Our Team

Our Leadership

Lila Dalton, RN, BSN, CCRP  |  Director of CTC  |  Email: ldalton@llu.edu

Mrs. Lila Dalton works under the auspices of institutional leadership to produce and implement the strategic plan for the Clinical Trial Center.  She oversees administration in the areas of clinical trial contracting, financial management, site operation and training, as well as development and promotion.  She collaborates with clinical trial site personnel and ancillary service providers to ensure good procedural adherence and clinical trial progress.  Ms. Dalton has been a Registered Nurse since 1992, received her BSN in 2009 and is also certified as a Clinical Research Professional.  She has over twenty years of experience in clinical research field, with specialized practice in pediatrics, neonatology, and oncology.  Her various roles within clinical research have encompassed nursing, coordination, and management.

 Luis Garcia, Finance and Accounting Manager  luagarcia@llu.edu

Luis Garcia has over sixteen years of experience in accounting, finance, and financial management.  This includes 5 years of accounting and finance experience in Radiation Medicine Research and 6 years experience in clinical research finance.  Currently, he partners with billing offices, clinical departments, and administrators to successfully manage clinical trial accounting and financial management cycle from startup through closeout.  He holds a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration and a Master's degree in Healthcare Administration.

Rajesh Rao, Manager, Study Startup and Administration  rkrao@llu.edu    

Rajesh Rao manages the administrative and startup processes at the Clinical Trial Center.  Using his expertise in clinical research, he oversees the study startup review process, including the feasibility analysis, budget negotiations, and completion of Medicare coverage analysis.  He also assists the Clinical Trial Center Director in maintaining and developing clinical research education activities.  Rajesh has over fourteen years of clinical research experience, including clinical trial coordinator, specializing in study startup and budget development.  He has been employed at Loma Linda University Health since 2008.  He earned his Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) from India and is a SOCRA certified Clinical Care Research Professional (CCRP).  He graduated from the University of California, San Diego in 2019 with his MAS degree (Masters in Advanced Studies) in Clinical Research.

Melissa Rundquist, Manager, Clinical Research  mrundquist@llu.edu

Mrs. Melissa Rundquist is responsible for developing, implementing, maintaining, and evaluating procedures to ensure clinical research protocols are conducted in accordance with requirements of the institution and applicable regulatory agencies.  She supervises clinical research coordinators to maintain adherence to protocol requirements and for completion of job duties.  Mrs. Rundquist facilitates and provides training and education for the coordinators through staff meetings and in-services.  She works closely with directors, study investigators, department leads, regulatory staff, and clinical staff for promotion and growth of clinical research activity at Loma Linda University Health entities while supporting the mission of the Clinical Trial Center.  Melissa also attends conferences, group meetings, and National Investigator Meetings to stay on top of new developments in clinical research.

Our Team Members

Finance and Accounting

Mandy Pfister, Finance Analyst  apfister@llu.edu

Debbie Murillo, Finance Assistant  dmurillo@llu.edu

Study Startup

Rosa Rivas, Study Start-Up Specialist  rrivas@llu.edu

Regulatory Staff

Celerina Sevilla, Senior Regulatory Coordinator  cesevilla@llu.edu

Doris Charles, Regulatory Coordinator  dcharles@llu.edu

Sandra Coronado, Regulatory Coordinator  smcoronado@llu.edu

Clinical Staff

Brenda Gonzalez, Research Nurse, LVN-2  bregonzales@llu.edu

John "Nash" Quintans, Research Nurse, LVN-1  jnquintans@llu.edu

Jaclyn Lopez, Clinical Research Coordinator  janlopez@llu.edu

Daisy Sekly, Research Nurse, LVN-1  dsekly@llu.edu

Jennifer Ceballos, Per Diem Clinical Research Coordinator  jceballos@llu.edu

Brittany "Grace" Futch, Per Diem Clinical Research Coordinator bfutch@llu.edu

Raquel Hernandez, Clinical Research Coordinator  raqhernandez@llu.edu

Marcia Easterly, Clinical Research Coordinator  measterly@llu.edu

Tina Ramirez, Clinical Research Coordinator  tiramirez@llu.edu

David Borg, Clinical Research Coordinator  dborg@llu.edu

Administrative Staff

Jennelle Stacey, Project Specialist  jstacey@llu.edu

Alicia Martinez, Administrative Assistant  alimartinez@llu.edu