Company Profile – Executive Staff
Opus IRB staff members have an extensive background in all aspects of clinical research
in a wide range of disciplines. The founders have acted as IRB chairpersons, IRB board
members, principal investigators, site administrators, site auditors, and have over 50
years of combined clinical research experience. Our board is equally qualified and is
comprised of individuals from throughout the United States providing a uniquely national
research perspective and expertise.
Judy Cherry, Administrative Director
Opus IRB, a central institutional review board focused on safeguarding the rights
and welfare of human research participants, has added Judy Cherry, RN, CCRC, CIP, to its team of highly
experienced professionals. Cherry will serve as Administrative Director, overseeing operations and
serving as a liaison between the IRB, research sponsors and research sites.
Prior to joining Opus IRB, Cherry amassed over 20 years of clinical research experience and most
recently served as corporate director of the Piedmont Healthcare Research Institute. She has held
several other positions over her career including director of cardiovascular research at the Fuqua
Heart Center and director of the Bone Marrow & Stem Cell Transplant Center Clinical Research Program
at Emory University.
Cherry is a Registered Nurse and Certified Clinical Research Coordinator (from the Association of Clinical Research Professionals). She is a listed author for almost two dozen peer-reviewed scientific papers.
.
"My goal is to focus on making our program one of the industry leaders," said Cherry. "I've worked in virtually every area of clinical trials, but my passion is the protection of human research participants."
The Opus IRB team is comprised of individuals from all areas of research including the pharmaceutical and medical device industries, private and public hospitals/universities, clinical research clinics/sites and clinical research auditing and compliance.
"Opus IRB is adding a great new talent to our team with Judy Cherry. Judy brings a wealth of experience and knowledge in all aspects of clinical research. We are very excited that she is joining our team, and look forward to the limitless possibilities with Judy at the helm," Donald Johnson, Chief Operations Officer, Opus IRB.
The company offers a single point of contact for sponsors while assisting institutional IRBs, which often are overburdened and have limited resources.
The first priority of Opus IRB is to ensure the protection of human subjects, which is why a compliance officer and internal audit review are parts of Opus IRB that are of the utmost importance. The founders have acted as IRB chairpersons, IRB board members, principal investigators, site administrators and site auditors, and have over 50 years of combined clinical research experience.
The Opus Board is equally qualified and is comprised of individuals throughout the United States, providing a uniquely national research perspective and expertise.
Donald Johnson, Chief Operations Officer
(Donny) Johnson’s experience encompasses all areas of clinical research with particular
expertise in regulatory, site development, and audit over the past fifteen years. He began his
research career as the Business Manager for the Morley Foundation’s parent company, American
Medical Research Institute, Inc. (AMRI), formerly an Oncology site management organization
that managed oncology clinical research projects in multiple states. He continued his research
endeavors with the Walter B. Morley Research Foundation (MRF).
Mr. Johnson has served as the liaison between the clinical and financial teams regarding Medicare, Medicaid,
and third party insurers. He has been involved with numerous audits including those concerning clinical review,
billing, and IRBs for pharmaceutical, device, universities, and private/public hospitals. He is also one of the key
developers of corrective action plans for both research billing cycles and clinical oversight of research trials.
At Opus IRB, Mr. Johnson’s areas of responsibility include formulating and implementing business strategies and
operational plans; the establishment of rigorous service goals and objectives; driving performance objectives;
and ensuring excellent customer service from a senior leadership perspective. He is also responsible for customer
and provider satisfaction and quality management.
Mr. Johnson attended Clemson University and Reinhardt College where he earned a BS in Business
Administration.
Henry Cremisi, MD, Medical Director
Henry D. Cremisi, MD, is American Board of Medicine certified and re-certified in both Internal
Medicine and Nephrology and is a practicing Nephrologist and Internist. He previously served
as medical director and Executive Director of the Southeast Renal Research Institute as well
as Managing Partner of Southeast Renal Associates. He actively serves as chairman of Medical
Education, directs Internal Medicine and Medical Subspecialty Continuing Education and serves on
the Institutional Review Board at Presbyterian Hospital in Charlotte, NC.
Dr. Cremisi has broad research experience dealing in diverse areas of medicine, including immunologic tolerance,
chronic cellular allograft rejection, myasthenia gravis, platelet adhesion and aggregation, vitamin B12- intrinsic
factor binding, and ligand receptor physiology. He has previously been involved in cellular research at a number
of institutions including Tufts University, McGill University, The Montreal Neurologic Institute, University of
Connecticut and Emory University. His principal current research interest is micronutrient interactions and their
implications in chronic disease progression.
A graduate of Tufts University School of Medicine and McGill University, Dr. Cremisi additionally attended Tufts
University School of Veterinary Medicine. He completed both his medical residency and nephrology fellowship
at Emory University. Dr. Cremisi has lectured at leading academic and research institutions, has been active
in clinical trials and is on the speaker’s bureau for a number of leading pharmaceutical companies. Dr. Cremisi
remains an active member of many medical societies, including the International Society of Nephrology, American
Society of Nephrology, American College of Physicians, Renal Physicians Association and the American Medical
Association.