SGS North America Staff
Principal Investigators
Vinay Bhardwaj, PhD | Scientific Director
Dr. Bhardwaj joins SGS from Colgate-Palmolive Company, where he expanded early and clinical research and innovation capabilities to support Global Personal Care and Skin Health R&D. To support innovation and make compelling claims, he initiated and led established of non-invasive optical biopsy imaging capability to visualize invisible anatomical changes in skin after product treatment, and image processing to make numerical claims. Prior to Colgate, Vinay worked in Rutgers University, New Jersey and a startup in Florida, to develop and clinically test disruptive technologies for non-invasive transdermal imaging and diagnostics.
Vinay holds MS in Biotechnology, and a Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering. During PhD, sponsored by US Dept. of Defense, he invented and patented a Raman-spectroscopy based wearable biosensor with implications to protect health of first responders.
Chris De Oliveira, PhD | Principal Investigator - Phoenix
Nana Safoah Thompson, PhD | Principal Investigator - Phoenix
Dr. Nana Safoah Thompson is a healthcare professional with over 12-years of experience in direct care, research and healthcare quality management. She received her bachelor’s degree in Physiotherapy and master’s in Public Health at the University of Ghana. As the Senior Physical Therapist/Department Manager at FOCOS Orthopedic Hospital in Ghana, Dr. Thompson set up and managed the outpatient and inpatient units of the Rehabilitation department and was instrumental in research development, particularly study protocol development, data collection and data management for various hospital-based research projects. As her interest in multidisciplinary and translational research continued to pique, she went back to school in 2015-2019 to obtain a PhD in Allied Health Sciences at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences, during which she won several awards for Research Innovation and Scientific Achievement. Dr. Thompson had the opportunity to work collaboratively with professionals in various disciplines on both state/institutional and federally funded research projects in physical rehabilitation in the school system and pediatric neurorehabilitation. As a Research and Performance Measurement consultant for the Arizona State, Division of Developmental Disabilities she provided expertise in developing measurement models for tracking and trending incidents, defining project indicators and process measures and performing statistical analysis for their Quality Improvement projects targeted at resolving issued notices to cure.
Dr. Thompson’s approach to work as a Clinician and Researcher is shaped by four core tenets: Person-Centered services; Interdisciplinary Teaming; Cultural Competency and Inclusive Community-based Practices. Working with different people from diverse backgrounds has taught her the value of amicability, open-mindedness and effective communication.
Dr. Thompson enjoys volunteering as a tutor for elementary school students at her local church community. She loves traveling and experiencing new places and cultures and playing card games with family and friends.
Saeid Amini Nik, PhD l Principal Investigator - Union
As an assistant professor in the Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at the University of Toronto and the Burn center in Toronto, Dr. Nik’s research focused on the on inflammatory skin diseases, burns and skin erythema. His numerous publications include book chapters and research articles in top peer-reviewed journals. He has presented his work as invited speakers in several international medical meetings. Dr. Nik served in several committees of medical societies, including American Burn Association, was the chair and the organizer of the 24th Connective Tissue Conference 2018 in Toronto, served as a voting member in the Institutional review board (IRB) and served in the editorial board of several peer-reviewed medical journals.
Operations
Amol Dev | Vice President - Dallas
Amol comes to SGS with strong General Management, Operations and Quality experiences in the medical device, cosmetic and OTC drug industries. Most recently, Amol was the Chief Operating Officer at Goodier Cosmetics, a contract manufacturer focused on developing and manufacturing high-end skincare products and in parallel for a period of time at Revision Skincare which is a physician-dispensed brand. Prior to that he worked at P&G and Stryker Corporation in operations, quality as well as corporate development roles.
Nancy Rodgers, PhD | Operations Director - Dallas
Nancy D. Rodgers, PhD, serves as the Operations Director of SGS Clinical Studies, Inc. Prior to joining SGS Clinical Studies, Inc., Dr. Rodgers spent 15 years at Henkel Consumer Goods, where most recently, she led product development and claim substantiation for multiple global brands. She also developed novel methods for testing germ kill of antimicrobial hand products and served as sub-investigator on Phase I studies for an Investigational New Drug (IND). Dr. Rodgers holds a BS in biochemistry from Bucknell University and a PhD in biochemistry from Rutgers University, where her research focused on gene expression, specifically mRNA stability.
Joyce Siamon l Branch Manager - Union
Joyce Siamon earned a Masters in Health Services Administration from The George Washington University, and also enjoyed a short stint in information systems engineering.
Joyce joined SGS Health and Nutrition in February 2021. Previously guiding operations for diagnostic testing facilities, Ms. Siamon now oversees general operations of consumer testing at our site in Union, New Jersey. She and her husband live in Union and enjoy travel and international foods.
Lisa Cox l Site Director - Phoenix
Lisa Cox joined SGS in April 2022 as Site Director of the SGS Phoenix location. Prior to joining SGS, Lisa worked in government and military human performance research. She spent time serving as a Director with the Army Wellness Centers Research Program and as a Program Manager and Research Operations Manager with the 711th Human Performance Wing of the Air Force Research Labs. Lisa attained her Masters of Allied Health degree from The Ohio State University and spent the beginning part of her career as a Certified Athletic Trainer and Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist working in various school and clinical settings. Lisa currently resides in Phoenix and enjoys fitness, travel, breweries, and live music.
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Medical Directors
Mark Stephens, MD | Investigator and Study Physician - Dallas
Mark Stephens, M.D specializes in cataract and refractive surgery using the most advanced techniques and technologies available to give patients a surgical alternative to glasses and contacts. He also specializes in glaucoma treatment using laser and microinvasive procedures. In addition, Dr. Stephens has experience with early detection and intervention of diabetic retinopathy and other diabetic eye diseases.
Dr. Stephens received his medical training at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. He completed his ophthalmology residency at the Medical College of Georgia, where he was named Chief Resident his final year. He’s a member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the American Society of Cataract & Refractive Surgeons, the Texas Medical Association and the Georgia Society of Ophthalmology.
Dr. Stephens practices at KE Dallas Eye Care. He has served as Principal Investigator and Study Physician on numerous trials.
Shoichiro Yano, PhD, MD | Investigator and Medical Director - Japan
Dr. Yano received his MD and PhD in Dermatology from Tokyo University. Prior to joining 701 Research, he practiced Dermatology at the Department of Dermatology, Faculty of Medicine at the University of Tokyo. Dr. Yano serves as an Investigator and the Medical Director for 701 Research located in Japan. View list of publications prior to joining Stephens.Client Services
Barbara Hammond | Senior Global Key Accounts Manager - Dallas
Janet Johnston | Business Development Manager - Dallas
