Our Mission
About Us
Redbird Research combines our in-house, longstanding expertise in research with existing partner facilities across the United States, enabling direct access to eligible patients seeking clinical care.
Who We are
Meet Our Team
Jelena Kunovac, M.D., M.S.
Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Dr. Jelena Kunovac is Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Redbird Research. She has founded research centers in California (Excell Research), Nevada, and Arizona. Dr. Kunovac also previously served as the Chief Scientific Officer at IMA Group. With participation in over 525 clinical trials, primarily in the central nervous system (CNS) arena, Dr. Kunovac has established herself as an industry-leading expert in psychiatry. She frequently serves on scientific advisory boards and consults on clinical trial methodologies.
Dr. Kunovac is a prolific author, regularly contributing to respected medical journals, and presents her research at scientific meetings around the world. She holds the position of Adjunct Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Passionate about improving patient care, Dr. Kunovac is dedicated to incorporating up-to-date research into the clinical practices of healthcare providers.
Andrea Basaraba
Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer
Andrea Basaraba is Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Redbird Research. Andrea pivoted to the clinical research industry to co-found Redbird Research with Dr. Kunovac and pursue their vision of advancing innovative research and patient-focused care that drive medical breakthroughs and shape the future of healthcare.
Before Redbird Research, Andrea served as Special Assistant to the General Counsel of the Department of Defense, worked as an associate attorney in the General Practice group of Sullivan & Cromwell, LLP, and clerked on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Andrea is also an officer in the U.S. Navy Reserve.
Andrea holds a BA from the University of Southern California, where she competed for four years as a member of the Division 1 Swimming and Diving team; a MA from Reichman University, and a JD from Yale Law School.
Lorenzo Medina
Executive Director
Dr. Lorenzo Medina is the Executive Director, Global Clinical Operations at Redbird Research. Dr. Medina has over five years of clinical research experience and has participated in over 60 clinical trials, primarily focused on the central nervous system. His expertise spans from conducting Phase II clinical trials to post-market research studies. He is a strong advocate for diversity and inclusion in research, promoting equitable access to clinical trials and mental health resources.
Dr. Medina received his undergraduate degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara and obtained his medical degree from the Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara School of Medicine.
Eline Kalamkaryan
Senior Rater and Director
Dr. Eline Kalamkaryan is Senior Rater and Director, Clinical Research Psychometric Assessments at Redbird Research. She is a distinguished medical professional with extensive expertise in endocrinology, psychiatry, and clinical research. With a comprehensive background that spans over 100 clinical trials as a sub-investigator, Dr. Kalamkaryan’s work is characterized by a commitment to innovative clinical research aimed at transforming patient care and advancing medical treatments.
Dr. Kalamkaryan’s experience is instrumental in training and supervising clinical raters across the Redbird Research network, ensuring the highest standards of data quality and consistency. Her leadership and mentorship help shape a skilled team dedicated to conducting rigorous, patient-centered research. She earned her medical degree from Pavlov Medical University and completed her residency in endocrinology at the prestigious MAPO Postgraduate Academy in Saint Petersburg. Driven by a passion for integrating medical and psychological care, she is currently pursuing a Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) degree in Clinical Psychology at Capella University.
Who We are
Advisory Committee
George Garibaldi
Trained in child psychiatry, statistics, and psychopharmacology, for over 30 years, Dr. George Garibaldi has brought patients and their loved ones to the table to integrate their perspective into every aspect of therapy development. George has worked with world class teams on a series of molecules, developing therapies that target illnesses of the brain and the nervous system, including ocrelizumab, approved in 2017 for primary progressive and relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis, rivastigmine in Alzheimer’s disease and Lewi Body dementia, iloperidone in schizophrenia, risperidone in autism and the long-acting injectable in frequently relapsing patients with bipolar disorders, and paliperidone and paliperidone palmitate in patients with schizoaffective disorder.
George is co-founder and past president of the International Society for Central Nervous System Clinical Trials and Methodology, former chairman of the International Society for CNS Drug Development, and a member of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. He is the recipient of multiple awards, including the ISCDD award for innovation.
George earned his MD from the faculty of medicine of Cairo University. He completed his residency in child and general psychiatry at the Rene Descartes Medical School, his studies in statistics and mathematical modeling at the University of Kremlin-Bicêtre, and his studies in neuropsychopharmacology at the Pitié Salpétrière.
Sofija Jovic
Dr. Sofija Jovic is a clinical psychologist and an entrepreneur, holding multiple advisory, mentorship, and board roles with a focus on helping businesses commercialize innovation, grow, and succeed. She was a co-founder and CEO of ProPhase, a clinical research specialty service provider, where she drove business growth and a successful exit by harnessing the power of data to revolutionize how we understand and evaluate treatment outcomes.
Sofija was a Managing Board Member at ProPhase and CRA Assessments; Chair of the Strategy Committee at Integrated Behavioral Health; Vice Chair of Gilda’s Club of New York City, and an independent board director at Inflexxion. In 2016, Sofija was selected as one of the top 20 executives in biopharma for the Boardroom Ready program by Women in BIO and as a National Association of Corporate Directors Board Governance Fellow.
Sofija began her career as a clinical psychologist, professor, and researcher. She has published works in peer-reviewed journals and presented at professional and industry conferences. She is the founding member of CNS Summit, an advisor for Springboard Enterprises Life Science Council, and is a Mentor-in-Residence at The University of Pennsylvania PCI Ventures program. Sofija earned her PhD in Clinical Psychology from Long Island University and her MBA from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management.
Jay Kranzler
Dr. Jay Kranzler has served in operational and consulting capacities for multiple large pharmaceutical companies, small biotechnology companies, investment banks and investors. He has developed drugs, medical devices and diagnostics, and is an inventor on multiple key patents.
Dr. Kranzler serves as an Adjunct Professor at New York University Stern School of Business and at the New York University Langone School of Medicine. Previously, Dr. Kranzler was Vice President and Global Head of External R&D Innovation and Worldwide R&D Strategic Investments at Pfizer. Dr. Kranzler’s entrepreneurial career includes his role as Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Cypress Bioscience, where he was credited for the development of Savella™ (milnacipran) for the treatment of fibromyalgia. He also served as Chief Executive Officer of Cytel Corporation and was a Founder of Perception Neuroscience, which was acquired by ATAI Life Sciences.
Dr. Kranzler began his career at McKinsey & Company where he was a lead in establishing the Firm’s pharmaceutical practice. Currently, Dr. Kranzler has an active consulting practice advising biotechnology companies as well as investors, serves an Executive Chairman of Avenue Therapeutics, and as a Board Member of Baergic Bio, ImmunoBrain Checkpoint, and Crystalys. Dr. Kranzler graduated from Yale University School of Medicine with M.D. and Ph.D. degrees with a focus in psychopharmacology.
Alex Nomitch
Alex Nomitch is an investor in private, public, and fund opportunities. His private investing experience has spanned across sectors, including industrials, healthcare, consumer, financials, and technology, with deep expertise in the energy and natural resources sectors. He has been involved in several start-ups as both an early-stage investor and strategic advisor.
From 2013 to 2019, he worked at Viking Global Investors, a $30 billion hedge fund manager, where he was a portfolio manager and investment analyst and led Viking’s energy and materials team. Previously, Mr. Nomitch worked in private equity investing at Blackstone and in investment banking at Goldman Sachs.
Mr. Nomitch graduated with a B.A. in mathematics and economics, summa cum laude, from Dartmouth College, where he was a salutatorian of his graduating class. He lives in New York.
