Site Overview
The Center for Neurosciences is Southern Arizona’s largest and longest-standing neuroscience medical practice. Our aim is to deliver the highest standard of neurological care – the same level of care we would want for ourselves or our loved ones. The Center has a dedicated Clinical Research Program with six principal investigators and a full-time research nurse. Collectively, our investigators have vast experience conducting phase II through phase IV clinical trials in a broad range of neurologic diseases affecting adults and children.
Research Experience
Our Clinical Research Program was initiated in January 2009, but our investigators and staff have previously conducted many clinical trials in collaboration with major pharmaceutical companies and contract research organizations. The therapeutic areas that are the focus of our Clinical Research Program include brain tumors, epilepsy, headache/migraine, multiple sclerosis, pain and movement disorders.
Facility Description
In 2008, the Center for Neurosciences opened a state-of-the-art, all-digital, 30,000 square foot outpatient facility to bring our patients the most advanced level of neurological care through a comprehensive, integrated system. Our medical records are completely electronic and can be queried for inclusion/exclusion criteria quickly and easily to determine study eligibility.
Our facility has an on-site MRI and electroneurodiagnostics suite, multiple exam rooms, a laboratory with centrifuge and a -20° freezer, secure and temperature-controlled study drug storage, an ECG machine and a monitor room with high-speed Internet access.
Investigator Experience
Epilepsy
David Teeple, MD is a board-certified neurologist who was fellowship trained in Epilepsy at the Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix, AZ. He is currently the principal investigator on four epilepsy trials.
Neuro-Oncology
Michael Badruddoja, MD is a board-certified neurologist who was fellowship-trained in neuro-oncology at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, NC. His interest is in finding cures for primary brain tumors. He has been published in several peer-reviewed journals including: Cancer; Journal of Clinical Oncology; Neurology; and Neuro-Oncology. He is involved in several clinical trials and is currently the principal investigator on a glioblastoma multiforme study, which he initiated at the Center for Neurosciences.
Adult Neurology
W. Horace Noland, MD is a board-certified neurologist. He has been the principal investigator on more than 30 neurology clinical trials in various therapeutic areas including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, migraine, neuropathic pain and multiple sclerosis.
Francisco Valdivia, MD is a board-certified neurologist. He is particularly interested in the study of multiple sclerosis and movement disorders. Dr. Valdivia speaks fluent Spanish.
Pediatric Neurology
Dinesh Talwar, MD is a board-certified pediatric neurologist and clinical neurophysiologist who was fellowship-trained in EEG and neurophysiology at the University of Minnesota. He is particularly interested in the study of childhood epilepsy and migraine. He has been the principal investigator on five epilepsy trials and one migraine trial.
Monica Chacon, MD is a board-certified pediatric neurologist who was fellowship-trained in clinical neurophysiology at the University of Texas Health Sciences Center. She is particularly interested in the study of childhood epilepsy.
Staff Expertise
Marjorie Pazzi, RN, CCRP is the site director and senior research nurse. She has been coordinating clinical trials for more than seven years and has 20 years experience in neuroscience nursing. She is a Certified Clinical Research Professional and speaks fluent Spanish.
Patient Demographics
With more than 200 patient visits per day, the Center for Neurosciences has an extensive patient base from which to draw. Not only do we serve the metropolitan Tucson area, but also serve smaller communities throughout the state of Arizona through our satellite clinics. We reach approximately 1.5 million people in Southern Arizona.
Our region has a culturally and ethnically diverse patient population that breaks down as follows: 60% Caucasian, 30% Hispanic, 3% African American, 3% Native American, and 3% Asian. Two of our principal investigators and our site director speak fluent Spanish.
Other Information
The Center for Neurosciences has worked with many central Independent Review Boards (IRBs), including Copernicus, Sterling, Quorum and Schulman. For hospital-based studies, we have experience with the Carondelet Health Network Human Subjects Committee. We offer efficient study start-up. Contracts are typically executed within 30 days of receipt and centralized IRB approvals are obtained within two to three weeks.
