Clinical Trial Podcast | Conversations with Clinical Research Experts

To learn more about this important field of cardiovascular clinical research, I invited Dr. Gregg Stone on the podcast. Dr. Stone is an Interventional Cardiologist and Director of Academic Affairs for the Mount Sinai Heart Health System and Professor of Medicine (Cardiology) and Professor of Population Health Sciences and Policy at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York, NY.  He has served as the national or international principal investigator for more than 150 national and international multicenter randomized trials and studies (many of which have led to new device approval or indications in the US), has authored more than 3000 manuscripts and abstracts published in the peer-reviewed literature, and has delivered thousands of invited lectures around the world.  With an H-index of 202, Dr. Stone has been recognized in Nature Medicine as one of the most prolific authors in science, and by the Web of Science as among the top 0.01% of cited researchers in science.  Dr. Stone completed medical school at Johns Hopkins University Medical Center, in Baltimore, MD, and his internship and residency at the New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center in New York City.  He completed his general cardiology fellowship at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, CA and subsequently a dedicated fellowship in advanced coronary angioplasty in Kansas City, MO.  Please join me in welcoming Dr. Gregg Stone on the Clinical Trial Podcast. Sponsor(s): This podcast is brought to you by Florence Healthcare. Florence eliminates chaotic workflows in clinical research operations with remote access and digital workflow platforms. More than 12,000 study sites, sponsors, and CROs in 45 countries trust them to accelerate their operations. To learn more, visit https://florencehc.com This podcast is brought to you by Slope. Slope drives operational excellence for highly complex, sample-intensive, early-phase clinical trials. The platform transforms chaotic clinical trial supply chains into protocol-specific operational workflows for sponsors, CROs, clinical research sites and labs. Learn more at slopeclinical.com

In this episode, you will learn about what type of insurance (if any) is needed to conduct a clinical trial. We also discuss different insurance provisions, choosing the right insurance partner, regulatory requirements that dictate insurance and much more. Dan is a seasoned insurance professional with 10+ years of underwriting and broking experience. Dan and his team also assist in the implementation of alternative risk mitigation strategies, and see themselves as strategic partners to those in the life science space. Dan graduated from the Katie School of Insurance at Illinois State University where he studied Risk Management and Enjoy! Sponsor(s): This podcast is brought to you by Calyx. Calyx is a trusted name in medical imaging, having delivered imaging services to meet the needs of global biopharmaceutical sponsors and clinical research organizations for over 25 years. To learn more, visit https://www.calyx.ai/ This podcast is brought to you by Veeva SiteVault. Veeva connects patients, sites, and sponsors, on a single technology ecosystem to make clinical trials easier and faster. SiteVault gives research sites one place to work with sponsors – to reduce the number of systems and logins used to run clinical trials. To learn more, visit ​https://sites.veeva.com/​  

To learn more about clinical trials in diabetes, I invited Dr. Stayce Beck, Global Vice President of Clinical Affairs at Dexcom Inc. on the podcast.  Dr. Beck currently oversees clinical operations, clinical strategy and science, biometrics and human factors at Dexcom Inc, a leading manufacturer of continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) Prior to joining Dexcom, Dr. Beck worked at Food and Drug Administration for over ten years, spending time as a scientific and regulatory reviewer, a chief of the Diabetes Diagnostic Devices Branch, and Deputy Office Director of Personalized Medicine and Molecular Genetics. Dr. Beck received her Ph.D. in Biomedical Science from the University of California San Diego, and her B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin.  She also received her Master of Public Health (MPH) in Epidemiology from University of Maryland Baltimore.  Sponsor(s): This podcast is brought to you by Calyx. Calyx is a trusted name in medical imaging, having delivered imaging services to meet the needs of global biopharmaceutical sponsors and clinical research organizations for over 25 years. To learn more, visit https://www.calyx.ai/ This podcast is brought to you by Veeva SiteVault. Veeva connects patients, sites, and sponsors, on a single technology ecosystem to make clinical trials easier and faster. SiteVault gives research sites one place to work with sponsors – to reduce the number of systems and logins used to run clinical trials. To learn more, visit ​https://sites.veeva.com/​.

