Chris Whalen
President
Chris Whalen is president of Research Data & Communication Technologies (RDCT), a benefit corporation he founded in 2004 to provide support for clinical researchers and others working in regions of the world with IT infrastructure challenges. Chris has designed, operated, and supported information and communication technology (ICT) and data management for biomedical research institutions since 1995. Under his leadership, RDCT provides consulting services, clinical data management, and validated system management for the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases’ (NIAID’s) international research collaborations. RDCT also implements ICT infrastructure and managed services to assist the specialized technology and clinical data management needs of field researchers and bioinformaticians. In recent years, RDCT has worked extensively to build public-private partnerships to support the development of bioinformatics capacity and international collaboration platforms in addition to basic infrastructure for research, biobank operations, and clinical data management. RDCT’s work in these areas has been recognized twice with the NIH Director’s Award (2016 and 2020) and twice with the NIAID Merit Award (2016 and 2019). Chris serves on the NIH Researcher Authorization System Governance Board, the Internet2 InCommon Community Trust and Assurance Board, and the governance board for Identity Python (IdPy) open-source software development.
Brian Moyer
Global Platform Products and Vice President
Brian K. Moyer is an information and communications technology (ICT) expert who has worked widely with the intramural and extramural arms of the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH’s) National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) in the United States, Asia, and Africa for six years. As International Deputy Project Manager at Research Data and Communications Technologies Corporation (RDCT), Mr. Moyer has designed, managed, and implemented ICT and data management projects for clinical researchers investigating malaria, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, dengue, and other diseases. He uses technology to streamline the exchange and processing of information within the research community and to improve the quality of global public health research. His combination of formal training in clinical research methods (including Good Clinical Practice standards and 21 Code of Federal Regulations [CFR] Part 11), ICT governance, and project management uniquely positions him within the biomedical technology industry. Mr. Moyer brings a passion for cost-efficient and cutting-edge technologies to his work with NIAID grantees, bolstering their efforts to produce valid and accountable data that NIAID and other donors seek. In addition to his ability to quickly understand and adapt to different cultural contexts, Mr. Moyer is skilled at electronic clinical data collection, recovery, and replication; temperature monitoring and archiving; and network connectivity and accessibility in unpredictable contexts. He has published and presented on topics ranging from U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-compliant electronic biospecimen management to clinical research regulations for mobile health technologies
David Ireland
Director of Operations
Dave Ireland trained in customer service, business management, and as an IT service desk manager, Dave’s 17-year career spans diverse industries. In his current role at Research Data & Communication Technologies, he manages RDCT’s daily operations as well as service delivery and monitoring for its customers. He often is tasked with integrating new initiatives into RDCT’s service catalog and ensuring that those services are maintained and constantly working.
Katia DaSilva
Global Operations / Finance Manager
Operations Director / Finance Manager – South Africa and Uganda
Katia Da Silva is the director of finance for Research Data and Communication Technologies (RDCT) and operations director for RDCT South Africa and RDCT Uganda, two proprietary limited (PTY) companies that are 100% owned by RDCT LLC and provide support for clinical researchers and others working in regions of the world with IT infrastructure challenges. Katia has a passion for development of people, change management, and organizational design and development. She designed and now oversees the implementation of RDCT’s financial and human resource systems across the organizations, ensuring that financial data for funders, accountants, and board members are accurate and prepared in a timely manner. She also ensures that RDCT’s audits are “unqualified” and that any management findings are properly addressed. Through her work in the private sector and with non-governmental organizations (NGOs), Katia has cultivated a deep understanding of accounting practices, including International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), Generally Accepted Accounting Practices (GAAP), and Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA) compliance. She also is certified in USAID and CDC Compliance and Financial Management.
Matthew X. Economou
Vice President of Engineering
Matthew X. Economou leads software development and IT operations at Research Data and Communication Technologies (RDCT), with responsibility for scientific collaboration, campus identity and access management, cloud infrastructure, and high-performance computing solutions in government, international research, and higher education. In his previous role with RDCT, he served as Chief of Identity Products. Economou was responsible for achieving FISMA Moderate compliance for collaborative science platforms inAWS and developing dynamic multi-factor authentication services that upgraded single-factor authenticators to NIST AAL-2 credentials. Before joining RDCT inMarch 2020, Economou served as technical architect/subject matter expert forNet eSolutions, where he built federated identity and access management services for research collaborations in low/middle-income countries and drove adoption of infrastructure-as-code technologies used to manage hybrid cloud computing services. While at Dell Services Federal Government, Economou created IT service management and information security programs for international biomedical research centers. He also designed, provisioned, and built data centers, VSAT installations, and video conferencing systems in Africa, South and East Asia, and the Americas. Prior to that, Economou led the information security team at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, where he was responsible for security infrastructure and countermeasure development, network security monitoring and audit logging, endpoint protection, threat and vulnerability assessment, incident response, and forensic investigation. Economou holds a bachelor's degree in computer science with a minor in psychology from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology.
Franklin Santana
Global Customer Service and Sales
Franklin Santana is Sales Manager at Research Data and Communication Technologies Benefit Corporation(RDCT) with over 20 years of sales and management experience. As Sales Manager Mr. Santana primarily works in corporate communications working broadly with a diverse team throughout the organization in the United States and internationally. Mr. Santana was instrumental in the implementation and management of the HBCU Internship program at RDCT. A program that aims to address the structural underrepresented groups in STEM fields.
Mariam Namawejje
Senior Data Analyst and Database Programmer
Mariam is a senior data analyst and database programmer at Research Data and Communication Technologies (RDCT) and has more than 10 years of experience in providing clinical data management and statistical analysis for medical research and public health projects nationally and internationally. The clinical trials that she supports test new treatment regimens, medical devices, and vaccines. Many are conducted in remote locations where these pathogens are endemic, including sites in Uganda, Liberia, China, India, Malawi, Mali, South Africa, and Guinea, among others. Mariam holds a doctorate in bioinformatics and computational biology, a master’s degree in information systems, and a bachelor’s degree in statistics. Because of the increasing use of genomic data in clinical trials, she also has studied genome sequencing.
