Academy of Physician Assistants.

Site Manager
Minie Mercado, LVN, is a highly seasoned research professional. She has conducted studies from Phase 1-4 for the past 25 years. Some of her experience includes CNS, Metabolic, and Liver Disease. Prior to Velocity, she was head of NASH Research with a local Hepatology center.