Providing patients access to novel medical products can be challenging to navigate for sponsors and trial participants alike.  To learn more about expanded access, compassionate use, Right to Try laws, I invited Dr. Alison​ ​Bateman​-​House​, ​PhD​, ​MPH, MA​, ​an​ ​Assistant​ ​Professor​ ​in​ ​the​ ​Division​ ​of​ ​Medical Ethics​ ​at​ ​NYU​ ​Grossman​ ​School​ ​of​ ​Medicine​.  Dr. ​Bateman​-​House​ ​is​ ​co​-​chair ​of​ ​the​ ​Working​ ​Group​ ​on Compassionate​ ​Use​ ​and​ ​Preapproval​ ​Access​ (​CUPA​), ​an​ ​academic group​ ​that​ ​studies​ ​ethical issues concerning access​ ​to​ ​investigational​ ​medical products​ ​and which consists of patient advocates, clinicians, members of industry, current and former FDA staffers, lawyers, and academics, among others.  She advises biopharmaceutical companies, patient advocacy organizations, governmental, and non-governmental entities about clinical trial design and non-trial access programs, and she serves as ethicist for numerous data safety monitoring boards overseeing clinical trials.  She has published and spoken extensively on non-trial access to investigational medical products, ​​equity in clinical​ ​trials​​, individualized therapeutics, ​the​ ​history​ ​and ethics​ ​of​ ​using​ ​humans​ ​as​ ​research​ ​subjects​, and public health ethics.  Sponsor(s): This podcast is brought to you by Florence Healthcare. Florence eliminates chaotic workflows in clinical research operations with remote access and digital workflow platforms. More than 12,000 study sites, sponsors, and CROs in 45 countries trust them to accelerate their operations. To learn more, visit https://florencehc.com  This podcast is brought to you by Slope. Slope drives operational excellence for highly complex, sample-intensive, early-phase clinical trials. The platform transforms chaotic clinical trial supply chains into protocol-specific operational workflows for sponsors, CROs, clinical research sites and labs. Learn more at https://www.slopeclinical.com/

Unlike an electrical engineer or a plumber, clinical research roles are not explicitly defined or categorized as such, in government employment databases. There are no certification or degree requirements to work as a clinical research professional either. To explore the topic of clinical research as a profession, I invited Erike Stevens on the podcast. Erika advises life sciences, academic medical centers, hospitals, cancer centers, foundations and health systems process improvement initiatives for productivity, quality and efficiency in operations, cross-functional relationships, administration, manufacturing, and compliance.  She has over 20 years of research/ R&D experience, serving in roles such as Vice President Research, Senior Managing Director, Director Clinical Trials Office, Director of Clinical Research, Interim Executive Director, Clinical Trials Office and Director of Research Operations.  Erika holds her B.A. from the University of Vermont, her M.A. from Case Western Reserve University and her M.A. from Temple University.  She also holds a Graduate Certificate in Gerontology from Case Western University. Please join me in welcoming Erika on the show. Podcast Sponsor(s): This podcast is brought to you by Slope. Slope drives operational excellence for highly complex, sample-intensive, early-phase clinical trials. The platform transforms chaotic clinical trial supply chains into protocol-specific operational workflows for sponsors, CROs, clinical research sites and labs. Slope is trusted by industry leaders in complex early-phase clinical trials from top 50 pharma and CROs to emerging biotechs, and a global site network including NCI cancer centers and AMCs. Learn more at https://www.slopeclinical.com/ This podcast is brought to you by Veeva. Veeva connects patients, sites, and sponsors, on a single technology ecosystem to make clinical trials easier and faster. I’m particularly excited about Veeva SiteVault. SiteVault gives research sites one place to work with sponsors – to reduce the number of systems and logins used to run clinical trials. To learn more, visit https://sites.veeva.com/.  

