OUR TEAM

Leadership & Vision at Drug Studies America

At Drug Studies America, we believe that deep site relationships, operational excellence, and scientific integrity are the foundations of transformative clinical research.

Our team is made of long-time collaborators who share a unified mission: to run smarter, patient-centric clinical trials.

Investigators

  • Clinical Research Operations Leader

    Tanya Astorga brings more than 18 years of leadership experience in clinical research, combining operational excellence, strategic insight, and a people-centered approach to building and leading high-performing research organizations.

    Throughout her career, Tanya has managed and scaled Phase I–IV clinical trials across diverse therapeutic areas, including oncology, immunology, and central nervous system (CNS) disorders. She has successfully overseen more than 90 clinical trials and managed budgets exceeding $50 million, consistently delivering results in complex, fast-paced, and highly regulated research environments.

    Her expertise spans clinical research operations, strategic planning and budget management, CRO and vendor oversight, contract negotiation, SOP development, regulatory compliance with ICH/GCP requirements, process improvement, and risk mitigation. She is particularly skilled at developing operational infrastructure, optimizing site performance, strengthening regulatory compliance, and aligning cross-functional teams around both organizational and study objectives.

    Tanya's leadership philosophy emphasizes accountability, collaboration, quality, and operational efficiency, with a strong focus on creating systems and teams that support exceptional study execution and the participant experience.

    She earned her degree in Business and Healthcare Management from Saint Leo University and has dedicated her career to advancing clinical research through strong leadership, thoughtful strategy, and a commitment to operational excellence.

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  • Principal Investigator | Board-Certified Internal Medicine Physician

    Dr. Susmitha Puppala is a board-certified Internal Medicine physician with more than 20 years of clinical experience providing comprehensive care to diverse adult patient populations in both outpatient and hospital-based settings. She brings extensive clinical judgment and a strong commitment to evidence-based medicine, patient safety, and quality care to her role as a Principal Investigator.

    Dr. Puppala has significant clinical research experience as a Principal Investigator and Sub-Investigator across Phase I–IV clinical trials. Her research portfolio spans numerous therapeutic areas, including Type 2 diabetes and metabolic disease, cardiovascular disease and dyslipidemia, pain conditions, rheumatology, women's health, gastrointestinal and genitourinary disorders, infectious disease and vaccines, and oncology. Her prior studies include randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled and active-controlled clinical trials.

    Her experience in metabolic research includes clinical trials involving Type 2 diabetes mellitus, including patients inadequately controlled on antihyperglycemic therapy, as well as current research involving patients with inadequately controlled T2DM and obesity.

    As an investigator, Dr. Puppala provides comprehensive medical and safety oversight throughout the clinical trial lifecycle, with particular emphasis on participant eligibility and safety, informed consent, adverse-event assessment, laboratory and diagnostic review, investigational product oversight, protocol compliance, and Good Clinical Practice (GCP). Her patient-centered approach and clinical research experience support high-quality study execution, participant retention, and reliable clinical trial data.

    Dr. Puppala completed her Internal Medicine residency at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, Illinois, and earned her Doctor of Medicine degree from Zaporozhye State Medical University. In addition to her clinical research responsibilities, she has held leadership and physician positions in medical-director, Internal Medicine, and hospital medicine settings.

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  • Principal Investigator | Bariatric Medicine | Metabolic Disease | Clinical Research

    Dr. Glenn Gatipon is a board-certified Bariatric Medicine physician and highly experienced Principal Investigator with an extensive career spanning clinical medicine, clinical research, pain management, metabolic health, and medical leadership. His clinical expertise includes the management of obesity and metabolic disorders and related comorbidities, including Type 2 diabetes mellitus, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and fatty liver disease, as well as pain medicine.

     

    Dr. Gatipon has served as a Principal Investigator at Drug Studies America since 2005, conducting Phase I–IV clinical trials and providing medical and safety oversight across randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, and active-controlled studies. His research responsibilities encompass participant safety, informed consent, adverse event and serious adverse event assessment, protocol compliance, regulatory oversight, enrollment strategy, and collaboration with pharmaceutical sponsors, CROs, and clinical research monitors.

    Over the course of his research career, Dr. Gatipon has participated in approximately 100 clinical trials across a broad range of therapeutic areas. His particularly extensive experience in obesity and metabolic disease includes numerous studies involving Type 2 diabetes, insulin and non-insulin therapies, GLP-1 receptor agonists, oral antihyperglycemic therapies, and treat-to-target diabetes research. His research portfolio also includes substantial experience in osteoarthritis and musculoskeletal pain, chronic and neuropathic pain, cardiometabolic risk and dyslipidemia, inflammatory bowel disease, gastroenterology, migraine, oncology/cancer pain, and vaccines.

    In addition to his clinical and research experience, Dr. Gatipon has held numerous physician and medical leadership positions, including Medical Director, consultant in anesthesiology and pain management, and President of Kennestone Anesthesia Associates. His background in anesthesiology and regional pain medicine further complements his extensive research experience in chronic pain and musculoskeletal conditions.

    Dr. Gatipon completed his medical training at the University of Mississippi Medical Center and his anesthesiology residency through Emory University-affiliated hospitals. His multidisciplinary academic background also includes a PhD in Neurophysiology from Louisiana State University, a Master of Science in Physiology from Louisiana State University, and an MBA from Kennesaw State University.

    Dr. Gatipon brings to every clinical trial a unique combination of medical expertise, scientific training, operational understanding, and decades of investigator experience, with a continued commitment to participant safety, data integrity, regulatory compliance, and the advancement of new therapeutic options.

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  • Investigator

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