Research October 2025 Newsletter

Colleagues,

I’m truly excited to join R&D as the Associate Institutional Research Officer. Stepping into this role, I feel grateful for the incredible foundation that Dr. Farrell has built over the past decade, and I want to honor the dedication and vision that shaped this program. As some of you may know, my passion lies in Emergency Medicine Psychiatry. I have been focused for the last two decades on partnering with colleagues across the USA to complete addiction recovery research that makes a lasting impact for patients and families, and I look forward to working alongside all of you to continue growing our efforts and deepening our impact in the communities we serve. I will be hosting office hours for our team members on Tuesdays from 12:00-3:00 pm. Please feel free to come and visit me for any reason or just to say hi!

All the best,

Michael Wilson, MD, PhD, FAAEM, FACEP
Associate Institutional Research Officer

New R&D Employees 

Marco Williamson, Clinical Research Manager - Oncology

We are excited to welcome Marco Williamson, BS, LPN, to the Oncology research team as a Clinical Research Manager. Marco joined us in August 2025 and brings a well-rounded background in nursing, research, and leadership. He most recently left the Department of Defense, Defense Health Agency, Office of Regulated Activities as the Lead Senior Clinical Research Associate. There he worked on many projects for Active-Duty Military and Veterans, such as Fresh Frozen Plasma, COVID-19, Malaria/HIV, MDMA and other military centered trials.  

He also holds an active nursing license with a background in trauma, infusion, private practice nursing. Marco’s extensive career in clinical nursing, multiple leadership roles, and research experience with a concentration on compliance, documentation, and FDA regulations make him a welcomed addition to our team. 

We’re thrilled to have him on board and look forward to the impact he will make in our oncology research efforts! Check out this photo is of his ball python! 

Miebaka Roberts, CRC III –  Surgery

We are excited to welcome Miebaka Roberts, MBBS, MPH, to the surgical research team as a Clinical Research Coordinator. Miebaka joined us in August 2025 and brings a well-rounded background in medicine, public health, and research.

He recently earned his Master of Public Health with a focus on Global Health from Liberty University. During this time, he also served as a Public Health Research Fellow at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, where he led a research project on food additives among other initiatives.

Prior to his MPH and relocation to the United States, Miebaka completed his medical degree at V.I. Vernadsky Crimean Federal University in Eastern Europe.

Miebaka’s combined expertise in clinical practice, public health, and research makes him a valuable addition to our team. We’re thrilled to have him on board and look forward to the contributions he will make to our surgical research efforts.

Gavin Oaks, CRC II - Cardiothoracic Surgery

We are excited to welcome Gavin Oaks, MPH to the Cardiothoracic research team. He received his Master's of Public Health at UVA in December. His thesis was focused on Social disparities of Health in Rural Virginia. For undergrad, he attended Roanoke College and received a B.S in Biology and Public Health.

Before joining Carilion he worked at the Blue Ridge Health District in Charlottesville, VA while completing his Master's as a community health specialist. While at Blue Ridge Health District, he primarily worked on a program geared to assess the health of the localities within the Blue Ridge Health District and worked to create community health improvement plans using the assessments we completed. This project was known as MAPP2Health.

Tyler Grossheim, CRC II - Research Coordinator Team

We are excited to welcome Tyler Grossheim to the research coordinator team. 

Carilion Clinic TriNetX 

Virtual Training Schedule

Carilion offers instructor-led, focused training for an in-depth, step-by-step learning experience building patient cohorts and delving into Analytics. The facilitator will be Dee Myers. Please get in touch with HART@carilionclinic.org with the subject of 'TriNetX Training' for training outside of the scheduled sessions. If you haven’t taken a class or need a refresher, this is your opportunity to do so!  Let Dee Myers know which date you prefer and she will send a meeting invitation.

• Oct 9, 10:30am – noon
• Oct 23, 1:30 – 3pm
• Nov 6, 1:30 – 3pm
• Dec 17, 10:30am - noon

 https://redcap.link/v5pw9j7j to sign up for TriNetX digitally.

For more information visit:https://redcapweb.carilionclinic.org/redcap/surveys/?s=dcUCIpMAzk8BqKH2

My Project Path:

Resources and Processes for Research, Grants, and QA/QI

Want to do a project, but don’t know where to start? Or, experienced but want to see what new resources are available?

To learn about Carilion’s resources and processes for Research, Grants and QA/QI, visit https://redcap.link/MyProjectPath.  This tool provides easy navigation to topics of interest, including links to the Research and Development Application and the IRB PRIS3M application.