Our
Team
The i-Cubed team brings together individuals from a range of backgrounds and specialties who are dedicated to advancing new ideas in clinical research. Drawing on their collective expertise and the resources of the Duke Clinical Research Institute, the team works closely with innovators to develop, test, and launch solutions that improve how clinical research is designed, conducted, and delivered.
The Leadership Team
Michael (Micky) Cohen-Wolkowiez, MD, PhD
Executive Director
Micky is i-Cubed's first director. He is also the Kiser-Arena Distinguished Professor of Pediatrics at Duke University and the Duke Clinical Research Institute, and is the Chief Medical Advisor for Lightship, a company providing clinical research services at sites, homes, remotely, and through mobile research units.
Micky has more than fifteen years of experience designing, planning, and conducting novel clinical trials in a variety of populations including healthy volunteers, children, adults, older adults, and pregnant women. Previously, he was a Scientific Advisor for the Office of Pediatric Therapeutics at the Food and Drug Administration, and has worked as a consultant for multiple pharmaceutical companies and startups.
Micky believes it is critically important to increase the representation of minority populations in clinical trials, and his work has made him aware of the many obstacles in the clinical research process that can be reduced or eliminated to benefit people everywhere.
He earned his medical degree at the Central University of Venezuela, completed his pediatric residency at Nickalus Children's Hospital, and a pediatric infectious disease fellowship at Duke University. He also has a PhD in pharmaceutical sciences from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.
Micky loves to play tennis, read historical fiction novels, eat plantains, and visit art museums.
Michael (Micky) Cohen-Wolkowiez, MD, PhD
Executive Director
Donna L. Parker, MPH
Operations Director
Donna works alongside the i-Cubed leadership team to design and implement the innovation center's structured approach for helping innovators transform their ideas from early concepts to market-ready strategies.
She has led clinical research operations teams at the University of North Carolina and Duke in a multitude of therapeutic areas.
Donna particularly enjoys bringing teams together to form, storm, norm and perform work that makes a difference in the world.
She earned her master's degree in public health at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.
And although Donna works for Duke, she roots for the Tarheels. She lives in Chapel Hill with her husband and dogs. She is an avid reader, gardener, hiker, and skier.
Email: donna.l.parker@duke.edu
Donna L. Parker, MPH
Operations Director
Brian Blackmon
Innovation Manager
Brian leads the Partner Innovations arm of i-Cubed, which provides consultation to organizations in the biopharma and health tech industries to accelerate new products and innovations into commercial markets.
Over the last 12 years, Brian has worked on many large-scale trials and projects on patient outcomes, payer evaluation, and pharmaceutical benefit management. He enjoys helping people solve problems and has extensive experience working with government agencies and pharmaceutical manufacturers.
He earned his master's degree in public policy at North Carolina State University.
Brian has two children who keep him busy and happy. He enjoys spending time outside with his family and friends.
Email: brian.blackmon@duke.edu
Brian Blackmon
Innovation Manager
Christoph Hornik, MD, PhD
Associate Director
In addition to his i-Cubed role, Christoph is the vice chair for research in the department of pediatrics at Duke, the director of DCRI's Pharmacometrics and Fit-for-Purpose research group, and a practicing pediatric cardiac intensivist. He also is a consultant to pharmaceutical companies and startups.
Christoph has led traditional multicenter randomized controlled trials, real-world-evidence generation, regulatory-compliant data analysis and reporting, prospective cohort studies and registries, and digital applications to support direct-to-participant studies.
Over the past ten years, Christoph has developed a passion for team-based clinical research innovation, transformative thinking, and making research more accessible to participants. By integrating clinical research into clinical care, Christoph believes we can improve evidence generation and achieve better health outcomes.
Christoph has a medical degree from the Albert-Ludwigs University in Freiburg, Germany, and completed residency in pediatrics as well as subspecialty fellowships in pediatric cardiology and critical care medicine at Duke University. He obtained an MPH in biostatistics and a PhD in pharmaceutical sciences from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Christoph was born and raised in Germany, and moved to the United States in 2005. He, his wife, and their two boys enjoy traveling and spending time together.
Email: christoph.hornik@duke.edu
Christoph Hornik, MD, PhD
Associate Director
Aparna Swaminathan, MD, MHS
Associate Director
Aparna is both a clinical researcher and practicing pulmonologist. Her clinical research experience includes evaluating high-dimensional -omics data, fit-for-purpose claims and electronic health data, multi-center prospective patient registries, and app-based direct-to-participant studies.
This work has energized Aparna's dedication to developing innovative approaches that can make clinical research more efficient and effective for all.
After completing her undergraduate education at Princeton University, Aparna earned her medical degree from Case Western Reserve University and master's in Clinical Research degree at Duke University. She completed her internal medicine residency, chief residency, and pulmonary/critical care fellowship at Duke University before joining the faculty at Duke and the DCRI.
Aparna and her husband, an Air Force pilot, have two children, a girl and a boy. They love to be outdoors together playing sports and racing obstacle courses.
Email: aparna.swaminathan@duke.edu
Aparna Swaminathan, MD, MHS
Associate Director
Willette Wilkins, MBA
Strategy Director
In addition to her role at i-Cubed, Willette is Head of Strategic Planning & Development and Corporate Communications at the Duke Clinical Research Institute. She has served in strategic business development for the DCRI for more than 16 years, helping to establish the DCRI's leadership position and supporting the growth of its clinical research portfolio.
Willette has more than 25 years of cross-functional pharmaceutical and business experience, including basic and clinical research, marketing, and finance. As a biochemist in the Protein Biochemistry Group at GlaxoSmithKline, she developed small molecules, proteins, and peptides in therapeutic areas such as oncology, antivirals, endocrine/metabolic disorders, and cardiology. As the Marketing Chair at PharmaResearch Corporation, she developed ongoing commercial evaluations for compounds, and created and managed innovative promotional programs for clinical trials. At Quintiles, Willette led the planning, budgeting, and financial evaluations of global clinical research projects.
Willette is passionate about helping to make innovation a priority for staff, faculty, and the entire Duke community - and about creating a collaborative environment that comes together to exchange ideas and transform how clinical research is done.
Willette holds an undergraduate degree in chemistry with a minor in business administration and an MBA from North Carolina Central University. She also has advanced graduate training toward a Ph.D. in Pharmacology from Duke University.
Willette loves being with her husband and three teenage sons. She also is a health and wellness coach, trainer, and motivational speaker.
Email: willette.wilkins@duke.edu
Willette Wilkins, MBA
Strategy Director
