Clinical Research Technologies Team

Amruta Patil is currently working as data reporting analyst. She is responsible for development and implementation of enterprise-reporting solutions for the University Massachusetts Medical School’s Clinical Trial Management System (CTMS). She is also involved with supporting eIRB and IACUC (Institutional Animal Care and use committee) application with reporting function. She has 3 years of work IT experience as report writer and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Electronic Engineering from North Maharashtra University (India) and Masters in Computer Sciences from Towson University, MD.  She enjoys cooking and also participates in on-stage dance performance with local Bollywood dance school.

Cathleen Knowlton joined the Data Sciences & Technology team as a Senior CTMS Business Analyst in January 2016.   She has engaged extensively with stakeholders to support the development, training, and implementation of the Clinical Trial Management System (CTMS) within the UMass Chan community.  In addition, she serves as the CTMS application administration and works closely with users to manage and implement system configurations to support study teams in the administration and conduct of clinical research. Prior to joining UMass Chan, Cathleen worked  at the American Student Assistance where she held roles as a Product Manager and Senior Business Analyst. Cathleen holds a B.S. from Emerson College.  On her free time, she can be found at the beach in the summer and enjoys spending time with her daughter and husband.

Jim joined the UMass Chan Medical School IT team in June 2016 to design and build integration tools to get clinical trial data in and out of OnCore, our new Clinical Trial Management System. Prior to UMass Chan, Jim spent 6 years rolling out and supporting OnCore at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Before that, Jim has held a variety of technical positions, from IT Helpdesk manager to the founder of a small software development shop, from software build technician to HP-UX administrator, and from database consultant to the manager of an IT department. In the dim and murky past, he survived the competency exam and graduated with a theater degree from WPI. Jim also moonlights as an editor of role-playing games. In his spare time, Jim enjoys reading, writing, and playing nearly any game involving a tabletop.

Lisa Merchant joined the UMass Chan IT as an Application Developer in October 2010.  During her time, she implemented and configured Microsoft Dynamics CRM to support the UMass Chan Human Resource Department, Family Resource Centers for the Department of Children & Families and the ForHealth Consulting Call Center.  Currently, she provides ongoing technical support for the Electronic IRB (Institutional Review Board) application that supports Human Subject research and is assisting in the development of the Institutional Animal Care application for the Research Compliance Department.  Prior to coming to UMass Chan, Lisa worked at the Boston Private Industry Council, a nonprofit that connects youth and adults with education and employment opportunities, as an Application Developer.  Lisa has 15+ years of experience in the IT/Education/Non-Profit industry.  In her free time, Lisa enjoys walks with her dogs, indoor cycling and DJing on the weekends.

Lee Stayton joined UMass Chan in mid-August 2016 as a member of the Clinical Trial Management System (CTMS) implementation team responsible for the rollout of OnCore across CCTS. Lee’s professional expertise lies in end-user technical training, instructional design, and organizational change management. A dedicated advocate of life-long learning Lee brings expertise in the design and implementation of solutions to enterprise learning challenges to the Medical School.  A few notable past employers include Pearson Education (Interactive software for teaching mathematics, physics, and engineering), LehmanMillet (media strategies for healthcare companies and medical device manufacturers), Fujitsu (advanced algorithms for decision making), and Virginia Mason’s Center for Hyperbaric Medicine. Lee received his B.S. degree from the University of Washington’s School of Aquatic and Fisheries Sciences, and the Center for Quantitative Science. Outside of work, Lee pursues his interests in photography, soaring, folk-guitar, and mountain biking.