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.

Natalie Orey, PA-C joined our team as a Certified Physician Assistant in September of 2025. Natalie has over 13 years of experience in Gastroenterology. She serves as a Sub-Investigator on all of our research studies. Natalie is GCP certified.

Andrea Krautwurst, MPH, CCRC is the Clinical Research Manager at WMCRC. Andrea has over 10 years of experience working on industry-sponsored clinical trials and is certified through the Association of Clinical Research Professionals. Andrea handles all regulatory, IRB, and study-startup activities, including all contracts and budgets. Andrea is a Certified FibroScan technician, and 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 Coordinator who works on our Crohn's, Ulcerative Colitis, MASH, and Cirrhosis 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 IBS-D, pre-clinical, and registry studies. Austin is GCP and IATA-certified. 

Zoe McCourt, BA joined our team in April of 2025. She is a Clinical Research Coordinator who works on our Ulcerative Colitis, EOE, Celiac and registry studies. Zoe is GCP and IATA-certified.