Summit Clinical Research Statement on Co-Founder and Chairman Dr. Stephen Harrison

SAN ANTONIO, April 24, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Summit Clinical Research, LLC ("Summit") is deeply saddened by the death of Co-Founder and Chairman Dr. Stephen Harrison. Summit mourns Dr. Harrison and extends its heartfelt condolences to his family and loved ones.  

During an illustrious 30-year career, Dr. Harrison pioneered the field of liver research and worked tirelessly in the pursuit of finding new treatment options and cures for Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatohepatitis (MASH) / Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD). He revolutionized Hepatology and the greater research community, including publishing over 350 peer-reviewed articles and more than 50,000 citations, achieving an H-Index of 106. Dr. Harrison also played an instrumental role in the development of the first FDA-approved drug to treat MASH / MASLD.

"Dr. Harrison will be missed more than words can express," said Gail Hinkson, Co-Founder and President of Summit Clinical Research. "Dr. Harrison was proud to tell the story of how we imagined Summit on the back of a napkin and built it into the complex clinical research leader that it is today. He envisioned and helped create a strong foundation at Summit through a deep and clinically driven team, leveraging the scientific collaboration of world-renowned academic experts. This team, with the stalwart support from the luminaries of the field, remains firmly committed to continuing Dr. Harrison's legacy and achieving his vision of revolutionizing the way clinical trials are executed for the future of our industry."

Dr. Mazen Noureddin, Chief Scientific Officer of Summit and Director of Houston Research Institute, added, "Dr. Harrison's contributions in the field are unmatched, and he will be remembered as a visionary leader, renowned researcher, trusted collaborator, patients advocate, patriot and physician, and as a dedicated husband, father and friend. I know I speak for everyone at Summit and the broader Hepatology field when I say that Dr. Harrison left a lasting impression on all he encountered and contributed momentously to liver disease research and its treatment."

Dr. Naim Alkhouri, Chief Medical Officer and Director of the SLD Program at Arizona Liver Health, shared similar sentiments, "Dr. Harrison's legacy is an ecosystem for the MASH community that will outlast us all. In his absence, and with the help of Summit, we will take up the torch to further accelerate the progress of MASH clinical research."

Dr. Michael Charlton, Professor of Medicine at the University of Chicago, commented, "Legacies are measured in what was achieved and, as importantly, what was made possible. It is upon all of us, at Summit and beyond, to pick up Stephen's mantle and carry it further, as he would expect us to. We, investigators and our partners in the pharmaceutical industry, will honor his challenge. The outlook for the MASH disease state has never been brighter. Thank you, Stephen!"

These statements are supported by the entire Summit scientific community, including: Dr. Jörn Schattenberg, Dr. Mary Rinella, Dr. Vlad Ratziu and Dr. Adrián Gadano.

Dr. Harrison was the Co-Founder and Chairman of Summit Clinical Research, LLC, and the Founder and Chairman of Pinnacle Clinical Research in San Antonio, Texas, among others. He was also a Visiting Professor of Hepatology at the Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford. Dr. Harrison served as a Colonel in the United States Army and concluded more than 20 years of dedicated service to his country in 2016. During his army tenure, he served as the Director of Graduate Medical Education at Brooke Army Medical Center, Associate Dean for the San Antonio Uniformed Services Health Education Consortium and Gastroenterology Consultant to the Army Surgeon General. Dr. Harrison earned his medical degree from the University of Mississippi School of Medicine.

About Summit Clinical Research

Headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, Summit Clinical Research is an Integrated Research Organization dedicated to MASH clinical trials, which delivers a full spectrum of study enrollment and site enrichment services to sites and sponsors in our network. From our inception in 2018, Summit has increasingly built a leadership team of uniquely specialized physicians, key opinion leaders, and clinical operations team professionals that span the health care industry.

For more information about Summit Clinical Research and its ongoing initiatives, please visit https://summitclinicalresearch.com or contact [email protected].

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SOURCE Summit Clinical Research