Who is NorCal?
Who is NorCal?
NorCal Medical Research, formerly Marin Endocrine Care and Research (MECR), is now in its 38th year as an independent clinical research company located in the North Bay of San Francisco. As Medical Director of NorCal, I am proud of our history of conducting over 150 cutting-edge research trials with the most trusted sponsors in pharmaceutical and device research and development. Our site is chosen to partner with industry leaders because of our expertise and experience in meticulously overseeing diverse clinical research protocols. Our medical services are also recognized by our colleagues and patients to provide unique opportunities for medical care within our community.
NorCal’s strong ties with leading pharmaceutical companies and review boards have resulted in steady growth and expansion of our facilities, staff, recruiting outreach initiatives and phenomenal patient adherence and success. We focus on clinical trials to improve metabolic conditions such as obesity, including the latest weight loss medication trials in patients with and without pre-diabetes, type1 and type 2 diabetes, as well as neuropathy, hyperlipidemia and hypertension. We have also participated in numerous studies for conditions such as hypothyroidism, osteoporosis, women’s health and others. We look forward to expanding our trials in new areas as well. Since our trials now include patients in the greater North Bay of San Francisco, our new name, NorCal, references this expansion and anticipates our continued growth.
My former partner and co-founder of MECR in 1988, Dr Richard I Bernstein, has become emeritus since his retirement. Dr Bernstein deserves special recognition as an endocrinologist in Marin County for over forty years who had the vision to bring clinical research into community practice. I have served as Primary Investigator at NorCal since our founding and am grateful to have previously worked with partners and sub-investigators Dr Alex Uihlein, Dr Mickie Cheng, Dr Irene Teper and currently with Dr Elizabeth Lowe. The combined research training and impressive clinical skills of our physicians have complemented our experienced clinical management staff, many of whom have been on our dedicated team as research coordinators for over twenty years. This cohesive group, in addition to newer staff and an expanding group of referring practitioners from diverse specialties and primary care, will move the capabilities of NorCal Medical Research forward towards our expanded goals.
Our offices are fully equipped with the most recent Electronic Data Capture systems, advanced refrigeration, centrifugation and other equipment to conduct these clinical trials seamlessly. NorCal has a designated lab to process clinical trial lab samples and contains both a standard and refrigerated centrifuge, as well as a refrigerator and -30 freezer.
Our mission is twofold: to partner with leading pharmaceutical and device industries to add to the fundamental understanding of disease treatment through state-of-the-art clinical research, and to maximize unique clinical opportunities for patient medical management to all the people in our North Bay community. Patient-centric safety, efficacy, and utility are the standards by which we choose clinical protocols that enable us to individualize and expand care options for our patients. These same guidelines ensure optimal outcomes for our industry partners in research and development.
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Linda M Gaudiani MD, FACP, FACE
NorCal President, Medical Director and Primary Investigator