Adrelia Allen is Executive Director of Clinical Trial Patient Diversity in Merck Research Laboratories. Adrelia brings more than 25 years of experience in clinical research and clinical operations execution across multiple therapeutic areas. She joined Merck as a Sales Representative and then moved into the role of Clinical Research Associate (CRA). Following her work as a CRA, Adrelia successfully led trials as a Clinical Research Manager (CRM) in neuroscience, osteoporosis, and cardiovascular diseases. Adrelia worked on assignment to develop clinical trial diversity strategies to achieve diversity goals, which led to a newly established position, Director of Clinical Trial Patient Diversity. As the Executive Director of Clinical Trial Patient Diversity, she leads a team of operational experts responsible for the strategy and execution of activities to drive the enrollment of diverse participants in clinical trials across the portfolio. Due to her commitment to clinical trial diversity, Adrelia was selected as one of the 2022 PharmaVoice 100 Most Inspiring People in the life sciences and a 2023 Top Diversity Leader to Watch by Modern Healthcare. Her team was awarded the top honor by Citeline for exceptional initiative in promoting diversity and inclusion of underrepresented populations within a clinical trial or drug development program. She is also a recipient of the 2024 Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association Rising Star award for her leading efforts to increase diversity in clinical trials.
Adrelia earned a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the College of Pharmacy at Florida A&M University. She is a registered Pharmacist, ACRP-Certified Professional, and a certified Project Management Professional.