Developed for:
Access Patients in Their Communities
Hawthorne Health is a community-based site network designed to support enrollment, retention, and execution.
Access changes everything.
Hawthorne Health is a pharmacy-based site network designed to support sponsors, like Boehringer Ingelheim, seeking to expand patient access through community-based clinical research across a wide range of indications within cardiometabolic studies.
Our model engages patients through trusted healthcare settings, including clinics, pharmacies, and affiliated community care locations across the United States. Centralized operational oversight and standardized workflows support protocol-compliant execution while helping reduce barriers to participation and retention.
Pharmacy-Based Site Network
Built to reach patients traditionally excluded from existing research models, Hawthorne Health brings clinical trials to the heart of communities through a nationwide network of pharmacy-based sites.
Familiar settings and convenient locations help to reduce barriers to participation while improving patient retention and study outcomes.
Proposed Network Overview
We have identified a set of community-based sites and investigators aligned to support your pipeline, selected based on:
Existing patient flow within relevant populations
Established care relationships in local communities
Geographic distribution to support enrollment coverage
Ability to support both site-based and lower-burden visit structures
Hawthorne Health Site Locations
Hawthorne Site Demographics
Cardiometabolic
These sites reach one deeply connected patient population. Obstructive sleep apnea, type 2 diabetes, and GLP-1 metabolic programs share the same drivers: obesity, insulin resistance, hypertension, and cardiovascular risk. Each catchment carries high rates of these overlapping conditions, so the same communities support identification and enrollment across all three indications, including patients who are undiagnosed or not yet in care.
Investigators experienced across the obesity, diabetes, and cardiometabolic populations these programs draw from:
Obstructive Sleep Apnea
-
PI Highlights:
Experienced cardiology and internal medicine investigator with clinical trial background across respiratory and cardiometabolic indications, including COPD and asthma. Strong experience managing patients with overlapping comorbidities associated with OSA, including obesity and cardiovascular disease, supports identification and recruitment of appropriate patients.
Catchment:
Site located within a growing and diverse North Carolina catchment area, including approximately 32–35% minority representation (18.6% Black, 14% Hispanic). Strong access to patients with cardiometabolic and respiratory conditions supports identification of OSA patients, particularly those with obesity and cardiovascular comorbidities.
Experience:
21 total trials; extensive experience in OSA-relevant indications (respiratory/cardiometabolic), including COPD and asthma studies
-
PI Highlights:
Experienced investigator with direct clinical trial experience in obstructive sleep apnea, including Phase 3 studies. Strong background in managing patients with obesity and related comorbidities supports effective identification, enrollment, and retention of OSA patients.
Catchment:
A site located in a highly diverse South Florida market with approximately 36% minority representation, including 22.4% Hispanic and 20.8% Black populations— Access to ~12,000 patients with high rates of obesity and metabolic disease supports strong recruitment potential.
Experience:
56 total trials; direct experience in OSA clinical trials, supported by additional experience in obesity and metabolic indications
Type 2 Diabetes
-
PI Highlights:
Cardiologist and internal medicine investigator with extensive experience in cardiometabolic and cardiovascular outcomes trials, including studies in patients with T2DM and high cardiovascular risk.
Catchment:
Site located within a growing and diverse North Carolina catchment area, including approximately 32–35% minority representation (18.6% Black, 14% Hispanic). Strong access to patients with cardiometabolic and respiratory conditions supports identification of OSA patients, particularly those with obesity and cardiovascular comorbidities.
Experience:
21 total trials; experience in T2DM-related cardiovascular outcomes studies, including high-risk cardiometabolic populations
-
PI Highlights:
Family medicine investigator with direct clinical trial experience in Type 2 diabetes and obesity, including insulin titration and glucose-lowering therapy studies. Strong background managing T2DM in a primary care setting supports identification and longitudinal management of patients.
Catchment:
Established site located in a densely populated and highly diverse catchment area, with approximately 53% minority representation (28.3% Black, 19.6% Hispanic). Access to ~22,500 patients supports strong recruitment across metabolic populations.