To learn about community engagement in clinical trials, what it means, recent regulations and guidance documents, I invited Chris Komelasky, CEO and Co-founder of SiteBridge Research, on the podcast.  SiteBridge Research is an Integrated Research Organization (IRO). Chris and his team help connect physicians and their patients to clinical trials and facilitate the process by reducing barriers for sites and participants. Prior to the launch of SiteBridge, Chris has held various leadership roles at PPD, GlaxoSmithKline, Accenture and ZS Associates. Chris holds a B.S. in Systems Engineering from the University of Virginia and an MBA from Duke University and resides with his wife and three children in Chapel Hill, NC. Please join me in welcoming Chris on the Clinical Trial Podcast. Sponsors: This podcast is brought to you by Slope. Slope drives operational excellence for highly complex, sample-intensive, early-phase clinical trials. The platform transforms chaotic clinical trial supply chains into protocol-specific operational workflows for sponsors, CROs, clinical research sites and labs. Learn more at https://www.slopeclinical.com/ This podcast is brought to you by Veeva. Veeva connects patients, sites, and sponsors, on a single technology ecosystem to make clinical trials easier and faster. I’m particularly excited about Veeva SiteVault. SiteVault gives research sites one place to work with sponsors - to reduce the number of systems and logins used to run clinical trials. To learn more, visit https://sites.veeva.com/.

Community health system-based research continues to become an important focus area for pharmaceutical and medical device sponsors given the recent FDA guidance on diversity in clinical trials.  Our guest for this episode is JoAnne Levy, Vice President at Mercy Research, a part of Mercyhealth.  Mercy Research is one of the largest fully integrated, community health system-based research organizations in the United States with more than 40 acute care, managed, and specialty hospitals, convenient urgent care locations, imaging centers and pharmacies. In 2022, over 38,000 Mercy patients contributed to research learning. JoAnne has served in the healthcare industry for almost 30 years. She leads Mercy Research, a not-for-profit organization managing clinical and real-world-evidence research activities across Mercy. JoAnne serves as current Chair and inaugural founder of Mercy Women in Leadership Council and as a member of Mercy’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Advisory Board. JoAnne received her undergraduate, law and master of business administration degrees — all with honors — from Washington University in St. Louis.  Please join me in welcoming JoAnne on the Clinical Trial Podcast.  This podcast is brought to you by Veeva. Veeva connects patients, sites, and sponsors, on a single technology ecosystem to make clinical trials easier and faster. I’m particularly excited about Veeva SiteVault. SiteVault gives research sites one place to work with sponsors - to reduce the number of systems and logins used to run clinical trials. To learn more, visit https://sites.veeva.com/. This podcast is brought to you by Slope. Slope drives operational excellence for highly complex, sample-intensive, early-phase clinical trials. The platform transforms chaotic clinical trial supply chains into protocol-specific operational workflows for sponsors, CROs, clinical research sites and labs. Learn more at slopeclinical.com  

