Engagement. Expertise. Results.
CenExel RCA has been leading the CNS and Vaccine research industry since 2011.
CenExel RCA is a privately owned, multi-specialty research site that conducts Phase I – IV clinical trials. CenExel RCA inpatient and outpatient studies are made up of healthy and special populations ranging from pediatric to geriatric age groups. Our mission is to be the best-in-class clinical research site contributing to the development of new medications by conducting trials at the highest ethical standards. We are a CenExel Center of Excellence, assuring unparalleled patient engagement, staff expertise, and valuable results.

CenExel RCA has an extensive background of hundreds of clinical trials.
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CenExel RCA encompasses 53,000 square feet of facility space, nearly 100 beds, and an on-site PBMC isolation lab.

CenExel RCA has a proven record in recruiting, exceeding 100% of patient target.

CenExel RCA leadership guides the CenExel Psychiatric Scientific Advisory Board.

CenExel RCA centralizes budgeting and contracting for faster study start-up.

CenExel RCA serves a diverse demographic of 6.2M people in the surrounding area.
Center Leadership
Howard Schwartz, MD
Chief Medical Officer
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Dr. Howard Schwartz is the Chief Medical Officer for CenExel RCA and serves as Principal Investigator on Vaccine and Phase 1 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 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.
Terry Piedra, BS, CCRC
Director of Business Development
O: 954.919.7809
M: 305.467.6073
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Terry has over 17 years of clinical research experience. As an ACRP Certified Clinical Research Coordinator, Terry was Senior Coordinator for dozens of high enrolling vaccine clinical trials. Since 2009 Terry has been managing a Vaccine Division as Project Manager. She directly oversees all vaccine trials from planning through completion and ensures the highest level of quality. Terry is well respected in the industry and has developed close relationships with our sponsor and CRO partners. Most recently she has been spearheading business development. She has excellent knowledge of the industry and is focused on building, developing, and growing business relationships that are vital to the success of research projects.
Cecilia Mendez, Psy. D, CCRC
Business Development / Clinical Rater
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Cecilia has over 26 years of clinical research experience. Prior to joining CenExel RCA she spent 7 years as an ACRP Certified Clinical Research Coordinator and 13 years as a director of operations. Cecilia graduated from Florida International University (FIU) with a BA in Psychology, she later obtained 2 MA degrees in Mental Health Counseling (Nova Southeastern University) and Psychology (Albizu University). She went on to obtain her Doctorate degree (Psy.D) at Albizu University. Cecilia has been a Clinical Rater since 1993 and has been with RCA since 2019 where she is a valuable member of the Business Development Team as well as a Clinical Rater.
Medical Specialties
Looking for a Center of Excellence?
Reaching new heights in clinical research
Our Centers of Excellence provide unparalleled medical and scientific support in the design and execution of clinical trials. Our attention to detail assures quality, reliable results, and has helped CenExel to consistently achieve and exceed patient recruitment goals. We deliver the expertise, engagement, and results to ensure our clients achieve their clinical research goals.
To speed up study implementation, we provide centralized budgeting and contracting for sponsors engaging multiple Centers of Excellence. The geographic diversity of our network offers strong access to roughly 35 million subjects while our broad therapeutic expertise enables a variety of clinical trial strengths.
Top Therapeutic Areas of Expertise
CNS
Alzheimer’s Disease
Anxiety Disorder
Bipolar Disorder
Depressive Disorders
Parkinson’s Disease
Schizophrenia
Vaccine
Pediatric
Seasonal Influenza
Pandemic Influenza
COVID-19
Analgesia
Acute Post-op Pain:
Abdominoplasty
Bunionectomy
Open Hernia Repair
Wisdom Tooth Extraction
Other
Dermatology
Diabetes
Healthy Volunteer (all ages)
Insomnia
Asian-bridging
Ophthalmology
Sleep Apnea
Women’s Health
Meet our Centers of Excellence
Click on any highlighted state to see our Centers of Excellence
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