The Duke CTSI Research Team at Duke Kannapolis

The Duke Kannapolis team manages a wide variety of research projects focusing on the exploration, discovery, and validation of biomarkers that will inform a deeper understanding of health and disease.

Contact our team directly by calling 704-273-5456 or emailing transpop@duke.edu.


Directory

Jevon Chavis

Clinical Research Coordinator, Duke Kannapolis

Mr. Chavis joined Duke CTSI to work on the Project Baseline Health Study in Durham, N.C. Prior to joining CTSI, he worked at the Duke Eye Center for 22 years. As a Certified Ophthalmic Assistant (COA), he held several positions throughout his time at the Eye Center which included Visual Fields Technician, Lead Glaucoma Clinic Technician, Lead Ophthalmic Ultrasound Biometrist, and Surgical Coordinator. He holds a bachelor's degree in Sociology from UNC-Chapel Hill.

Julie Eckstrand, RPh

Executive Director, Center for Precision Health

Ms. Eckstrand graduated from Ohio Northern University with a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy, and completed Pharmacy Residency at the Erie County Medical Center in Buffalo, New York. She conducted graduate work at the SUNY Buffalo School of Pharmacy where she was also a Clinical Instructor in Pharmacy Practice. She completed the American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA) 10X10 Program at Oregon Health and Sciences University (OHSU), and other graduate coursework in informatics at Stanford. She is a Six Sigma–Black Belt, and a TeamSTEPPS Certified Master Trainer.

Emily Ford

Research Communication and Engagement Specialist III

Emily Ford joined Duke CTSI in September 2014. As a communicator, she works with the community engagement and study teams based at Duke Kannapolis, the CTSI research site located on the North Carolina Research Campus. She also supports the CTSI Communications infrastructure. She has a background in journalism.

Erin Griffin

Clinical Research Genetic Counselor

Erin has returned to work at Duke after getting his genetic counseling degree at Vanderbilt University and working in a northern Arizona health system. He originally worked at Duke in a research lab, and now he has joined the Duke Kannapolis team to build a program to return genetic results to study participants as part of a large upcoming study.

Brooke Heidenfelder serves as a Research Program Leader with Duke Kannapolis. She joined Duke CTSI in July 2013. Her work includes overseeing clinical operations and regulatory affairs for the research team based in Durham, N.C.

Chahnaz A. Kbaisi

Research Analyst II, Translational Population Health Research

Ms. Chahnaz A. Kbaisi is from the South of Lebanon. She works for CTSI as a Research Technician II and works closely with analysts in the data group and project teams in Durham.
 

Carla Kingsbury

Clinical Research Coordinator, Duke Kannapolis

Ms. Kingsbury came to Duke CTSI in July 2014 with a Bachelor of Science degree in human services and psychology from Wingate University. Her previous role was with a healthcare system, where she worked in research specializing in traumatic brain injury. Ms. Kingsbury enjoys working in research because it allows her to meet people in the community and see how the contribution of each individual serves a larger purpose to benefit the community as a whole.

Anna Lentz

Clinical Research Coordinator, Duke Kannapolis

A native of Kannapolis, NC, Ms. Lentz joined Duke CTSI in June 2021 as a clinical research coordinator. She is the lead coordinator for the Project Baseline Health Study at the CTSI's Duke Kannapolis office.

Christopher Lewis

Senior Clinical Research Specialist, Duke Kannapolis

Mr. Lewis first joined CTSI in 2013 as an intern while earning his degree in Recombinant DNA Technologies and Bioengineering. He became a full-time clinical trials assistant in March 2014.

He currently serves as a Senior Clinical Research Specialist with effort on several studies, including the MURDOCK Cabarrus County COVID-19 Prevalence and Immunity (C3PI) Study; a partnership with the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services to understand COVID-19 prevalence and immunity in the community and to monitor the disease over time.