Experience:
7 total trials; 4 direct T2DM trials, including insulin and glucose-lowering therapy studies
-
PI Highlights:
Internal medicine-focused investigator supporting chronic disease populations, including patients with metabolic and cardiovascular comorbidities in a community-based setting.
Catchment:
Community-based site serving a diverse regional population, including approximately 29.5% Black/African American patients within the catchment area.
Experience:
21 total trials; no direct T2DM trials, experience in chronic disease populations relevant to metabolic conditions.
READ BIO
-
PI Highlights:
Neurology and pain specialist with clinical trial experience in chronic disease populations, including patients with diabetes-related comorbidities such as neuropathy and migraine.
Catchment:
Site located within a diverse New York catchment area, with a population composition including approximately 11.4% Hispanic and 16.9% Asian representation, supporting access to a broad and multi-ethnic patient population. The high-density urban setting enables consistent patient flow and access to patients with relevant comorbid conditions, supporting efficient identification and recruitment
Experience:
30 total trials; 3 direct diabetes-related trials, including neuropathy and metabolic comorbidity populations.
-
PI Highlights:
Internal medicine investigator with experience across metabolic, cardiovascular, and infectious disease trials, supporting access to patients with T2DM and related comorbid conditions.
Catchment:
Community-based site serving a semi-rural population with approximately 26% minority representation and access to ~12,000 patients.
Experience:
29 total trials; 2 metabolic endpoint trials including HbA1c
GLP-1
-
PI Highlights:
Family medicine investigator with direct clinical trial experience in Type 2 diabetes and obesity, including insulin titration and glucose-lowering therapy studies. Strong background managing T2DM in a primary care setting supports identification and longitudinal management of patients.
Catchment:
Established site located in a densely populated and highly diverse catchment area, with approximately 53% minority representation (28.3% Black, 19.6% Hispanic). Access to ~22,500 patients supports strong recruitment across metabolic populations.
Experience:
7 total trials; 4 direct T2DM trials, including insulin and glucose-lowering therapy studies
-
PI Highlights:
Cardiologist and internal medicine investigator with extensive experience in cardiometabolic and cardiovascular outcomes trials, including studies in patients with T2DM and high cardiovascular risk.
Catchment:
Site located within a growing and diverse North Carolina catchment area, including approximately 32–35% minority representation (18.6% Black, 14% Hispanic). Strong access to patients with cardiometabolic and respiratory conditions supports identification of OSA patients, particularly those with obesity and cardiovascular comorbidities.
Experience:
21 total trials; experience in T2DM-related cardiovascular outcomes studies, including high-risk cardiometabolic populations
Operational Model
One operational partner across sites and homes.
Hawthorne’s operating model is designed to simplify study execution across community sites and in-home settings through centralized governance and standardized processes.
Capabilities include:
One CTA across participating community sites
Centralized feasibility and startup oversight
Standardized workflows and reporting
One project management structure across visit locations
Nationwide in-home support capabilities
2,000+ GCP-trained clinicians
Coverage across all 50 U.S. states
60,000+ completed at-home study visits
Community Trial Solutions
Connecting Boehringer Ingelheim to community-based care environments patients already utilize every day.
Benefits to Partnering with Hawthorne Health:
Eliminate patient barriers
Drive greater enrollment
Increase retention
Improve study compliance
Salima Eljaiek-Justino
Director, BD
Salima brings more than 15 years of experience across clinical trial operations, decentralized research delivery, patient-centric services, and business development. As Director of Business Development at Hawthorne Health, she works with sponsors and CROs to support community-based and hybrid clinical trial strategies designed to improve patient access, operational flexibility, and study execution.
Prior to joining Hawthorne, Salima held leadership and operational roles at ICON/Accellacare, Marken, Firma Clinical Research, LabCorp Clinical Trials, and Atlantic Health System. Her experience spans project management, home visit operations, patient-centric trial services, and decentralized clinical trial delivery across a broad range of therapeutic areas and study models.
