meet the wmcrc team!

Dr. Allan Coates (pictured) is the Principal Investigator at WMCRC. Dr. Coates is board-certified in Gastroenterology and Internal Medicine, and has over 25 years of experience working as a Principal Investigator on over 175 industry-sponsored clinical trials.

Julia Valdespina, FNP joined our team as a Family Nurse Practitioner in February of 2022. Julia serves as a Sub-Investigator on all of our research studies. Julia is GCP certified.

Rochelle Copeland, MS, ACRP-CP, ACRP-PM has over 10 years of experience working on industry-sponsored clinical trials. Rochelle is the Site Director and handles all regulatory, IRB, and study-startup activities, including all contracts and budgets. She is certified through the Association of Clinical Research Professionals and is GCP certified.

Andrea Krautwurst, MPH, CCRC is the Lead Clinical Research Coordinator and Data Manager at WMCRC. Andrea has over 8 years of experience working on industry-sponsored clinical trials and is certified through the Association of Clinical Research Professionals. Andrea works on our Ulcerative Colitis, Gastroparesis, IBS-D, and Eosinophilic Esophagitis clinical trials. Andrea is a Certified FibroScan technician, and she is GCP and IATA-certified. 

Athena Kinsman, CCRC is a Clinical Research Coordinator at WMCRC. Athena has over 4 years of experience working on clinical trials. She is the Primary Research Coordinator on our NASH and Cirrhosis clinical trials, and has experience working on a Hemorrhoid study. Athena is a Certified FibroScan technician, ACRP-certified, and is GCP and IATA-certified. 

Sarah Delgado is a Clinical Research Coordinator on our team. Sarah is a Research Coordinator on our NASH and Cirrhosis trials, and she serves as an Unblinded Pharmacist on a few of our IBD studies. She also was the Primary Research Coordinator on our GERD clinical trial and capsule endoscopy device study. Sarah is a Certified FibroScan technician. She is GCP and IATA-certified. 

Breasia Fiddler is a Clinical Research Coordinator on our team. Breasia is a Research Coordinator on our Celiac, Hepatitis C, EoE, GERD, and registry trials.  She also serves as an Unblinded Pharmacist and is a Certified FibroScan technician. Breasia is GCP and IATA-certified. 

Pantera Evans, BS joined our team in March of 2025. Pantera is a Clinical Research Assistant who works on our Crohn's, IBS-D, and Gastroparesis clinical trials. She is GCP and IATA-certified. 

Austin Elluru, MA is a Clinical Research Assistant who joined our team in March of 2025. He works on our Cirrhosis, NASH, and registry studies. Austin is GCP and IATA-certified. 

Zoe McCourt, BA joined our team in April of 2025. She is a Clinical Research Assistant who works on our Cirrhosis, NASH, and registry studies. Zoe is GCP and IATA-certified. 

Andrew Syswerda, BS, RN is a Clinical Research Nurse who joined our team in March of 2025. Andrew works on our IBD studies and is an unblinded RN on several studies. He is GCP and IATA-certified.