Our Leadership Teams

Leading our research center in The Villages, Florida, Dr. Jeffrey Norton has more than 25 years of experience in anesthesiology, pain management, and dementia.  He has served as Principal Investigator on more than 90 clinical trials across all phases of research, including studies in Alzheimer’s disease, dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), Parkinson’s disease, metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), lumbosacral radicular pain, diabetic peripheral neuropathic pain, fibromyalgia, and osteoarthritis.  After graduating from Hahnemann University School of Medicine, Dr. Norton completed his residency in anesthesiology and fellowship in pain management at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston and served as an anesthesia instructor at Harvard Medical School.  After decades of work in pain medicine, Dr. Norton has focused entirely on clinical research, devoting his full-time efforts to advancing medicine for healthier lives.

Dr. Stephen Miller has over 15 years of diverse clinical and healthcare policy experience and has served as an investigator on more than 20 clinical trials in neurodegenerative disease, gastrointestinal disease, and pain management at Charter Research. After graduating from University of South Florida College of Medicine, he trained in general and cardiac surgery at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and completed a research fellowship in metastatic breast cancer at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.  He dedicated the early part of his career to acute care surgery and the management of critically ill surgical patients in Boston, MA. Dr. Miller performed hundreds of operations in many general surgical subspecialties in addition to directing the surgical intensive care unit. During this time, he helped pioneer a transformative program in health maintenance policy that focused on improving access to healthcare, patient education, and patient engagement and compliance. He eventually focused fully on this endeavor, expanding the program from isolated providers to all Medicare and Medicaid payors and most private insurers. With expertise in metabolic disease, GI pathology, and preventive medicine, Dr. Miller’s professional passions center on progressing public health, driving developments in new treatments, and advancing standards of care. Now engaged full-time in clinical research, Dr. Miller leverages his vast clinical expertise to challenge diagnostic and therapeutic boundaries across a varied spectrum of disease disciplines.

Leading our research center in Orlando, Florida, Dr. Edgardo Rivera has served as Principal Investigator or Sub-Investigator on more than 40 clinical trials across all phases of research and in numerous therapeutic areas including Alzheimer’s disease, dementia with Lewy bodies, Parkinson’s disease, cervical dystonia, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), lumbosacral radicular pain, diabetic peripheral neuropathic pain, osteoarthritis, and obesity.  Dr. Rivera is particularly experienced as Principal Investigator in clinical trials in Alzheimer’s disease.  Dr. Rivera is board certified in Emergency Medicine, is a Fellow of the American College of Emergency Physicians (FACEP), and serves as an Oral Board Examiner for the American Board of Emergency Medicine (ABEM).  He has published 29 papers on a variety of topics spanning emergency medicine, mass casualty response, systems performance, spinal injuries, cardiac arrest, and acute tachyarrhythmias.  Dr. Rivera was an Associate Professor at Michigan State University and served as Assistant Residency Director, teaching resident physicians and medical students for many years.  He also served on the editorial board of 2 prominent peer-reviewed national scientific journals for 15 years, regularly reviewing research manuscripts submitted for publication.  He has been an invited lecturer and speaker at multiple local, regional, national, and international educational and scientific meetings, from local hospital systems to large gatherings of physicians at the National ACEP Scientific Assembly.  Dr. Rivera served in the U.S. Air Force for 8 years and has over 30 years of clinical practice experience.  He is fluent in Spanish and English.

Dr. Diana Balsalobre is a Board-Certified Neurologist with over 22 years of clinical experience.  She completed her Internship and Neurology Residency in Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, Florida in 2000.  Following residency, she completed a fellowship in Clinical Neurophysiology with training in EEG and EMG/NCV at St. Louis University Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri.  Upon completion of her fellowship, she moved to Puerto Rico, where she worked in a private Neurology practice for 16 years.  She returned to Florida in 2016, serving as an outpatient neurologist with Advent Health Medical Group and subsequently with Neurovations Clinic before joining Charter Research in 2023.  Dr. Balsalobre has vast experience diagnosing and managing multiple neurological conditions including Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, Parkinson’s disease, Multiple Sclerosis, migraine, and stroke.  She is fluent in Spanish and English.

