Press Releases

CHAPEL HILL - Mar 14, 2019 - Rho Announces Meagan Vaughn Named a 2019 Health Care Hero by

Triangle Business Journal

Chapel Hill, NC - March 14, 2019 - Rho, a full-service contract research organization (CRO) focused on bringing new products to market through a full range of product development services, announced today that Clinical Research Scientist Meagan Vaughn was recently honored by the Triangle Business Journal as a 2019 Health Care Hero. Each year the Triangle Business Journal hosts the Health Care Heroes awards to honor Triangle individuals and organizations for putting innovation and compassion to work to improve the human condition. Vaughn was honored in the Volunteer category for her personal and professional dedication to advancing a cure for Cystic Fibrosis (CF).  

On March 14, Vaughn was recognized at the Health Care Heroes luncheon celebration at The Umstead Hotel & Spa in Cary, North Carolina, to celebrate this year’s winners.  

Vaughn’s commitment to the cause has built bridges between her work and personal life. Since 2015, in her role at Rho, Vaughn has worked on progressive clinical development programs for potential new CF therapies. “Through this work, I became personally connected to the CF community” she said. “The bravery and perseverance of these patients and their inspirational stories motivated me to get more involved with the remarkable group of patients, caregivers, advocates, and volunteers.”

Since then, Vaughn has activated her community, and in 2018 alone raised over $13,700 through online fundraising, corporate sponsorships, silent auction donations, and hosting several events including a “Sweat for CF” fitness-fundraising event and a benefit concert. Vaughn has also been an active participant in the local CF community as a council member for Tomorrow’s Leaders (a young professionals program through the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation) and was recently invited to join the Board of Directors for the Carolinas Chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

In addition to this honor by the Triangle Business Journal, Meagan was recently honored by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation at their annual “Brewer’s Ball Celebrating Triangle’s Finest” event.  Vaughn was one of five honorees for Triangle’s Finest, a program for Triangle-area young professionals committed to professional development and personal growth through fundraising and awareness. Finest honorees exemplify strong leadership qualities, are active in their community, and have excelled in their chosen professions.

Meagan’s mentor during the Triangle’s Finest program and CFF Carolinas Chapter Board Member and past Board Chair, Cat Lineberry said, “I was truly honored to have the opportunity to work with Meagan and could not be prouder of her success in the program. Meagan fully embraced her involvement in the foundation’s programming and was one of the most impressive participants we have ever had in the Triangle’s Finest innovative leadership program.  Her research focus in cystic fibrosis only added to her passion for the Finest program.  Meagan’s energy, initiative and creativity was inspirational and her fundraising success is greatly appreciated by our Board as well as our CF families.”

For more information or to donate to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, please visit https://www.cff.org/Raleigh/. To learn more about Rho, please visit www.rhoworld.com.

About Rho

Rho, a privately-held, contract research organization (CRO) located in Chapel Hill, NC, provides a full range of clinical research services across the entire drug development process. For more than 35 years, Rho has been a trusted partner to some of the industry’s leading pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device companies as well as academic and government organizations. Our commitment to excellence, our innovative technologies, and our therapeutic expertise accelerate time to market, maximize returns on investment, and lead to an exceptional customer experience. Please follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.