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US Navy Veteran Please join Dr. Curtis in the fight against Alzheimer's!!!
Please call to schedule your free in-office memory test or register for an upcoming seminar to see Dr. Curtis
lobbying Sen Wicker, Murray and Markey to fund Alz Disease
About Dr. Curtis
Dr. Craig Curtis, MD, serves as Chief Medical Officer and founder of K2 Summit Clinical Research and was co-founder of Compass Research, one of the country’s largest and foremost memory loss, Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease research centers. Dr. Curtis’ research focuses on prevention and treatment of Alzheimer's Disease and as a collaborator, has been published in leading national and international journals including the New England Journal of Medicine and the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Neurology. He has been both a local and national lecturer on the topics of Alzheimer’s Disease and clinical research site management. Dr. Curtis is particularly interested in the underlying biology and prevention of memory loss, dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease - and pursuing the science that one day will lead to an effective treatment.
Dr. Curtis began his medical career while proudly serving in the United States Navy. His tour of duty lasted 6 years primarily at the Washington D.C. Naval Yard Medical Clinic, a detachment of Bethesda Naval Hospital. He attended the Univ. of Maryland but obtained his undergraduate degree from Regents College of the State of New York (due to military service) and earned his medical degree from Northeastern Ohio University College of Medicine.
Dr. Curtis trained at Florida Hospital (now Advent Health – one of the largest hospitals in the United States); at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia where he participated in multiple oncology clinical trials; and St. Vincent’s Hospital in Jacksonville, Florida. He has maintained his Florida Medical license in good standing since 1997.
Dr. Curtis lives in central Florida with his wife, 2 children and their Golden Retriever. His interests outside of medical research include cycling, tennis, WWII history and watching Cleveland sports teams.
JOIN THE FIGHT against Alzheimer's Disease
Please join the fight against Alzheimer's Disease by calling our office and scheduling a free memory evaluation
Get to know us
Ruth Paiano, APRN, CPI | Investigator
Ruth completed her Nurse Practitioner at Stonybrook University in New York. Her initial Nursing degree was obtained in St. Louis, Missouri. She has worked as a Nurse practitioner in the fields of emergency medicine, cardiology, and neurology. Ruth has over 10 years of research experience.
Her hobbies include traveling and exploring new places in Florida with her family.
Cheryl Klenow, MD | Investigator
Dr. Klenow was raised in Duluth, Minnesota and moved to Florida in 2018. She graduated from the University of Minnesota with her Doctor of Medicine, but she also holds a Master of Science in Physiology as well as a Master of Nursing. Dr. Klenow completed her residency in General Surgery and is Family Practice Board Certified and has also worked in Emergency Medicine for 15 years. She has been practicing medicine for over 30 years and is excited to work in research.
Outside of work, Dr. Klenow enjoys participating in the Women Doctors Club of The Villages, volunteering at the Marion Therapeutic Riding Association. She can also be found golfing and hanging out with her Bichon Frisé, Cameron.
Christian Beierschmitt | Director of Operations
Christian is a lifelong Florida resident and currently resides in Leesburg. He is a trained EMT but found his true calling in clinical research. He has over a decade of experience in various clinical research roles and therapeutic areas and has been involved in over 100 clinical trials of all phases.
Christian is happily married with one son. In addition to his position at K2 Summit Research in The Villages, he also owns and operates “Red’s Frenchies” with his spouse where they breed and show French Bulldogs. His hobbies include spending time and traveling with his growing family, CrossFit, and taking care of his farm.
Jenna Meador, BS, CSP | Lead Psychometric Rater
Jenna moved to Florida from Missouri in 2021. She has a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and is a Board-Certified Specialist in Psychometry. She began working as a psychometrist in a neuropsychology clinic in 2019, where she administered cognitive testing to patients with a variety of diagnoses such as dementia, traumatic brain injury, multiple sclerosis, and more. She then transitioned to research in 2021, where she has continued to work with similar patient populations.
Jenna’s two favorite things are her husband and their Pomeranian. When not working, she can be found playing with her puppy, watching scary movies, or doing ancestry research.
Graham Alrutz | Associate Director of Operations
Graham was born in Virginia, but has also lived in Connecticut, Ohio, New York, and now Florida. He is a retired professional tennis player, had an ATP career high of 1165 in the world and was ranked number one in USTA Men's open doubles for Florida and number two nationally. After he retired, he coached tennis at Isleworth County Club for players of all ages and abilities. Graham was excited to begin his venture into clinical research and start a new chapter in his career at K2 Summit Research in The Villages.
In his free time, Graham likes to golf, play tennis, draw, and build Lego models of Batman. His secret talents are telling bad jokes and making a pun out of anything.
Cori Ackerman, MS | Project Manager/ Psychometric Rater
Cori was born and raised outside of Tampa, Florida and relocated to The Villages to pursue a career in clinical research. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Integrative Animal Biology from the University of South Florida and a Master of Science in Medical Sciences – Women’s Health from USF’s Morsani College of Medicine. She has experience working as a clinical research coordinator on multiple high-enrolling vaccine trials in addition to administering various scales as a psychometric rater.
In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her partner and their two dogs, Eleanor the Ibizan Hound and Harper the Pug/Border Terrier mix. Cori and her dogs travel around the state to participate in Conformation events with Ellie and AKC FastCAT trials with Harper.
Chris Curtis | Recruitment Specialist
Chris is originally from Ohio and moved to Florida in 2003. He began working in clinical research in 2007. After working in a variety of roles, he settled into recruiting and has loved it ever since. His favorite part of recruitment is knowing that he is making a positive difference and contributing towards a cure for Alzheimer’s.
Some of his favorite activities are fly-fishing, camping, hiking, and being a great uncle. His best hiking memory is from when he adventured to the bottom of Angel Falls in North Carolina and then camped out under the waterfall.
Mea Escobedo, BS | Project Manager
Mea moved from Colorado to Florida in 2021 to pursue a career in clinical research. Mea has a bachelor’s degree of science in Biological Sciences and is a certified phlebotomist. Mea has a diverse medical and research background, with experience in human tissue banking, phlebotomy, and clinical research trials.
Mea loves to crochet, bake, and spend time with her animals.
Miranda Calaverne, RN | Project Manager
Miranda was born and raised in Florida and lives just north of The Villages in Summerfield. She moved here so that her son could go to The Villages Charter School. She got her Registered Nurse Degree in Daytona Beach and has worked in Intensive Care, Psychology and Cardiology before getting into clinical research over six years ago. That’s where her passion for Alzheimer’s research began.
Miranda is happily married with one son and two Chihuahuas. Her hobbies are going out in their boat, kayaking/paddle boarding, going to the beach, bike-riding, and working out.
Kylie Webster, BS | Research Assistant
Kylie was born and raised in Orlando, Florida but moved to Gainesville to pursue her undergraduate degree in. She later graduated from the University of Florida with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology with an emphasis in Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience. Having known she wanted to work in the field of neurology since adolescence, Kylie jumped at the prospect of working towards finding a cure for Alzheimer’s. Her future goals include attending medical school in the Pacific Northwest and continuing to perform Alzheimer’s research.
In her free time, she likes to crochet cardigans, bake, and spend time with her rescue cat, Hazel. Kylie’s favorite thing to bake is banana muffins; she even claims to have the best recipe around!