Mississippi Pediatric Clinical Trials Network
Study Team
 | Joseph "Marc" Majure, MD VDORA1 - Protocol Chair POPs - PI MoVeUP App - PI Dr. Majure is Professor of Pediatrics and Suzanne T. Miller Chair in Pediatric Pulmonary and Sleep Medicine at UMMC and serves as the Principal Investigator and domain expert for upper and lower airway disease for Mississippi’s ECHO ISPCTN clinical site. His clinical experience includes the private practice of general medicine and general pediatrics in rural Mississippi prior to training in Pediatric Pulmonary Medicine. He has been a practicing pulmonologist, educator, and clinical research for the last 30 years. While at Duke University, he established the Pediatric Pulmonary Clinical Research Program and Laboratory and has been Principal Investigator on multiple clinical trials in each phase of research. His contributions to science have centered on bringing new therapies to individuals with respiratory disease in both observational studies and later phase clinical trials. |
 | Lauren Tucker, MD ESC NOW – Site PI Dr. Tucker is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) and a co-investigator of the Mississippi Pediatric Clinical Trials Network (MPCTN). She is the site Principal Investigator for the IDeA States Pediatric Clinical Trial Network (ISPCTN) NIH funded study entitled “Eating, Sleeping, Consoling for Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal (ESC-NOW): A Function-Based Assessment and Management Approach.” She currently serves as a Neonatal Hospitalist in the Newborn Nursery, Mother Baby Unit, and Intermediate Care Nursery at Wiser Hospital for Women and Infants and Children’s of Mississippi. Dr. Tucker received her medical degree from Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center and completed her Pediatric Residency at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. |
 | David Josey, MD VDORA1 – Site PI BREATHE - Site PI David Josey Jr M.D. is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics and is a Pediatric pulmonologist at the University of Mississippi Medical center. He is Currently the Site PI for the Vitamin D Oral Replacement in Asthma (VDORA1-1) trial as well as the site PI for an anti-pseudomal drug regiment for Cystic Fibrosis. He has been the Site PI for multiple industry supported clinical trials, and is active in Quality improvement research having presented at various conferences and leading projects to improve the care of Cystic Fibrosis patients at the CF center. |
 | Kim Adcock, PharmD VDORA1 Kim G. Adcock is a Professor with Tenure in the Department of Pharmacy Practice at the University of Mississippi, School of Pharmacy and Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, School of Medicine. She currently serves as the Director of Faculty and Academic Affairs for the Department of Pharmacy Practice. From 2002-2016, Dr. Adcock also served as the Director of Pediatric Clinical Research for the Department of Pediatrics until she transitioned to a liaison position for clinical research between the Oxford and Jackson campuses for the University of Mississippi and now serves as the clinical director for the Center for Clinical and Translational Science within the School of Pharmacy. Through her vision as Director of Pediatric Clinical Research, she provided the infrastructure to build an active clinical research program that conducted over 100 clinical trials evaluating the pharmacokinetics, efficacy, and safety of medications and devices in the pediatric and adult populations and over $2,025,000.00 in funding. In addition, she serves as the Institutional Review Board chair for the University of Mississippi Medical Center, a consultant to the University of Mississippi Medical Center Investigational Drug Services and research pharmacist on numerous research protocols. As clinical director for the Center for Clinical and Translational Science, she has developed partnerships with local pharmacies that supports the Center’s investigator-initiated research program. |
 | Josh Fleming, PharmD VDORA1 Dr. Joshua Fleming is a Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy. In his role with the school, he serves as the Director of the PGY-2 Ambulatory Care Residency Program, and currently assists in the care of pediatric and adult patients with cystic fibrosis at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. Dr. Fleming obtained his PharmD from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in 2010. From there, he went on to complete a PGY-1 Pharmacy Practice Residency at Campbell University in 2011 and a PGY-2 Ambulatory Care Residency at The Johns Hopkins Hospital in 2012. He is currently involved with several pharmacy organizations including the Mississippi Society of Health-System Pharmacists and the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists. |
 | Hannah Ford, PhD Co-Investigator RAMP Site PI Dr. Ford is a pediatric psychologist and Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. She completed her doctoral degree at the University of Maine prior to attending her internship at Indiana University School of Medicine and Postdoctoral Fellowship at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. Dr. Ford’s clinical and research interests include working with children with chronic medical concerns and she has specific interests in the areas of pediatric pain management and sleep. |
 | Benjamin Walker, PhD Early Stage Investigator Dr. Walker is an Assistant Professor of Population Health Science at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. His background is in experimental psychology and sociology with a specialization in demography. His research addresses the social epidemiology of child health as well as the life-course origins of health inequality. Of particular interest is the accumulation of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) during sensitive and critical periods that affect developmental health. |
 | Maher Ajour, MD Early Stage Investigator Dr. Ajour is a Neonatologist and Assistant Professor in the Department of Neonatology at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. He completed his MD at Damascas University Hospital in Syria. He then went on to complete residencies at both Jordan University Hospital in Amman Jordan and Harlem Hospital Center in New York. Dr. Ajour joined UMMC after completing his fellowhip in Lexington at the University of Kentucky. He is committed to studying the underlying process of the diseases that affect patients and bring discoveries to the bedside in a timely way in order to improve important health outcomes, healthy infants for a healthy future. |
 | Emily Fratesi, RN Research Nurse Manager After receiving my RN license in early 2007, I began my career as a staff nurse on a women's medical unit at St. Dominic hospital. In late 2007, I transferred to the University of Mississippi Medical Center's Intermediate Care Nursery/Neonatal Intensive Care Unit where I have been a staff nurse for the past thirteen years. In May of 2018, I earned my Low Risk Neonatal Intensive Care Nursing Certification. I look forward to learning more about research and having a positive impact on children here in Mississippi, while contributing information to ECHO ISPCTN which in turn will positively impact children throughout the U.S. |
 | Lacy Malloch Project Manager I function as the Project Manager for the Mississippi ISPCTN clinical site and manage the day to day operations from logistics to budgets and everything in between for each of the studies implemented through the network (ACT NOW: CE, VDORA1, ESC NOW, iAmHealthy, MoVeUP App, BREATHE), as well as our collaborative studies with the Pediatric Trials Network (POP01, LAP01). I have a degree in Child Development from Mississippi University for Women and returned to my home state in 2016 after Air Force relocations to Colorado, Arkansas, and North Carolina. I am proud to be a part of a network that aims to improve the lives and health of all children but especially Mississippi's children. |