Denise Roe, Vice President for Clinical Research Regulatory and Quality Management
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital announced today Denise Roe and Tangie Thomas will join as leaders in the growing Clinical Trials Administration department.
As the vice president for Clinical Research Regulatory and Quality Management, Roe will be responsible for leading key components of the hospital’s clinical trials infrastructure. Thomas will be the vice president of Clinical Trials Operations, leading support for clinical research at St. Jude and its affiliate sites. Both will report to Charles W.M. Roberts M.D., Ph.D., executive vice president and director of the St. Jude Comprehensive Cancer Center.
“Denise and Tangie join our St. Jude team at an exciting time of growth. They will not only help us make progress in curing catastrophic illnesses of childhood, but also ensure that we do so via clinical trials that are of the highest quality,” Roberts said. “Our bold strategic plan calls for growing our clinical trial endeavors to help accelerate identification of better treatments and new cures. Their efforts will be critical to our success.”
About Denise Roe
Roe will oversee regulatory and compliance aspects of the St. Jude clinical trial enterprise, while also recruiting and training the department’s staff. The opportunity to work at St. Jude, where families never receive a bill, made her decision to join the staff an easy one, Roe said. She says she is ready to help the hospital further its research progress.
“I believe my deep knowledge in the ethical, regulatory and compliance aspects of clinical research, as well as my broader experiences in health care and leadership over the past 30 years, will allow me many opportunities to enhance the clinical research process and further the mission of St. Jude as a world leader,” Roe said.
She previously served as executive director of the Institutional Review Board office for Northwestern University. Before joining Northwestern, she was director of research and oversight administration for Spectrum Health System. She earned a master’s degree in the science of management and a bachelor’s degree in management and human resources from Trevecca Nazarene University.
St. Jude develops more clinical research trials for pediatric cancer than any other children’s hospital and has more than 160 clinical trials in various stages. This long history of scientific advancement through clinical research has helped St. Jude drive the overall cure rates for pediatric cancers from less than 20 percent to greater than 80 percent today. St. Jude is the first and only institution solely focused on pediatric cancer to be designated by the National Cancer Institute as a Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Tangie Thomas, Vice President of Clinical Trials Operations
About Tangie Thomas
In her role, Thomas will implement strategic goals, oversee recruitment efforts and determine allocation of resources for offices that support clinical research. She says was motivated by the mission and reputation of St. Jude. “It’s an amazing time to be at St. Jude,” she said.
“Utilizing my background and experience from the pharmaceutical industry, I hope to share a different perspective and have an impact on how we implement and manage clinical trials,” Thomas added. “St. Jude is making a significant investment to improve the technology and infrastructure to better support clinical trials. I’m excited to be part of the team helping to bring that technology on board.”
Thomas was previously director of clinical affairs at the Sarah Cannon Research Institute in Nashville. She joined that organization in 2011 as manager of clinical project leads. During her tenure, she led the creation and deployment of an oncology Clinical Research Associate Academy training program, and was instrumental in the creation of a virtual workforce that allowed the hiring and training of employees working remotely. Before joining that organization, she served as senior manager of clinical operations for Chiltern International from 2008–2010.
She earned a Master of Public Health degree in epidemiology from The George Washington University in Washington, D.C. She received a bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering from Vanderbilt University.
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is leading the way the world understands, treats and cures childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. It is the only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center devoted solely to children. Treatments developed at St. Jude have helped push the overall childhood cancer survival rate from 20% to 80% since the hospital opened more than 50 years ago. St. Jude shares the discoveries it makes, and every child saved at St. Jude means doctors and scientists worldwide can use that knowledge to save thousands more children. To learn more, visit stjude.org or follow St. Jude on social media at @stjuderesearch.