ACRP Presentation To CTSN Clinical Research Professional Taskforce Highlights JTF Core Competency Framework

January 30, 2019

ACRP’s Workforce Innovation Officer, Beth Harper, recently addressed the Clinical and Translational Science Network Professional Taskforce and discussed Competency Based Career Progression. The presentation discussed the evolution of competency based hiring, retention and career progression and stressed the need for standards and the value of professional certification for the clinical research workforce and highlighted the contributions of the Joint Taskforce for Clinical Trial Competency. Her presentation slides are attached.

Click here to view the presentation slides.

Forte Research Systems, Inc. Hosts Webinar, “Competency-Based Approaches To Staff Hiring, Management And Advancement”

November 14, 2018

On November 6, 2018, Beth Harper, Workforce Innovation Officer for the Association of Clinical Research Professionals, hosted a webinar which was sponsored by Forte Research Systems, Inc of Madison, Wisconsin.  The webinar overviewed the development of the JTF Core Competency Framework and the impact that it was having on clinical research staff hiring, training and upward mobility.  — As of 2019, Forte has merged and is now part of Advarra.

New Opportunity To Define Competency Standards For The Clinical Project Manager

November 05, 2018

As part of ongoing efforts the Multi-Regional Clinical Trials Center of Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard (MRTC) and the Joint Task Force (JTF) for Clinical Trial Competency have initiated a new project. A workgroup is being created for defining and documenting the core competencies required by Clinical Project Managers (CPMs), which will build upon the context of JTF Framework. The goal of this workgroup is to develop and promote a framework of clinical PM competencies to enable industry wide non-competitive information sharing for the execution of clinical projects. (more…)

The DIAMOND Portal

October 15, 2018

By: Carolynn Thomas Jones

To address the need for a well-prepared, competent workforce, the National Center for Clinical and Translational Science (NCATS) has funded a grant entitled “Development, Implementation, and Assessment of Novel Training in Domain-based Competencies” (DIAMOND).  This grant has four multi-PIs at University of Michigan, The Ohio State University, Tufts University and University of Rochester, and is a continuation of earlier work funded by NCATS called “Enhancing Clinical Research Professionals’ Training and Qualifications (ECRPTQ)” (1).  These two projects have both embraced the JTF Clinical Trial Competencies, including applications of the competency domains beyond clinical trials to include social and behavioral clinical research.  Individuals from the Joint Task Force were highly involved in workgroups for ECRPTQ (Stephen Sonstein, Carolynn Jones and Jonathan Seltzer, and in DIAMOND (Carolynn Jones) serves as mPI and Stephen Sonstein serves as an Advisory Board Member.

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JTF Core Competency Framework Actively Promoted Through Association Of Clinical Research Professionals In Mexico (APEIC)

October 15, 2018

The Association of Clinical Research Professionals in Mexico (APEIC) is actively promoting the JTF Core Competency Framework among local clinical research professionals and the different local associations.  Academic sessions based upon the JTF domains are being presented at monthly meetings and a professional certification program based upon the core competencies is being developed targeting APEIC associates.  The JTF Competency Domain “wheel” has been translated into Spanish and is now used in all APEIC public messages (more…)

JTF Presentations At 19th Annual Conference Of Pharmaceutical Medicine, Tokyo, Japan

October 15, 2018

On September 28, 2018,  JTF members, Honorio Silva and Stephen Sonstein took part in a symposium, “Education in Pharmaceutical Medicine and Clinical Research” as part of the 19th International Conference of Pharmaceutical Medicine in Tokyo, Japan.  The symposium presentations discussed the progress made in defining core competencies for medicines development and clinical research, described the educational needs of drug development scientists and clinical research professionals, and described initiatives for accreditation of academic programs and certification of clinical research professionals.  The overheads from the three presentations are presented below:

Joint Task Force for Clinical Trial Competency

International Perception of Competence – Needs for Clinical Research Education

Accreditation of Academic Programs in Clinical Research

First Academic Program In Clinical Research Accredited

October 01, 2018

At its Board meeting in September, the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) voted unanimously to fully accredit the Arizona State University (ASU) Clinical Research Management Programs.  This is a major step forward in the recognition of Clinical Research as an academic discipline.  CAAHEP is the largest programmatic accreditor in the health sciences field and is recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation in the US and internationally.  (more…)

ACRP Supports The Use Of The Joint Taskforce For Clinical Trial Competency Framework As The Standard For Clinical Research Workforce Development

July 03, 2018

There is a critical shortage of qualified professionals in the clinical research enterprise and a need to have standard methodology and competency levels for clinical researchers. Jim Kremidas, executive director of ACRP, addresses this critical issue in his article “A Turning Point: Examining the clinical research workforce in 2018” and calls for the Harmonized Core Competency Framework of the Joint Task Force for Clinical Trial Competency, as the standard to be utilized for development of the clinical trial workforce. Read More

Joint Task Force For Clinical Trial Competency Finalist For ACRP Innovation In Workforce Development Award

May 30, 2018

The Joint Task Force for Clinical Trial Competency (JTF) was one of three finalists for the Innovation in Workforce Development Award of the Association of Clinical Research Professionals (ACRP).  The JTF was formed in 2013 by bringing together many voices and perspectives to develop across-the-board standards that are applicable for clinical trial professionals throughout the clinical trial process. The JTF has been a driving force to change the dynamic of hiring standards from being based on years of experience to being based on competencies and for education and training to be competency-based.  ACRP Blog Post

Ensuring Representativeness In Competencies For Research Coordinators

May 30, 2018

Lauren B. Solberg, JD, MTS; H. Robert Kolb, RN, CCRC; Alena Prikhidko; Linda S. Behar-Horenstein, PhD

Clinical Researcher—May 2018 (Volume 32, Issue 5)

Providing educational programs to develop clinical research coordinators’ (CRCs’) competency skills is essential to workforce development, yet little is known about how programs address CRCs’ needs. Frameworks have been developed to guide training programs that focus on the implementation and application of competency-based skills in research coordination and management. One of these, the Joint Task Force for Clinical Trial Competency (JTF) framework, is intended to be broad and applicable to individuals conducting, supporting, and managing research in varied professional capacities. (more…)