At the recent MAGI Clinical Research Conference, Clinical Leader editor Dan Schell crossed paths with Nick Focil, CEO of FOMAT Medical Research. Over dinner with a small group, Focil hinted that something big was coming for FOMAT, but stopped short of sharing details. A few weeks later, a Zoom call revealed everything: FOMAT acquires Topography Health, adding 10 new locations across six states.
Schell followed up with additional questions over email. Below are Focil’s responses, as featured in the original interview published by Clinical Leader.
Why FOMAT Acquires Topography Health: The Story Behind the Deal
You built FOMAT largely as a California-based network. What made Topography Health the right acquisition to expand nationally?
“FOMAT has always believed in building deliberately rather than just expanding for the sake of scale. Organic growth for the past 14 years has worked well for us in California, but it’s inherently linear. Topography gave us the opportunity to accelerate our embedded research model nationally with a partner that already shares a similar philosophy around physician enablement and community-based care.
How does expanded scale translate into something sponsors will actually feel?
“The real value of scale is not just ‘more.’ It is how quickly and precisely we can connect the right patients to the right studies. By expanding our footprint with Topography’s sites, we can identify eligible patients earlier through structured prescreening, reduce screen failure rates, and open studies into sites that are already aligned and operationally ready. From a sponsor perspective, that translates into faster enrollment, more predictable timelines, and more representative patient populations.”
Both organizations have a strong GI focus. Was that therapeutic alignment a primary driver of the deal?
“GI alignment was definitely a strength, but it wasn’t the sole driver. The bigger rationale was strategic: how can we accelerate our scale without losing the spirit of our founding? The GI overlap simply allows us to realize value more quickly in a therapeutic area where both teams already perform at a high level.”
How does this acquisition strengthen FOMAT’s embedded research strategy as a competitive differentiator?
“This acquisition reinforces what we believe is the future of clinical research: bringing trials into a community healthcare setting rather than relying solely on academic centers. As site networks continue to scale, many are becoming more centralized or transactional. Our approach is different. We’re building depth within community practices, not just adding sites to a network.”
This was your first acquisition. What did you learn that will shape how you approach future deals?
“Any time you do something for the first time, you want to get it right, because you’re not playing a game. What I’m proud of is that we were methodical. This wasn’t our first opportunity. It was our first that felt right. We passed on others, and I think that discipline is what made this one work.”
The acquisition positions FOMAT as one of the largest community-based research networks in the country, with a combined footprint spanning gastroenterology, oncology, and beyond. For sponsors evaluating site networks, the expanded infrastructure means faster site activation, broader patient access, and a platform built on real physician-patient relationships rather than transactional site agreements.
Beyond GI, the combined network opens doors for sponsors in oncology, cardiovascular, and metabolic disease studies. FOMAT’s infrastructure, including regulatory support, trained site staff, and established IRB relationships, is now available across all Topography Health locations from day one. That operational readiness is what separates this acquisition from a simple site count expansion. As FOMAT acquires Topography Health and integrates its platform, the clinical research community will be watching closely to see how the embedded model performs at this new scale.”
Read the full interview with Nick Focil on Clinical Leader.