Dr. Jorel Martinez is a Board-Certified Psychiatrist with 4 years of experience overseeing psychiatric clinical trials and 10 years of psychiatric medical experience.  He has expertise in schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), major depressive disorder (MDD), and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).  As Principal Investigator, he has experience performing critical trial-related procedures, assessing results and reports, monitoring safety, and making trial-related medical decisions.  In addition to his clinical trials experience, Dr. Martinez has extensive expertise evaluating, diagnosing, and performing therapeutic procedures for psychiatric disorders. He completed his medical degree at Rush Medical College in Chicago and his psychiatric residency at University of Chicago Medical Center and has published articles in numerous peer-reviewed medical journals.

Dr. Mary Quarterman is an established and highly skilled physician with over 13 years of experience.  Dr. Quarterman received her medical degree from Florida State University and completed her residency in Internal Medicine at Orlando Health.  She practiced in outpatient primary care for nine years and transitioned into clinical research as a principal investigator with Charter Research.  She is skilled in the treatment of both chronic and acute medical illness.  She is also experienced in lab review, prescribing of medications, and monitoring of adverse events.  She is fluent in medical Spanish and certified in basic life support.

Dr. Ramon Rodriguez is a board certified Neurologist and highly experienced Principal Investigator. Dr. Rodriguez received his medical degree (M.D.) from the University of Puerto Rico, Medical Sciences Campus in San Juan, PR. After receiving his MD, Dr. Rodriguez completed both an Internship in Internal Medicine and Residency in Neurology at the University of Texas. After finishing his residency, Dr. Rodriguez completed a fellowship in the Medical and Surgical Management of Movement Disorders at The University of Florida. Thereafter, Dr. Rodriguez joined as a faculty member in the Department of Neurology at the University of Florida. During his tenure at UF, Dr. Rodriguez held the position of Director of Clinical Services for University of Florida’s Center for Movement Disorders and Neurorestoration, and Director of the Clinical Research Center for Neurological Disorders. Under these roles he supervised over 50 clinical research studies encompassing areas such as Parkinson’s Disease, Huntington’s Disease, Dystonia, Alzheimer’s Disease, Deep Brain Stimulation, Advanced therapies for Parkinson’s Disease, and many others. He has performed over 10,000 botulinum toxin procedures and spent numerous years performing clinical research looking to delay or arrest the progression of neurodegenerative disorders. Dr. Rodriguez also held the role of Chief of the Neurology Service at the Orlando VA Medical Center. During this time, he established the Parkinson’s Disease Consortia Site.

Dr. Tiffany Nguyen is board certified in Family Medicine and has served as Principal Investigator on more than 60 clinical trials across numerous indications, including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, MASH, weight loss/obesity, psychiatric disorders, dermatology, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), HIV, sickle cell disease, and lung disease. Her clinical background includes over 10 years of experience in primary care, women’s health, urgent care, nursing home, and inpatient. She completed her residency at University of Nebraska Medical Center.

Yevgeniy “Eugene” Bukhman, DO, is a board-certified internal medicine physician with over seven years of clinical research experience. He has served as Principal Investigator on more than 50 clinical trials, including Phase II and III studies focused on dementia, metabolic disorders, and vaccine efficacy across diverse adult populations. Dr. Bukhman earned his medical degree from A.T. Still University in Missouri and completed his internal medicine residency at University Hospitals in Cleveland. His clinical background spans both hospital medicine and primary care, with a focus on obesity management and Alzheimer’s dementia—a disease that claimed the life of his mother. These experiences shape his deeply practical and patient-centered approach to research oversight and trial design.

Dr. Bukhman has led cross-functional research teams and collaborates closely with IRBs to ensure strict compliance with ethical and regulatory standards. A graduate of Loyola University Chicago with a degree in philosophy, he draws inspiration from Enlightenment principles: truth through reason, empirical inquiry, human dignity, and autonomy. He brings these ideals into the 21st century through thoughtful, compassionate engagement with research participants and a steadfast commitment to scientific integrity.

Dr. Derrick Farmer is a board-certified psychiatrist with more than 10 years of clinical experience and extensive expertise in the diagnosis, treatment, and management of a wide range of psychiatric disorders. As a Principal Investigator, he combines more than a decade of patient care experience with a strong commitment to advancing innovative therapies through clinical research.

His clinical background provides valuable insight into the complexities of psychiatric care, patient engagement, and long-term disease management. His patient-centered approach, combined with his expertise in psychopharmacology and behavioral health, allows him to effectively support clinical development programs focused on improving outcomes for individuals living with mental health conditions.

Dr. Farmer earned his Doctor of Medicine degree from the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University and completed his residency training in Psychiatry at the University of Chicago Medical Center.