If one takes the view that the tenets of patient centricity in healthcare include supporting not only patients but also the people who stand closest to them, then supporting the clinical research coordinators (CRCs) who have the most patient-facing role in clinical trials should be a critical focus, according to the creator of an award-winning poster presented earlier this year at ACRP 2026 in Orlando.

No one is saying that clinical trial sites, sponsors, and contract research organizations (CROs) can’t symbolically gather ’round the campfire and get along with one another. In fact, they can and must, if the clinical research enterprise is to keep running on all cylinders. So it is that, in the forthcoming August issue of Clinical Researcher, we consider the theme of “Better Together: Getting Sites, Sponsors, and CROs All on the Same Page” by way of a variety of contributors who address the nuances of these potentially rewarding and potentially fraught ties between research partners.

Avelino Loquere, MD, RN, CCRP, CCRC, FACRP, reflects on more than 20 years in clinical research, sharing insights on mentoring, certification, AI, participant trust, and why investing in people will be essential to the future of the profession as ACRP celebrates its 50th anniversary.