This package is a replay of 8 on-demand session recordings and presentation slides from the Workforce Development Track at the ACRP 2023 Conference, April 29 – May 1, Dallas, Texas. Understand the workforce landscape and gain strategies to build smarter teams.
Member: $99 | Nonmember: $149
Participants can earn up to 11 ACRP contact hours. Upon purchase, the sessions will be accessible from your My Courses Dashboard. Replay sessions expire on May 31, 2026.
One common element between every single study is that they are run by people. People talking and communicating to other people. Sponsors, site staff, medical staff and clinical monitors all need to communicate together to update, inform and resolve issues. But where is the training for this? Why do we, as an industry, not focus on improving our soft skills as well as our hard skills? Learn the value and the power of having trained in soft skills. The speaker will present the current status quo where soft skills training barely exists (if it all) and what impact that has on people and studies and then compare that to an alternative view where study teams are given the appropriate soft skills training. The audience will get insight into how things should be; where there are less deviations, less churn of staff and more efficient studies are conducted. Speaker: Agnieszka Finlayson, MSc, MA, Director and Founder, White Wisteria Academy
Workforce development is a topic that applies to all roles in clinical research including investigative sites, CROs & sponsors. The attendees will gain a new perspective on the topic, its current state & how to reach its desired state. We are hoping to bring the latest research on the topic, share it with our audience & gather perspectives from all participating stakeholders. Speaker: Shayan Bashir, Clinical Research Associate, Premier Research
The demand for skilled clinical research professionals remains at an all-time industry high. As clinical trials continue to take multiple forms and require diverse skills, identifying competent personnel remains a challenge. The pathway to gaining the required skillset for job performance is not clearly defined. This session describes two leading practices for gaining knowledge, training, certification, education, and competency in clinical research, as outlined by the Joint Task Force (JFT) in the core competency framework. Speakers: Susan P. Landis, Executive Director, Association of Clinical Research Professionals; Erika Stevens, MA, FACRP, Principal, Recherche Transformation Rapide, LLC
Defining key barriers to the development of a well-trained clinical research professional workforce is an essential first step in identifying solutions for successful recruitment, onboarding, and retention. We analyzed qualitative data from a series of breakout sessions and open-text surveys to explore these complex issues. Competency-based frameworks for job descriptions and standardization within and across institutions remains lacking. Several barriers include balancing foundational onboarding; managing logistical challenges and institutional contexts; identifying/enlisting institutional champions; assessing competency; and providing high-quality mentorship. The urgent need to close gaps in workforce turnover, attracting more diverse applicants, and improving professionalization of the clinical research professional career pathway is crucial. Speakers: Stephanie Freel, PhD, PMP, Director, Clinical Research Education & Outreach, Duke University; Jessica Fritter, MACPR, ACRP-CP, Associated Faculty, Instructor of Clinical Practice, The Ohio State University; Carolynn Jones, DNP, MSPH, RN, FAAN, Professor of Clinical Nursing and Director of the Master of Clinical Research, The Ohio State University, College of Nursing; Mark Marchant, MBA, MPH, Director, Clinical Trial Administrative Office, The University of Alabama at Birmingham; Denise Snyder, MS, RD, Associate Dean for Clinical Research, Duke University School of Medicine
Team science competencies for clinical research professionals are poorly defined, yet the operations and management of clinical trials require CRPs to work across disciplines, departments and systems to get the work accomplished. CRPs require an understanding of team science and effective teaming. The JTF Competencies rarely cover these aspects. We formulated a workgroup to define CRP team science competencies including skillsets for individuals and teams. We used a modified Delphi approach, created a leveled (fundamental, skilled, and advanced) competencies for CRPs based on a team science model consisting of 5 individual team science domains and 8 team domains. We will present this work in detail and highlight team science competency building as an important element for staff satisfaction and effectiveness. This should stimulate new training initiatives CRPs. Speakers: Jessica Fritter, MACPR, ACRP-CP, Associated Faculty, Instructor of Clinical Practice, The Ohio State University; Carolynn Jones, DNP, MSPH, RN, FAAN, Associate Professor – Clinical, The Ohio State University
Are you looking to break into a career in clinical trial operations? Or is your organization looking to grow their bench of early talent in the clinical trial operations space? This session will provide insights from one clinical trial operations organization about how they created roles and programs to attract, develop, and retain diverse early talent team members, and the benefits of these programs. A panel of early talent team members will then share how they were able to leverage their skills gained from their prior roles, and the factors that helped them transition into their new roles and keep developing and growing within the clinical trial operations space. Attendees will take away best practices for either developing or pursuing early-career clinical trial operations roles. Speakers: Kim Diaz, BS, Associate CRA, Merck & Co.; Kimberly Jochman, PhD, RAC, Senior Director, Medical Writing, Merck & Co.; Christopher Quaglia, BS, MS, Study Manager, Merck & Co.; Albert Yen, PhD, Associate Medical Writer, Merck & Co.
If you’re a clinical research professional who trains or manages others, or are interested in site-based workforce development, this talk is for you! Speakers will discuss the importance of standardized onboarding training and assessment for new clinical research employees, and how traditional classroom and virtual learning alone may not be enough to ensure competency and confidence in the workforce. Gain strategies and resources to help you develop and expand practical, peer-to-peer, and leader-to-team training. With a mix of site-based clinical researchers and Learning and Development experts, this session will help you better address training challenges, leading to stronger culture, and higher employee retention. Speakers: Mallory Frazier, Manager of Training, Javara; Lauren Fregonese, Senior Director of Learning and Development, Javara; Nicole Saladino, Account Development Associate, Javara; Anita Wood, Senior Clinical Trial Navigator, Javara