About Us

Advancing Healthcare Through
Clinical Excellence

We are a dedicated physician-led research clinic, associated with 9 regional specialist clinics, advancing safe and effective therapeutics.

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MedTrials Carolina

MedTrials Carolina LLC operates a fully equipped research clinic in Spartanburg, SC, associated with 9 neurology and psychiatry specialist clinics across Upstate South Carolina. Strategically positioned in one of the Southeast's fastest-growing regions, our site serves a large, diverse, and medically underserved patient population — providing sponsors and CROs with access to high-quality clinical trial participants across a broad spectrum of neurological and psychiatric indications.

Our leadership team combines deep subspecialty expertise in neurology and psychiatry with hands-on clinical trial experience, ensuring strict protocol adherence, data integrity, and efficient trial execution from study start-up through close-out. Our facility is physician lead and owned.

50,000+
Patient Database Pool
4
Principal Investigators
20,000+
Psychiatry Database
30,000+
Neurology Database
Our Foundation

Mission & Purpose

Our Mission

"To lead clinical research with the highest standards of safety, protocol adherence, and scientific rigor — bridging the gap between innovative pharmaceutical therapies and the patients who need them."

Our Purpose

"To build a trusted, physician-led clinical trial environment in Upstate South Carolina that empowers sponsors, investigators, and clinical coordinators to safely advance medical science."

Leadership

Our Principal Investigators

Board-certified physician key opinion leaders (KOLs) leading our trials.

Dr. Bogdan P. Gheorghiu, MD
Neurology | Clinical Neurophysiologist
KOL in Multiple Sclerosis, Myasthenia Gravis, Tremor, Parkinson's & Alzheimer's
Dr. Kathleen Woschkolup, MD
Neurology | Movement Disorders Specialist
KOL in Parkinson's Disease, Tremor & Multiple Sclerosis
Dr. Taral R. Sharma, MD, MBA, FAPA
Psychiatrist | Senior Medical Director
KOL in MDD, Bipolar Disorder, ADHD, Alzheimer's & Parkinson's
Dr. Eliud Irizarry, MD
Neurology | Neuromuscular & Electrodiagnostic Specialist
Expert in NCV, EMG, myasthenia gravis, neuropathies, and stroke
Clinical Staff

Sub-Investigators & Clinical Educators

Board-certified nurse practitioners providing exceptional patient care and clinical education.

Zahara Chughtai, MSN, APRN, FNP-BC

Board-Certified Family Nurse Practitioner | Clinical Educator

  • ANCC FNP-BC Certified (through 2030) & South Carolina APRN License
  • BLS, ACLS & NIH Stroke Scale Certified
  • 16+ years of RN experience & 1,140+ hours of FNP clinical training
  • Nursing Clinical Educator at Spartanburg Medical Center
  • Proficient in EPIC and Cerner EHR systems

Kimberly Chew Ellison, MSN, APRN, FNP-BC

Family Nurse Practitioner | Neuroscience & Psychiatric Background

  • MSN from Clemson University & BSN from Anderson University
  • BS in Neuroscience, Minor in Medical Anthropology (University of Michigan)
  • ANCC FNP-BC Certified & APNA Buprenorphine/MAT Certified
  • Former Clinical Counselor at SC Dept of Mental Health (Patrick B. Harris Hospital)
  • Published in Journal of Pediatric Healthcare and Pediatric Neurology
Research Support

Clinical Research Coordinators

MedTrials Carolina maintains a dedicated team of 3 experienced clinical research coordinators supporting all active studies across our five sites.

Our coordinators are trained in GCP, regulatory compliance, protocol adherence, subject recruitment and retention, data entry, Site SOPs, and biospecimen processing with dangerous goods training, ensuring seamless site operations and reliable study data.

Coordinator Compliance

  • Good Clinical Practice (GCP) Certified
  • Dangerous Goods Training (Biospecimen Processing)
  • Full Site SOP Protocol Compliance
  • Multi-Site Patient Recruitment & Retention Specialists
  • Psychometric rater with experience and certification in industry leading scales.

Ready to Partner in Research?

Join us in advancing healthcare through ethical, rigorous clinical research.

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