Banner Health
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Research Leadership

Driving Discovery through Visionary Leadership

Innovative, groundbreaking research fuels Banner Health’s mission of making health care easier so life can be better. When it comes to pursuing that mission, leadership matters. The passion and commitment of our visionary leadership team is what keeps Banner Health at the leading edge of scientific discovery. 

Meet our Executive Team

The executive leadership team guides the strategic direction of research initiatives across Banner Health’s nationally recognized research institutes and centers.

Eric M. Reiman, MD 

Chief Executive Officer, Banner Research
Director, Banner Alzheimer’s Institute

Pierre N. Tariot, MD

Director (Emeritus), Banner Alzheimer’s Institute

Alireza Atri, MD, PhD

Director, Banner Sun Health Research Institute

Jessica Langbaum, PhD

Senior Director, Research Strategy

Allan Anderson, MD 

Medical Director, Toole Family Memory Center at Banner Alzheimer’s Institute

Thomas Beach, PhD 

Director, Neuroscience, Banner Sun Health Research Institute

Robert Alexander, MD 

Chief Scientific Officer, Alzheimer’s Prevention Initiative

Meet Our Research Administration Leadership Team

Our administrative leaders drive operational and programmatic excellence that brings academic, scientific and clinical leaders and partners together to drive medical discovery through our world renowned research institutes and cutting-edge research initiatives.

Chad Jaeger

Chief Operating Officer, Banner Research

Chad Jaeger is the Chief Operating Officer of Banner Research. Jaeger started his journey with Banner Health in 2017. As COO, he is responsible for the oversight and facilitation of all scientific, clinical and administrative research programs that occur in Banner Health’s medical centers. As part of the academic affiliation agreement between Banner Health and The University of Arizona, Jaeger also oversees research involving The University of Arizona faculty physicians. He plays an integral role in Banner's research strategy and planning, and is responsible for the organization’s efficiency, responsiveness and compliance with applicable standards for the conduct of research.

Prior to joining Banner Health, Jaeger served as Vice President of Research for Davita where he was responsible for two in-patient, early-phase research centers in Minneapolis and Denver. Prior to Davita, he served in a variety of research roles in large contract research organizations (CROs) in business development, clinical operations, program management, directing, designing, implementing and managing clinical trials in a variety of therapeutic areas for pharmaceutical and biotech companies.

Liz Montemayor

Chief Financial Officer, Banner Research

Liz Montemayor is the Chief Financial Officer for Banner Research. She joined Banner Health in 2013 and is responsible for financial compliance, oversight and reporting for all research activities in the Banner Health system. Montemayor oversees research finance, budgeting and forecasting, billing compliance, grants administration and uniform guidance audits.

Prior to joining Banner Health, Montemayor served as CFO for the Translational Genomics Research Institute in Phoenix, AZ, and the Cancer Therapy & Research Center in San Antonio, TX. Montemayor has a Bachelor’s in Accounting from The University of Texas at San Antonio and an MBA from Grand Canyon University. She has held an active CPA license in Texas since 1986 and has been Certified in Healthcare Research Compliance (CHRC®) since 2015.

Kathryn Reitz

Human Research Protection Program Director, Banner Health

Kathryn Reitz is the Human Research Protections Program Director. She joined Banner Health in 2023. Reitz is a non-voting member on the Banner Institutional Review Board (IRB) and is responsible for developing and maintaining policies and procedures, as well as assuring everyone involved in research has received training. She also manages research compliance, conflict of interest (COI), privacy (HIPAA) and misconduct research for Banner Health.

Reitz has a Bachelor’s in Biology and is a certified IRB professional (CIP).  Prior to joining Banner, Reitz was the Research Compliance Director at the International Center for Research on Women (ICRW) where she was responsible for the HRPP, IRB management, and institutional compliance for all research activities. Prior to ICRW, Reitz worked for the Department of Defense in Headquarters level human research protection program management, and for the Medstar Research Institute assisting with the oversight of all administrative, financial, and clinical research activities for the Cardiovascular Research institute.