Meet The Team
We’re proud to always remain a people-focused company.
Mike Keens
CEO
Mike is an experienced clinical trial operator and commercial leader, with over 20 years’ experience supporting companies advancing treatments for treating disease and enhancing patient care. His career has been focused equally between clinical trial operations and commercial strategy at both large CROs as well as niche service providers. Mike’s efforts and industry leadership have been recognized externally with his selection as a PharmaVoice Top 100 Most Influential Person in Pharma (Patient Advocacy), as well as selection by CenterWatch as a Top 20 Innovator in Pharma Development.
Mike earned his undergraduate degree in Biology and Psychology from James Madison University, his master’s degree in Public Health from the University of Virginia, and is a guest lecturer for the Master’s of Biotechnology programs at Georgetown University and The University of Virginia. In his free time, he is a burgeoning trail runner, and enjoys spending time with his family furiously trying to learn whatever new activity, lingo, or information teenagers are into at the moment.
Dawn Pope
Chief Operating Officer
Dawn Pope is a clinical research professional with over 20 years in the protection of research participants. As a purpose-driven leader, she has spent her career building high-functioning teams, implementing strategic plans to elevate organizational performance, and delivering innovative solutions to strengthen client relationships. She has extensive experience in operations, client relations, continuous improvement methodologies, and regulatory compliance. She is passionate about operational efficiencies that help bring new therapies to patients sooner. Dawn earned her bachelor’s degree in English from Campbell University in North Carolina. In her free time, you can find her reading, at the beach, traveling with her husband and two children, and attending games of the various sports her children play.
Drew Messick
Chief Financial Officer
Finance professional with over 20 years of experience driving growth through the successful implementation of financial and operational strategies. Most recently served as the Chief Financial Officer of two privately held life science and technology companies. Drew holds a master’s degree in accounting and is a Chartered Financial Analyst and CPA.
Bob McGrath
Chief Commercial Officer
Bob McGrath, Chief Commercial Officer at Sabai is an award-winning executive sales leader with over 25 years’ experience in various commercial roles at life sciences companies including eClinical, ethical review and patient recruitment. Bob’s unique blend of experience provides critical insight into the complex needs of sponsors and CROs. He conveys the knowledge and experience to build and manage a results driven commercial team and provide liaison between operations and sales. He directs the commercial strategy in line with the company’s vision alongside driving the development of new talent within the organization and taking accountability for business targets and budgets.
He is a native of Philadelphia, and in his free time he enjoys travel, outdoor activities, sports, and music.
Chris Jenkins
Founder, Chief Scientific Officer
Chris Jenkins, PhD, MPH, is the Founder and current Chief Scientific Officer at Sabai Global with subsidiaries of Clinical Biosafety Services (CBS), Castle Institutional Review Board (Castle IRB), Alpha IRB, and Shield Consulting. He founded the organization in 2017 and served as CEO until September 2023 when he transitioned to CSO. He is proud to have started and grown a one-person organization into what is now a key biosafety and ethical supporter of gene, cell, oncology, and rare disease treatments.
Chris holds a Doctorate and Masters in Public Health in Biosecurity from Saint Louis University, and Bachelors of Biology from the University of Missouri. He has previously been registered and certified as a Biosafety Professional and Hazardous Materials Manager, with prior roles in private industry and academia. His continued personal goal, shared with Sabai, is to provide ethical and biosafety review and support that leads with science and differentiates with service.
Melissa Fink
Senior Director, IRB Services
Melissa Fink, MA, CIP is a Certified IRB Professional with over 20 years of IRB administration and IRB member experience in academic and central IRB settings. She has served as a PRIM&R mentor, on NIH/Foundation grant Advisory Boards, AAHRPP working groups, and has consulted, published, and presented in various areas of IRB Operation best practices and clinical research compliance. Solutions-oriented. Outcomes-driven. Collaborative. Continuous improvement.
