Our Story Starts Here

Believing in the Magnitude of Gratitude

We believe that a “thank you” goes a long way to build trust and encourage more people from all walks of life to participate in clinical research.

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How We Started

Our story begins with Jennifer Byrne, a long-time clinical trial executive, who watched thousands of clinical trial participants take part in clinical research. She observed that not many volunteers truly understood the lasting impact of their participation. Especially where the drug development process can last for years or longer, volunteers may not appreciate just how critical they are.

 

Then, Jennifer had an idea.

 

What if we could reinforce the impact of a clinical trial participant by making a donation in their honor? The concept was simple: pay forward the impact of a volunteer's role in a clinical trial with a donation to vulnerable children. One good deed delivers the gift of health of future generations.

 

Since 2010, Greater Gift has celebrated more than 178,000 clinical trial participants and donated an equal number of vaccines and meals to children in need through our collaboration with Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance and Feeding America.

Meet the Greater Gift Team

Greater Gift is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization and your donation is tax-deductible within the guidelines of U.S. law. Donations fund the costs to administer the celebration program and employ a small team of full-time employees. Greater Gift also depends on volunteers who donate their skills to help advance the organization.

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Sharon Pullen, Program Coordinator

Sharon Pullen started as Greater Gift’s program coordinator in late October 2022. She brings extensive administrative expertise from diverse sectors. She dedicated eight years to PMG Research, an independent clinical research site, where she was introduced to Greater Gift and its positive impact on clinical trial participants. Sharon observed the direct impact of showing gratitude to patients and looks forward to adding to Greater Gift’s 13-year legacy of meaningful contributions.

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Hally Cooper,

Content Marketing and Design Specialist

Greater Gift Board of Directors 

Greater Gift board members include research leaders, community advocates, and thought leaders who are dedicated to improving clinical research for all communities.

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Jennifer Byrne

Chair of the Board of Directors
CEO, Javara

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Amanda Wright

Secretary, Board of Directors 
Chief of Site Operations, Javara

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Darren White

Treasurer, Board of Directors
CEO, Medical Consulting Solutions, Inc., Anesthesia Care Services, PA, Healthcare Business Solutions, LLC.

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Carlos Orantes

CEO, Alcanza Clinical Research

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Dr. Clare Grace

Chief Patient Officer, Parexel

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Darius Ford

Senior Project Manager, Medidata Solutions

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Dr. Harsha K Rajasimha

Founder & CEO, Jeeva Informatics Solutions

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Kristin Kinlaw

Senior Director, Head, Enrollment Strategy, I&I and Internal Medicine/Anti-Infectives, Pfizer

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Lindsey Hofmann

Chief of Staff, Global Business Finance & Operations, Red Hat

 

 

Tentative Thank Yous for April 2022 Social Media

Dr. Reina Rodriguez

Bilingual Health Educator, Forsyth County Department of Public Health

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Sharon Hanlon

Senior Director, Clinical Trial Engagement and Enrollment, Bristol Myers Squibb

 

 

Greater Gift Volunteers

Greater Gift volunteers generously donate their time and expertise to advance the mission.

Logan Smith volunteer

Logan Smith

Logan is a long time volunteer and has worked with Greater Gift for three years helping with IT system administration, IT security, website development, and technology strategy across multiple domains.

Kai Shapard volunteer

Kai Shapard

Kai started as a student intern and remains a volunteer. They is passionate about amplifying Greater Gift's mission through all different types of media. Kai is currently studying Healthcare Administration at ECPI University.

Sarah Hamilton volunteer

Sarah Hamilton

Sarah applies her experience as a Chief Marketing Officer to identify strategies for growth and innovative approaches to fundraising for Greater Gift. Her professional expertise spans across cybersecurity, SaaS, and healthcare tech.

Kelly Brown volunteer

Kelly Brown

Kelly has several years of experience in marketing for life sciences. She applies her experience with clinical trials to support the marketing efforts for Greater Gift, including messaging and website strategy.