Our Leadership Team

Matt Kiernan is a life sciences entrepreneur who believes culture is the foundation of great companies. Over the past two decades, he has built and exited two successful organizations in the pharmaceutical industry—Pharmica Consulting and Intrinsic Clinical Systems—both acquired by ProPharma Group in 2021.

Matt's approach blends operational rigor with cultural intention. At Pharmica, he launched a company-wide program built around the philosophy "Work hard, have fun, be great," inspiring consultants, clients, and partners to uphold a standard of mutual respect and service. At Intrinsic, he applied that same mindset to technology, creating tools that helped clinical teams work smarter and stay connected.

Now, he's applying that same philosophy to transform clinical research—building a network where investigators, patients, sponsors, and staff all feel supported and valued.

Dr. de la Gándara is a Licensed Physician practicing as an adult and geriatric psychiatrist in the State of Florida for over 30 years. He trained at the University of Florida Shands Teaching Hospital Department of Psychiatry and at the University of Miami Jackson Memorial Hospital Department of Psychiatry Training program, serving as Chief Resident and completing a Fellowship in Psychopharmacology.

He directs and serves as Principal Investigator for the Quantum Laboratories Central Nervous System (CNS) Clinical Research program, conducting trials for various CNS indications including Mild Cognitive Impairment, Alzheimer's disease, Depression, Anxiety, Bipolar Disorder, Schizophrenia, and other neuropsychiatric disorders for over 30 years.

Ms. Carla Diaz is a Nurse Practitioner certified in Family Practice, with extensive clinical experience spanning critical care and family medicine. Before joining clinical research, she served as an ICU nurse, where she honed her skills in patient care, complex case management, and medical decision-making.

Now as a Sub-Investigator at Apex Clinical Research, she is a cornerstone of the team, contributing her expertise, precision, and unwavering commitment to excellence. Carla plays a pivotal role in studies across multiple therapeutic areas, including vaccine, obesity, respiratory, and emerging indications.

Dr. Edward Federman is a board-certified pulmonologist and critical care specialist with over 40 years of clinical experience. As a Principal Investigator at Apex Clinical Research, he brings deep expertise in respiratory medicine and internal medicine to support the successful execution of complex clinical trials.

Dr. Federman has led and supported numerous research studies in therapeutic areas including COPD, asthma, interstitial lung disease, pulmonary hypertension, and vaccines. He maintains hospital affiliations across San Diego, including UCSD Hospital, Sharp Grossmont Hospital, and Pulmonary Medicine & Infectious Disease Group.

Dr. Gamez has been practicing medicine for over 34 years in the Miami area. His specialty is psychiatry with a sub-specialty in Geriatric psychiatry. He is the Chief of Psychiatry Department and Medical Director for the psychiatry unit at Palmetto General Medical Center, an Assistant Professor at the University of Miami and Clinical Psychiatry Instructor at Nova Southeastern University.

Dr. Gamez is also a community leader and spokesman for Mental Health Topics at Univision Spanish Network and serves as Medical Director and CEO of Galiz Research. He has over 25 years of experience as a Principal Investigator conducting Clinical Trials from Phase I to Phase IV, consistently meeting sponsors' enrollment goals and expectations.

Daravan Rath is the Site Director of Apex Clinical Research, where he leads the strategic vision, operational oversight, and growth of the organization. With a professional background as a pharmacist and experience in the pharmaceutical industry, Daravan brings a unique perspective to clinical trial execution—combining clinical insight with business leadership.

His commitment to operational excellence and quality performance has positioned Apex as a trusted research partner for sponsors and CROs. Though he entered clinical research through site ownership, Daravan quickly established himself as a hands-on leader, building a high-performing team, driving recruitment success, and ensuring regulatory compliance across diverse therapeutic areas.

Dr. Patrick Yassini serves as the Principal Investigator and Medical Director at Apex Clinical Research, where he brings over 25 years of clinical experience and a strong track record in clinical trial execution. As a dual board-certified physician in family medicine and integrative holistic medicine, Dr. Yassini offers a unique blend of traditional clinical care and forward-thinking research leadership.

Dr. Yassini's experience spans multiple high-enrolling studies across therapeutic areas such as vaccines, obesity, respiratory, neurology, and dermatology. He is deeply involved in protocol execution, subject safety, and data quality, maintaining a hands-on presence throughout the lifecycle of each study. Widely respected in the clinical research and medical communities, Dr. Yassini is known for his integrity, consistency, and results-driven leadership.

Concepcion Fornaris Caballero is an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse at Quantum Laboratories. Concepcion brings a long record of success in nursing and clinical expertise, her background in out-patient settings has provided a broad knowledge base of disease states and their evolution.

She assists the Principal Investigator in performing physical assessments and is able to provide services in both English and Spanish.