La Shawn Mays, MSM

La Shawn Mays, MSM is a highly accomplished Clinical Research Coordinator with over 14 years of experience advancing clinical research, clinical operations, and patient-centered healthcare innovation. She began her career as a research interviewer before transitioning into clinical research, where her passion for medicine and disease research was solidified during a work-study program as an HIV testing and counseling coordinator. This experience shaped her dedication to improving patient outcomes through research. Throughout her career, she has supported clinical trials across multiple therapeutic areas including neurology, cardiology, rheumatology, oncology, gynecology, infectious disease, and chronic disease research. She currently works as a Clinical Research Coordinator at Istios Health, through Medix staffing, where she is helping build and launch a new infectious disease research study in Athens, Georgia by training clinicians with limited research experience. La Shawn has held progressive research roles at premier academic medical institutions including Georgia State University, Emory University School of Medicine, and Morehouse School of Medicine. During her five years at Emory University, she advanced from research coordinator roles to Clinical Research Coordinator IV, the highest level within that track. While at Emory, she worked closely with physicians across specialties at both Emory Hospital and Grady Memorial Hospital, supporting complex clinical trials, protocol compliance, IRB submissions, monitoring visits, and study quality assurance. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, she continued her clinical research work at Morehouse School of Medicine, where her passion for patient engagement and interdisciplinary collaboration with physicians was further strengthened. She has also contributed to the research community through publication in the Clinical Research Certificate Program, where she co-authored an abstract evaluating the impact of clinical research training programs using the CIPP Model Approach, and was recognized as a Spotlight Staff Member on Emory’s Daily Plus Blog. La Shawn holds a Bachelor’s degree in Organizational Leadership from Mercer University and a Master’s degree in Science Management from Argosy University. She is currently preparing to continue her PhD at Walden University, where she is approximately halfway through her doctoral program with plans to complete her dissertation and advance into leadership roles as a Principal Investigator and research director. She is highly skilled in study start-up operations, including protocol review, investigator and staff training, specimen management, and clinical workflow development. Beyond her technical expertise, she is passionate about mentoring the next generation of clinical research professionals and continues to focus on improving clinical trial efficiency, recruitment strategies, and research accessibility through education and operational excellence.

• Argosy University Atlanta - MS in Management
• Mercer University - BS, Organizational Leadership

• Good Clinical Practice (GCP) Certification
• Certified Clinical Research Coordinator (CCRC)
• Certified Phlebotomy Technician

• Emory Daily Plus Blog Spotlight Staff Recognition

La Shawn Mays co-authored an abstract with the team at Morehouse School of Medicine titled 'Evaluating the Impact of the Clinical Research Coordinator Certificate Program' using the CIPP Model Approach. This work was part of the Clinical Research Certificate Program and represents her contribution to advancing the field of clinical research coordination through systematic evaluation and improvement of training programs.