In this episode, we’re going to talk about Postmarket Surveillance Studies.  In light of the EU Medical Device Regulation (MDR), medical device manufacturers are required to implement a Postmarket Surveillance (PMS) plan, which in turn may require them to conduct Postmarket Surveillance Studies.  The importance of such studies has grown in recent years as regulators want to know about the safety and effectiveness during the lifetime of a medical device.  To learn about Postmarket Surveillance Studies regulatory requirements, process for collecting clinical data for such studies, key elements of PMS plan, and more, I invited Dr. David Rutledge on the podcast. David is the President & CEO at Global Strategic Solutions, where he works as a global consultant for clinical evaluations, clinical risk management, regulatory, quality, and clinical investigations.  David brings over 25 years of experience and knowledge in product-level analysis, clinical protocol and case report form development, scientific data analysis, organizational design, integration of science with business needs, quality management systems, signal detection, global clinical evaluations, clinical risk management, and regulatory affairs.  David is Six Sigma and CAPA certified, an ISO 13485 lead auditor, and author of Mythical Medical™: Revelations from a Global Product Approval Consultant.  * This podcast is brought to you by Florence Healthcare. Florence eliminates chaotic workflows in clinical research operations with remote access and digital workflow platforms. More than 10,000 study sites, sponsors, and CROs in 45 countries trust them to accelerate their operations. To learn more, visit https://florencehc.com  This podcast is brought to you by Calyx. Calyx is a trusted name in medical imaging, having delivered imaging services to meet the needs of global biopharmaceutical sponsors and clinical research organizations for over 25 years. To learn more, visit https://www.calyx.ai/ *  

In this episode, we explore the role of design in clinical trials. Most clinical research professionals are so focused on protocol design, data collection, and analysis that it’s easy to overlook the importance of well-designed technology that supports clinical trials. One such technology product is electronic Patient Reported Outcomes or ePROs. ePROs are surveys that are presented to and completed by clinical trial participants as part of the study requirements.  To learn more about ePROs and the role of design in clinical trials, I invited Bruce Hellman and Ben James on the Clinical Trial Podcast.  Ben is the Chief Design Officer and Co-founder at uMotif. Bruce is the Chief Patient Officer & Co-Founder at uMotif. Please join me in welcoming Bruce and Ben on the Clinical Trial Podcast. * This podcast is brought to you by Slope. Slope drives operational excellence for highly complex, sample-intensive, early-phase clinical trials. The platform transforms chaotic clinical trial supply chains into protocol-specific operational workflows for sponsors, CROs, clinical research sites and labs. Learn more at slopeclinical.com This podcast is brought to you by Florence Healthcare. Florence eliminates chaotic workflows in clinical research operations with remote access and digital workflow platforms. More than 12,000 study sites, sponsors, and CROs in 45 countries trust them to accelerate their operations. To learn more, visit https://florencehc.com  *

There are advantages and disadvantages when it comes to being a standalone clinical trial site.  Standalone clinical trial sites enjoy the freedom of running their own operations. But they may face challenges with executing some parts of a clinical trial.  This is where site networks come in.  For example, a site can run more efficient marketing campaigns, be more systematic in its clinical trial operations, or share patient recruitment and retention resources by being part of a site network. To learn more about site networks, I invited Christian Burns, President of Elligo Health Research and Co-Founder of ClinX, on the show. Christian is a serial entrepreneur, investor, and founder of multiple clinical trial companies, including ClinEdge, BTC Network, and Guidestar Research.  Christian has a track record of success in the pharmaceutical industry, with a particular focus on decentralized and direct-to-patient clinical trials.  With experience across most therapeutic areas and a presence in over 30 languages and 40 countries, Christian's companies have served patients and providers across thousands of research sites globally.  His goal is to accelerate the development of new therapies by creating innovative solutions that connect and empower the clinical trial ecosystem.  A native of Philadelphia, Christian holds a B.A. in Public Health from the University of Tampa. Enjoy! Sponsors: This podcast is brought to you by Veeva. Veeva connects patients, sites, and sponsors, on a single technology ecosystem to make clinical trials easier and faster. I’m particularly excited about Veeva SiteVault. SiteVault gives research sites one place to work with sponsors - to reduce the number of systems and logins used to run clinical trials. To learn more, visit https://sites.veeva.com/. This podcast is brought to you by Slope. Slope’s eClinical Supply Chain Management (eCSCM) platform reduces clinical trial risks, reigns in costs, improves the productivity of clinical trial collaborators, and increases subject retention by removing the manual, spreadsheet-driven, and error-prone processes used to manage and track clinical supplies and biological samples to a digital platform. To learn more, visit slope.io.