Executive
Janice E. Parente, BSc, PhD
President and CEO
Dr. Janice Parente completed both her PhD and Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Molecular Pharmacology, and proceeded to develop her skills at the Director level within global pharma before founding her first contract research organization (CRO) in 1992. During the ensuing years, Janice established her credentials as a successful and respected business leader and entrepreneur.
Janice founded the ethica Group of Companies (ethica CRO Inc., Veritas IRB Inc. and Merita CQA Inc.) instilling in her companies her values and commitment to the protection of human research participants. This commitment led to her companies becoming the first Canadian entities and the first CRO in the world to earn full accreditation of its Human Research Protection Program (HRPP) in 2006.
Janice founded HRA Canada in 2017, and founded its sister company, Human Research Standards Organization (HRSO), in 2019. Janice is currently the President & CEO of both organizations. In February 2020, under Janice’s direction, HRSO was accredited by the Standards Council of Canada, giving it the authority to develop national standards for the conduct and oversight of human research.
Janice’s leadership and entrepreneurship have been recognized through numerous awards and nominations such as the prestigious Ernst & Young and RBC Women Entrepreneur of the Year Awards and PROFIT Magazine’s PROFIT W100 ranking of Canada’s Top Women Entrepreneurs.
Clarissa A. Fleck, BSc
Director, Accreditation Services
Clarissa obtained her BSc in Biology from McGill University, minoring in Psychology. She was involved in research internationally and in various fields; population medical genetics, stem cell research, molecular biology, experimental evolution, behavioural ecology, among others.
Clarissa has been working at HRA Canada since its inception, initially in the role of an Accreditation Manager. Having participated in the development of the accreditation program, Clarissa has expertise in the accreditation process, accreditation requirements, and the Canadian and US normative documents. Clarissa also participates in the development of National Standards of Canada (NSCs) for human research as a Technical Committee member for Human Research Standards Organization (HRSO).
Felipe Mallarino, BA
Accreditation Manager
As a member of the administration of HRA Canada, Felipe is responsible for guiding the Accreditation Applicant and supporting it through the accreditation process. Felipe’s role is to work with the Applicant and Site Reviewers to ensure that the accreditation standards are embodied in the Applicant’s procedures and that the procedures are written in a way that they can easily be implemented by the HRPP staff. Felipe also assists Applicants through the implementation of Corrective and Preventive Actions (CAPA) to ensure compliance with the Applicant’s accredited procedures.
Felipe obtained his BA in Political Science from Concordia University. He has extensive experience fostering collaboration on a domestic and international scale. Felipe’s experience spans several years of service with both international and national Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) dedicated to advancing healthcare.
Having worked for NGOs dedicated to healthcare for many years, Felipe has expertise in program development and accreditation processes in Canada and internationally. His profound understanding of development initiatives coupled with a comprehensive awareness of healthcare concerns, reflects his unique approach to address research participant protection.