This year marks the 35th anniversary of The IMA Group (IMA), a milestone that reflects both resilience and reinvention. Over the past 14 years, Mark Weinberger, President and CEO of IMA, and his team have grown the company from its roots in medical screenings and psychological evaluations into a national organization with more than 150 locations and a rapidly expanding clinical research network.

A licensed psychologist and psychiatric epidemiologist, Mark combines scientific insight with business strategy, driven by the idea that when people have better data and clearer access to services, they make better decisions — whether they’re patients, clients, or communities.

Above all, we’re guided by a unifying principle: a belief in quality, clinical excellence, scientific rigor, and compassionate humanity. Those principles have guided us for 35 years — and they’ll keep us focused on what matters most: advancing health, supporting people, and earning trust every day.

He earned degrees from Boston University, the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and New York Medical College, where he earned master’s and doctoral degrees in clinical psychology and epidemiology. He has further pursued advanced studies at Harvard and the London School of Economics, reflecting a conviction that curiosity and continual learning are essential to effective leadership.

IMA’s mission is built around helping people at pivotal moments in their lives. How does that purpose influence your day-to-day work?

What I love about my job is that every day is different. From clinical supervision to evaluating data or working on an acquisition — and sometimes putting out the occasional fire — I’m constantly collaborating with colleagues and clients to solve problems and grow in a demanding marketplace. Because our work spans so many verticals, it keeps me on my toes. The most rewarding moments come when we receive testimonials from patients or clients who appreciate our help at a difficult or stressful time.

While IMA doesn’t provide treatment, we play a vital role in helping people navigate challenging moments in their lives — whether it’s an evaluation needed to get a job, a medical review to continue getting benefits, or assisting a pharmaceutical manufacturer in successfully implementing a robust clinical study. All of that is our mission in action.

The IMA Group is marking 35 years. What has fueled the company’s longevity and growth?

Maintaining and growing a business for over 35 years in any industry isn’t easy. Founded by industry pioneer David Pulver, MD, in 1990, our longevity rests on three pillars: great people, a commitment to quality, and a willingness to adapt and evolve. With that foundation, we’ve built a culture centered on purpose, adaptability, and accountability. We also invest in scalable systems and exceptional talent to ensure we can evolve alongside shifting policies, payer expectations, and care models.

Striking the right balance between agility and consistency — always anchored in quality — is what’s kept us relevant and trusted for decades.

You’ve called IMA a multifaceted organization that doesn’t fit neatly into a box. How do you describe what IMA does today?

IMA is a national leader in outsourced medical, psychological, and ancillary evaluations and screenings, serving government agencies, insurers, TPAs, and employers. For public safety programs, we deliver the psychological and medical assessments needed to evaluate police officers, firefighters, and other essential personnel. For workers’ compensation, disability, injury, or auto liability claims, we support insurers and employers through independent medical exams (IMEs), medical file reviews, case management, and rehabilitation guidance.

At the same time, we’ve built a growing clinical research network that leverages our clinic footprint, technology, and clinical expertise to connect patients to new treatment opportunities. IMA is a clinical engine — powered by a broad network of providers delivering high-quality work across multiple service lines. That engine allows us to apply the same rigor, reliability, and compassion in many directions. We’re not just an evaluation provider or just a research network. We are a bridge between clinical insight, data, and decision-making, helping organizations and individuals make better decisions.

Your roots are in medical and psychological screening and evaluation services. How have those capabilities shaped your expansion over time?

That foundation has shaped how we’ve grown — and how we continue to evolve. Our early commitment to clinical rigor, accuracy, and transparency earned trust and allowed us to scale. As we grew regionally and through acquisitions, we reinforced those same qualities: exceptional customer service, high-quality data, fast-cycle evaluations, and ethical judgment.

Over time, we expanded into complementary service lines — case management, medical file review, occupational health, and ultimately, clinical research. Each of these areas is built on the same core commitment to quality, fairness, and meaningful outcomes. That’s what differentiates IMA.

