Where the experts come to work
Since 2011, we’ve been serving our community and the clinical research industry. When you work with the best people, you receive the best care.
Center Leadership
Howard Schwartz, MD
Chief Medical Officer
Dr. Howard Schwartz is the Chief Medical Officer for CenExel RCA and serves as Principal Investigator on Vaccine and Phase I trials and as a Sub-Investigator on most other trials. He has been involved with over 1000 trials in multiple therapeutic areas and attributes his success to combining a well-trained research staff with a skilled Investigator and motivated trial participant. Throughout his career, he has always led with integrity and made sure all members of the team are well trained on GCP and study specific requirements.
Dr. Schwartz is Board Certified in Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology and practiced in South Florida for over 30 years. He is now focusing on making CenExel RCA the premier research site in South Florida. He has lectured and published extensively on many of the clinical trials in which he has participated. Additionally, he served as an industry consultant and served on numerous Data Safety Management Boards.
Dr. Schwartz was born in Philadelphia, moved to Florida to attend college and never went home. He is a graduate of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine where he also completed his Internal Medicine Residency and Gastroenterology Fellowship. He is married with 3 children. He is an avid sports fan, golfer and boater.
Meet Our Team
Timothy Grant, MD, FAASM
Medical Director
Nelson Cordero-Torres, MD
Principal Investigator
Sandeep Mendiratta, MD
Principal Investigator
Nelia Sanchez-Crespo, MD
Principal Investigator
Craig Shapiro, DO
Principal Investigator
He completed a one-year rotating internship at Botsford General Hospital in Farmington Hills Michigan. Dr. Shapiro completed his ENT and Facial Plastic training at The Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine and Medical College of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. During his time in practice, Dr. Shapiro has held elected positions as Chief of Otolaryngology Department of several hospitals. Now, he is an investigator in multiple clinical trials at CenExel RCA.
Surisaday Mederos
Sub-Investigator
She has practiced in various health settings including, hospitals and private practices. Additionally, Suri has over two years of experience working as a provider for a neurology practice focused on sleep medicine.
Surisaday’s passion is to advocate for her patients and practice using the best evidence available in order to promote and prioritize safety. In addition, she loves to spend time with her family and two children.
Edwin Gomez, MD
Investigator
He is an active member of the American Medical Association and American Psychiatric Association. Dr Gomez speaks English and Spanish.
Maria Companioni, APRN
Investigator
Maria graduated Magna Cum Laude from her nursing program in 2012. She began with the Acute care, moved to Chronic at South Florida State Hospital, then joined the CenExel RCA CNA team where she specializes in Substance Abuse, Acute Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorders, Major Depressive Disorders and LGBTQ+ related concerns.
She is a caring and dedicated clinician with excellent patient care management skills and a passion for mental health.
Janet Sentil Tamayo
Board-certified Nurse Practitioner
Mayra (May) Fernandez
Director of Operations
May has excellent organizational, analytical, and project management skills. Leading by example and being very passionate about coaching her team to meet and exceed the business goals is what May brings every day to our organization.
Safety and quality are paramount
Our physicians have extensive backgrounds in their respective medical specialties and always prioritize patient safety.
Board-certified
200+ years of collective clinical trial experience
Assisted by expertly-trained medical staff
Early phase unit, late phase space, and sleep lab all adjacent
Having all departments housed in the same location simplifies the process for our patients
Also partnered with Fort Lauderdale Behavioral Health Center to conduct inpatient and outpatient psychiatric trials
On-site PBMC isolation lab certified by Duke University Proficiency Program
Locations
RCA Main Facility
7261 Sheridan Street, Suite 210
Hollywood, FL 33024
Monday – Friday 8AM – 5PM
RCA Fort Lauderdale Inpatient Facility
5757 North Dixie Highway
Oakland Park, FL 33334
Monday – Friday 8AM – 5PM
We’re a CenExel
Center of Excellence
Centers of Excellence provide unparalleled attention to detail to assure consistent and first-class quality in patient care. We have supported tens of thousands of studies, the variety and complexity of which have resulted in a great depth of experience for the principal investigators and research staff at each Center.
We deliver engagement, expertise, and results.