Garry Coulson
Director, Regulatory
Garry Coulson is a Registered Biosafety Professional with two decades’ experience in research and regulatory compliance in Academic, Government and Industry sectors. He holds an MS in Clinical Microbiology and a Ph.D in Infectious Diseases. Most recently, he served as the Biosafety Officer at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is deeply passionate about public health and translational research that advances knowledge from the bench to the bedside. In his free time, he is an avid reader, fitness enthusiast, and volunteer pack mule for his sons’ regular fishing adventures.
Heidi Page
Director, Shield Consulting
Heidi has extensive experience in, and passion for, the ‘grey zone’, intertwining regulation, safety and human behavior to find the best overall solutions to the safety and compliance challenges we face when doing research. Heidi has 15+ years of experience in the field of biosafety and has over 7 years of experience serving as the Biological Safety Officer and Assistant Director of Environmental Health and Safety at a large academic research institution. Heidi took her background in virology and applied it to the safety profession as she established IBCs, developed biosafety programs, reviewed laboratory designs, managed containment laboratories, and provided biosafety and chemical safety expertise to Institutional Animal Care and Use Committees for animal research. She also has experience with OSHA, IATA and DOT shipping, USDA and CDC Select Agent, Dual Use Research of Concern, cGxP and DEA Controlled Substances regulations. She holds a Registered Biosafety Professional credential and has a master’s degree in cell and molecular biology. Outside of work Heidi is often found trying her hand at something new, be it gardening, cooking, raising chickens or keeping bees. She feels passionately that there is always something new to learn.
Sarah Attwood
Client Partnership Director
Sarah Attwood has over 25 years of clinical research knowledge in client services, operations, regulatory and business development. Sarah has been a Director of Client Services with independent IRBs for over 10 years and previous to that, was VP of a research site group and has worked with hospitals, research sites, Sponsors and CROs on project management and contract negotiations.
Michele Baptista
Senior Director, Business Development
Michele started working in the IRB arena in 1991 as an IRB Administrator moving to Executive Director of a non-profit IRB. In 2004, she was the co-founder of Aspire IRB that was acquired by WIRB-Copernicus in 2014. Michele became a leading business development person at WCG for many years, before getting experience with a site network before joining the Sabai team. She excels at fostering client relationships and helping clients with their unique needs.
Jessica Poole
Director, IBC Services
Jessica Poole is a dedicated biosafety professional with over 15 years of experience in academia. Due to her career path, Jessica brings a broad range of expertise to Clinical Biosafety Services. She has experience in animal husbandry, development and maintenance of a select agent program, performing risk assessments of infectious agents and biological toxins, reviewing IBC protocols and IACUC applications, training laboratory personnel, ensuring compliance with applicable state and federal regulations, performing laboratory inspections and investigating accidents involving biological agents. She takes pride in being known as an out-of-the-box thinker, assisting clients in coming up with creative solutions, and creating enjoyable safety trainings (believe it or not).
Jessica received undergraduate degrees in Biology and Psychology from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. In 2014, she received her graduate degree in Animal Science from NC State University.
Jessica began her career in animal husbandry at Duke University and eventually transitioned to biosafety at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (Go Heels!). Most recently she served as the Biosafety Officer at Cleveland Clinic’s Florida Research and Innovation Center.
Originally from North Carolina, she currently resides in sunny Florida with her twin boys (Graham and Grayson) and dogs (Bailey and Luke). If Jessica is not working or being her boys’ personal chauffeur, you will most likely find her on the beach reading a book or attending some sort of sporting event.
Megan Aiken
Director, CLIENT Services
Megan Aiken, CIP is a Certified IRB Professional with over two decades of experience in central IRB Operations and Client Services. She has collaborated with sponsors, CROs, site networks and investigators across various therapeutic areas and phases of clinical research to enhance trial efficiency and advance therapeutic developments. Her commitment to exceptional customer service is reflected in the trusted relationships she has built, offering tailored solutions and support based on each client’s distinct needs. Outside of work she enjoys watching English Premier League soccer, gardening and exploring the mountains and beaches of North Carolina with her family.
