Houston —(August 29, 2022) — The Texas Heart Institute (THI) is proud to announce the promotion of Casey Kappenman, MS, CCRC, to Administrative Director of the Center for Clinical Research (CCR). As the Administrative Director, Kappenman will provide leadership and comprehensive clinical research management experience to CCR, an institutional resource that supports all areas of cardiovascular research on human subjects at THI and its affiliates.

 

Kappenman has an extensive history of involvement in clinical research at THI. He initially facilitated cardiovascular clinical trials as a clinical research coordinator from 2007–2013.  After a short period with Sarah Cannon Research Institute in Nashville, Tenn., Kappenman returned to THI in April of 2016 with a focus on improving clinical research operations, including serving as CCR’s Research Systems Manager. He most recently served as the center’s Assistant Administrative Director, a leadership position in which he supported CCR’s overall operations and played an integral role to improve clinical research processes at THI.

 

Kappenman received a BS in Exercise Science from North Dakota State University in 2002 and an MS in Applied Biomedical Informatics from The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) School of Biomedical Informatics in May of 2022. Through his coursework at UTHealth, Kappenman expanded his skills in project management, change management, and data management—with an appreciation of how each subject area could be applied to his role in clinical research.

 

This specialized training also allows him to act as a liaison between clinical research professionals and experts in computer science and information technology, enabling his team to take maximum advantage of technology-based improvements in how clinical research is performed. Kappenman explained, “Future clinical trials will involve greater use of health data from patients’ electronic health records (EHRs) to correlate treatments and outcomes. This model can reduce the time and resources needed to run a trial in a pragmatic way that better represents real-world conditions for patients and their health care providers.”

 

While at THI, Kappenman has worked closely with THI’s Medical Director, Dr. Emerson C. Perin, and President and CEO, Dr. Joseph G. Rogers.  Kappenman has fostered relationships with THI’s Professional Staff, clinical investigators, and other research organizations, both locally and nationally.

 

“Casey has been an invaluable member of our clinical research team for many years and there is no one better suited to take the helm as Administrative Director of the CCR. THI will benefit greatly from his leadership as he guides our clinical research into the future,” said Dr. Perin.

 

Dr. Rogers added, “Casey is an outstanding leader who will leverage his expertise and extensive experience in clinical research to expand our ability to offer clinical trials to our patients. He is also perfectly suited to help us develop a more robust research initiative in health data sciences.”