Melissa Holbrook has been working within the industry for over 30 years where she’s gained experience from clinical practice, academic and commercial research sites, CROs and owned site organizations along the way.   Like most in our industry, she found her way into clinical research by way of patient care.  Melissa began her career as a nurse serving her community in rural western NC.   She then earned her master’s degree in nursing from Duke University and began practicing as a Nurse Practitioner with Duke University Medical Center where she saw first-hand the impact that new treatments and medications can have on a patient’s life.  Melissa quickly gained experience across all aspects of clinical trials where she served as a CRC, Site Manager, CRA, and a Lead Project Manager at Duke Clinical Research Institute.  Melissa’s experience was highly sought after by many of the industry’s CROs.  Melissa spent the next 14 years with IQVIA where she held a wide range of roles and responsibilities in clinical operations and site management.  Melissa was born in the sites business, where patient care was top priority, so regardless of her roles, she has always gravitated back to site facing roles such as Head of the US Partner and Prime Site Program.   Melissa currently serves as Executive Vice President of Operations at Velocity Clinical Research where she is responsible for the successful conduct of clinical trials across Velocity’s 80+ sites.