Staff
Patsy Simon, RN, BS, CCRC
Director of Operations
Patsy Simon is Director of Operations for the Wound Research Alliance and Director of Regulatory and Clinical Affairs for the Center of Innovation in Restorative Medicine, Department of Plastic Surgery, University of Pittsburgh. A graduate of Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Department of Human Development, Fashion and Interior Design and Westmoreland County Community College, Department of Health Professions. Ms. Simon attended the Western State University College of Law, where she studied Law. Ms. Simon achieved her professional certifications as a Clinical Research Coordinator in 2012 and Clinical Research Associate in 2015, to which she attributes significant contribution in the development, execution and compliance of human subject research at the Department of Plastic Surgery, University of Pittsburgh. She has supported research science through education, organizational leadership, and professional activities. Appointed to the Association of Clinical Research Professionals (ACRP) Professional Ethics Committee. She holds responsibility to maintain leadership and standards of professional conduct and ethics within ACRP, and contributes to the drafting and publishing of Guidelines for Professional Conduct (“Guidelines”) for ACRP members. She mentors faculty, residents and students in the key components and execution of a regulatory compliant human subject research project. Ms. Simon’s professional education, certification and background in clinical nursing, project management, regulatory affairs, law principles and quality management, afford her a unique position to lead on all aspects of a research project’s life cycle.
Danielle M. Minteer, PhD
Project Manager
Danielle M. Minteer, Ph.D. is Project Manager of the Wound Research Alliance, Adipose Stem Cell Center, and Center for Innovation in Restorative Medicine. She brings 9 years of tissue engineering experience to the team in addition to her post-doctoral work in human subject clinical research trials studying autologous fat grafting.
She has contributed to works which have resulted in 15 peer-reviewed publications and over 60 poster and podium discussions at scientific meetings at the local, national, and international levels. Areas of focus include adipose stem cell biology, bioreactor engineering, drug discovery and delivery, hydrogel development, peripheral nerve regeneration, pedal fat grafting, and metallic biomaterials.
Dr. Minteer is passionate about working with teams to reach their commercialization and clinical translational goals and, in her spare time, serves as a Commercial Translation Architect with sciVelo at the University of Pittsburgh. Through sciVelo, Danielle has led academic teams towards filing invention disclosures and intellectual property, founding new companies, and winning venture-backed and industry-sponsored funding.
She earned both her B.S. and Ph.D. in Bioengineering from the University of Pittsburgh.
Patrick M. Cantini
B
usiness Development Officer
Mr. Patrick Cantini is a member of the McGowan Institute’s Executive Management team focusing on conceptualizing and formulating strategic initiatives that result in short- and long-term growth of the Institute. This includes the development of innovative programs and activities to expedite technology translation; identifying and securing key community, government, and industry alliances on a regional, national, and global level; assessing the regenerative medicine field to identify emerging trends; improving project/program efficiencies; and, recommending new initiatives to grow the McGowan Institute.
In a dual capacity, Mr. Cantini also serves as a Managing Principal for the Center for Innovation in Restorative Medicine (CIRM). CIRM is a “clinical accelerator,” moving research in regenerative medicine into clinical practice and Mr. Cantini is responsible for programmatically facilitating the end-to-end process for the Center’s clinical research programs. He also serves on the Center’s Executive Management Team and provides strategic oversight for business development.
Prior to his appointment at the McGowan Institute, Mr. Cantini served as the Chief Business Officer for the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine where he was responsible for all aspects of strategic planning, direction, and business development. In addition, he provided overall administrative direction and coordination in the formulation, interpretation, and implementation of current and long-range policies, procedures, and programs.
Before joining the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Mr. Cantini served as the Associate Director for the Pittsburgh Tissue Engineering Initiative (PTEI), a non-profit think tank for the advancement of regenerative medicine and tissue engineering. He joined the biotech industry in 2001 after a long and lustrous career in the automotive manufacturing industry where he held leadership positions at the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) and the Society for Manufacturing Engineers (SME).
Brian Smith
Financial Officer
Brian Smith serves as the Director of Finance for the Wound Research Alliance. In a dual capacity, Brian also oversees the financial operations for the Department of Plastic Surgery’s research activities. Brian’s research administration experience includes 10 years as a senior member of the fiscal operations team at the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine.
During his tenure, Brian has been instrumental in managing special projects and tasks requested by his Department Chairs and has ensured that the general ledger, accounting transactions and personnel reporting are maintained in accordance with GAAP, University policies and procedures and other external requirements from federal and state governments, private industry and philanthropic sources.
Prior to this, Brian was an Accountant and Assistant Manager of General Accounting at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute where he was responsible for daily management and accounting activities relating to UPCI’s institutional funding.
Brian received his BSBA in Accounting from Robert Morris University in 2002. While working full-time at the University of Pittsburgh, he obtained the necessary experience and knowledge to pass testing to be recognized as a Certified Research Administrator (CRA). This certification is administered by the Research Administrators Certification Council. Mr. Smith has over fifteen years of combined financial experience in the academic and hospital administration sectors.