About Us and Leadership Team

More than 20 Years of research and innovation

Since 2006, the OhioHealth Research Institute has developed a reputation as a national leader in facilitating medical breakthroughs, evaluating new procedures and exploring innovations in patient care to meet the needs of our community.

Our mission

Our mission is to support innovation and excellence that improves the health of those we serve.

Our vision is to be nationally recognized as an institute with the expertise and passion to deliver quality service and exceptional value that makes a difference.

The OhioHealth Research Institute redefines clinical research in a community health system. Our teams consists of:

Clinical trials operations with dedicated clinical research and regulatory coordinators who support seven OhioHealth service lines.
Research business services (RBS) consisting of a pre and post billing office, sponsored programs office and data technology professionals to support research needs.
Academic research services (ARS) with technically-trained research scientists to support scholarly activity and medical education at all OhioHealth care sites.
Office of human subjects protection (OHSP) who protects the rights and welfare of human research participants.

Our top research areas

OhioHealth Research Institute aims to increase access to emerging therapies that otherwise would not be available to our patients.

Our institute continues to diversify our research portfolio to support:

Oncology research through industry trials, trials supported by the National Cancer Institute.
Heart and vascular, through new industry device trials in various sub-specialties including structural heart disease, endovascular, electrophysiology and general cardiology.
Neuroscience research focused on multiple sclerosis and stroke with expansion to other therapeutic areas.

How we support clinical research

Clinical trials are carried out by a team of over 80 healthcare experts who are dedicated to connecting patients with the latest advances in care. We partner with OhioHealth clinicians and associates to allow them to:

Conduct their own clinical research by providing guidance and support services to plan, write, submit, conduct, analyze and publish research.
Facilitate grants and conduct industry or externally-sponsored clinical research at OhioHealth.
Ensure that the rights and welfare of human research participants are protected by the OhioHealth Institutional Review Board.
Provide the highest-quality, operational and regulatory support through a comprehensive centralized research infrastructure.

Meet the leadership team

Through guidance, support and expertise, our leaders foster research and make a way for health innovation.

Soun Khountham, MS, MBA, CCRP

Senior Director, Research Operations
Soun.Khountham@OhioHealth.com

Soun has two decades of experience in various research spaces including academia, contract research organization, industry and healthcare systems. Prior to joining the OhioHealth Research Institute, Soun led research operations for Ohio State University’s Drug Development Institute and has directed research for various biotech startups and industry sponsors. She has a background in biomedical engineering and received her MBA from Boston University. You can typically find Soun on an outdoor adventure, exploring new cuisines or entertaining family and friends.

Sandra Sarafin, BA, CCRP

Director, Research Business Services
Sandra.Sarafin@OhioHealth.com

Sandra has more than twenty years of experience overseeing research finance and contracts at The Ohio State University’s Comprehensive Cancer Center (CCC-James), Center for Clinical Research Management (CCRM), Office of Contracts Development, and clinical data management at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. Most recently she served as Director of Contracts and Budgets for Headlands Research. Sandra enjoys building teams, determining best practices, and creating processes that streamline timelines while maximizing opportunities. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her extensive family, reading, and traveling.

Jennifer Sexton, MHA

Director, Research Operations
Jennifer.Sexton@OhioHealth.com

Jennifer has nearly two decades of experience working in medical research as a laboratory assistant, research coordinator and operations leader. Prior to joining OhioHealth Research Institute in 2017, she worked in oncology research at the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center. Jennifer received a Master’s of Health Administration and a Bachelor’s of Science in Psychology from Ohio State. In her free time she enjoys reading, hiking, camping, watching college sports and taking beach vacations.

Chris Belcher, BSN RN

Director, Research Operations
Christina.Belcher@OhioHealth.com

Christina joined OhioHealth Research Institute (OHRI) in 2012 as a clinical research coordinator and currently oversees clinical research operations for the OHRI. She received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from Otterbein College. Prior to working in clinical research, she worked as a bedside nurse providing care to cardiovascular patients. She is a twenty- year associate with OhioHealth. In her free time, she enjoys outside activities, cooking, reading, decorating and spending time with family.

Connie Melton

Executive Assistant
Connie.Melton@OhioHealth.com

Connie has over 40 years of experience assisting executives, physicians, corporate leaders and teams at OhioHealth. In her downtime she enjoys travel, time with family and friends, and walking her dog.