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IMA works with a wide range of clients — from government to employers to insurers. What connects those audiences?

The common thread is a shared need for objective, high-fidelity clinical insights delivered at scale. Whether we’re supporting a state agency evaluating fitness-for-duty or a payer managing a complex disability claim, clients depend on IMA for evaluations that are clear, timely, and defensible.

Our reputation for consistency, impartiality, and clinical precision builds trust across diverse audiences. Every report reflects our commitment to quality — from the way we gather information to how we share it. That commitment allows our clients to make data-informed, equitable decisions about health, work, and care.

What led to the formation of IMA Clinical Research, and how does it complement your evaluation services?

We always believed our evaluation expertise naturally aligned with research. In 2018, we formalized a growth strategy that combined organic investment with targeted acquisitions — ultimately acquiring 19 businesses, 10 of which are now part of our research division.

It was a natural evolution — clinical research and evaluation share many of the same hallmarks: precise data collection, regulatory discipline, and patient-centered execution. By uniting those strengths, we’ve created a streamlined platform that supports evaluation, trials, and real-world evidence generation. Together, these capabilities help advance both scientific knowledge and access to care.

You’ve built a wide network of national clinics. How does that footprint benefit patients and research sponsors?

Our convenience, quality, and reach are key. IMA operates more than 150 clinics across the country. The majority of these clinics support our core evaluation and screening services for government programs, employers, and insurers. Within that broader network, 19 locations — from New York and Chicago to Albuquerque, NM, and Hickory, NC — are dedicated research sites that conduct Phase II–IV clinical trials.

For sponsors, this combined footprint creates a powerful advantage — giving us the infrastructure to recruit diverse, representative patient populations more quickly and deliver high-quality data. For patients, this means access to clinical research opportunities and evaluation services in the communities where they live and work, without needing to travel far from home.

We’ve expanded our reach through satellite and outreach sites. Local accessibility builds trust and engagement, which are essential to both accurate evaluations and successful clinical trials.

Technology and patient engagement are part of your model. What innovations are you deploying to deliver more flexible, patient-centric trials and evaluations?

We use technology to improve both how we work and how we connect with patients and sponsors. Across the enterprise, we use AI tools and predictive modeling to optimize trial recruitment, match patients efficiently, and analyze data with greater precision. We support telehealth visits, mobile data capture, remote monitoring, and home visits — all designed to reduce barriers and improve convenience.

For evaluations, we rely on secure scheduling dashboards, portals, and real-time tracking to ensure transparency and timely reporting. The goal is simple: use technology to make processes seamless so our providers and study coordinators can focus on what matters most — quality, accuracy, and meaningful patient engagement.

As IMA looks ahead, where will your next decade of growth come from?

We see tremendous potential across both our evaluation and research platforms. In clinical research, we’re focused on therapeutic areas like CNS, sleep, and metabolic disease, where clinical gaps remain significant, as well as on GLP-1 studies, which continue to expand rapidly.

We’re also committed to improving representation of the people most likely to use and benefit from therapies under development across all our trials — ensuring that the data we generate reflects the populations these treatments are designed to serve. For example, when researching a new therapy for diabetes, it’s vital to reach patients in both large and small markets, especially since diabetes prevalence is significantly higher in some rural areas than in urban ones.

Beyond therapeutic areas, we’re scaling our workers’ compensation, liability, auto/no-fault, and occupational health evaluations in response to evolving regulations and workforce needs. We’re also piloting new models in hybrid and decentralized trials, advanced biomarkers, and real-world evidence integration.

Above all, we’re guided by a unifying principle: a belief in quality, clinical excellence, scientific rigor, and compassionate humanity. Those principles have guided us for 35 years — and they’ll keep us focused on what matters most: advancing health, supporting people, and earning trust every day.

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