Lana Wahid, MD, MBA

Professional Bio

Dr. Lana Wahid is an accomplished physician and clinical research leader with a career dedicated to advancing healthcare through innovative trial design and operational excellence. She is the Co-Founder and Principal Consultant at Patient Focused Innovations, bringing a unique combination of clinical, academic, and executive leadership experience to support sponsors in achieving successful clinical trial outcomes.

Dr. Wahid serves as the founding Medical Director of Inpatient Clinical Trials at Carilion Clinic and Vice Chair for Research at the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, where she also holds a faculty appointment as Assistant Professor of Medicine. She previously served as the Medical Director of the Duke Early Phase Research Unit (DEPRU) at Duke University, leading complex, high-impact early phase clinical studies across multiple therapeutic areas.

Dr. Wahid has been a principal investigator for numerous pivotal NIH-funded trials, including the ACTIV-4A, ACTIV-4C, and DOTS trials, contributing to major advancements in the treatment of COVID-19 and infectious diseases. Her research interests focus on clinical trial operations, sepsis management, and the impact of social determinants of health on patient outcomes. Her work has been published in top-tier journals such as the New England Journal of Medicine, JAMA Internal Medicine, and the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

Earlier in her career, Dr. Wahid served as Chief Nursing Officer at Northside Hospital in Florida, overseeing a 200-bed hospital and leading initiatives that improved patient satisfaction and reduced employee turnover. She is also a successful entrepreneur, having founded and later sold a thriving urgent care clinic prior to attending medical school.

Dr. Wahid’s diverse background — spanning frontline patient care, academic research leadership, healthcare operations, and entrepreneurship — gives her wide and rich perspective and uniquely positions her to guide clients through the design, execution, and optimization of clinical trials.