Three members of CTSI’s regulatory support team are filling new roles, as part of structural changes designed to better support investigators in regulatory compliance and adhere to industry best practices.
Sydney Viel, MPH, CPH, has been named Regulatory Affairs Program Manager; Casey Dahl, MBS, now serves as Lead Regulatory Specialist; and Vanessa Grams, MS, has taken on the role of Lead Clinical Research Monitor.
Together, they bring extensive experience providing expert assistance to researchers navigating the regulatory requirements for clinical and translational research.
Sydney Viel, Regulatory Affairs Program Manager
Sydney Viel, MPH, CPH, has been named Regulatory Affairs Program Manager at CTSI. In this role, she oversees all of CTSI’s regulatory teams and ensures each follows the latest guidelines and regulations from federal, state, and University entities. Teams of regulatory specialists, clinical trial monitors, FDA specialists, ClinicalTrials.gov specialists, and regulatory assistants will all report to Viel.
Viel brings a wealth of experience and expertise to her position, having worked at the University since 2014. She most recently served as CTSI’s regulatory specialist manager.
In addition, she is responsible for providing operational and strategic leadership, overseeing regulatory teams, and developing new programs and best practices.
Viel earned a bachelor’s degree in anthropology at Macalester College and a master of public health degree in environmental infectious disease at the University of Minnesota.
Casey Dahl, Lead Regulatory Specialist
Casey Dahl, MBS, was promoted to the role of Lead Regulatory Specialist, having previously served as a regulatory specialist in CTSI.
In her new position, Dahl oversees CTSI’s regulatory specialist team and provides expertise in support of complex studies. She is also responsible for startup and ongoing IRB and regulatory binder management.
Dahl has worked in clinical research at University since 2016 and joined CTSI’s regulatory specialist team in 2019.
She earned a bachelor’s degree in genetics, cell biology, and development, as well as a master’s degree in genetics from the University of Minnesota.
Vanessa Grams, Lead Clinical Research Monitor
As the new Lead Clinical Research Monitor, Vanessa Grams, MS, is responsible for overseeing CTSI's monitoring service and team.
In this position, she will also provide support for complex research studies, monitoring patient recruitment, enrollment, and study data to help research teams ensure data integrity
Grams brings extensive experience to the role. Since 2017, she has been monitoring clinical trials at UMN. Prior to that, she served as a clinical research coordinator at Gundersen Health System and Marshfield Clinic.
She holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from St. Mary’s University of Winona and a master’s degree in bioethics from Carlson College in New York.