The Convergence Project is pleased to invite you to an upcoming virtual event hosted by the MRCT Center, focused on workforce development strategies to support a more dynamic and competitive clinical research workforce.
This meeting will bring together community leaders, policymakers, and researchers to discuss how to create and support pathways into the clinical trial workforce (e.g., part-time degree programs, community colleges, fellowships). Key topics will include workforce development, targeted recruitment, and actionable steps to drive systemic improvements. You’ll have the opportunity to engage with panelists leading programs in Georgia, North Carolina, West Virginia, and other states across the country.
We hope you can join us for this important conversation. We look forward to your participation!
Topic: Medical Need or Market Opportunity: Setting Research Priorities
Abstract: Since funding and other resources for clinical research are limited, decisions must be made about which research projects to pursue, which not to pursue, and how to prioritize among the studies that are chosen. The principle of “unmet medical need” is often acknowledged as a guiding consideration in this context, and there have been calls for community input into prioritization and the choice of the study question. Further, addressing unmet medical needs, particularly in the context of the global burden of disease, is important for public health but may not, and likely will not, maximize market opportunity or financial profits – a dynamic that is particularly salient for private industry sponsors. Should prioritization then rest solely or principally with the funder? How should such entities balance economic obligations toward shareholders with the public good?
One salient principle of distributive justice is “prioritarianism,” the idea that research that stands to benefit the worse-off or those who are already underprivileged should be given priority over research that stands to benefit people in better situations: the well-being of the most disadvantaged is prioritized. Even prior to this, however, questions arise over how to understand the expected goods of research, who the beneficiaries might be, and how the well-being of different possible beneficiary groups should be measured. Further downstream, issues arise over who should engage in prioritization decisions, and in particular, whether the research community should rely solely on high-level, centralized prioritization mechanisms (e.g., industry sponsors, NIH, non-profit funders), or whether individual institutions, local communities, and/or patients and their allies might have some role to play in ensuring that studies are appropriately prioritized at a local level. How should these various voices be heard, should they be represented, and how can—or should—balance be achieved, and if so, what processes should be considered? The March Bioethics Collaborative will seek to address these and other issues in connection with the ethics of research priority-setting.
This meeting is open to sponsors of the Bioethics Collaborative. For more information about the Bioethics Collaborative and how to become a sponsor, click here.
Join us on April 3 from 9 – 10 am ET for a webinar dedicated to Global Workforce Development: Tools and Resources, featuring a keynote by Lembit Rago, Secretary-General of the Council for International Organizations of Medical Sciences (CIOMS). Dr. Rago will share insights on CIOMS initiatives to define and synthesize professional competencies essential for clinical research and the need for cooperative agreements to harmonize workforce development efforts.
The session will also highlight the Joint Task Force for Clinical Trial Competency (JTF) Framework as a foundational tool for training and professional development, addressing the challenges and opportunities of recruiting and retaining a diverse and capable workforce.
Sally Armstrong, CEO of PRAXIS Australia, will share how PRAXIS Australia has used the JTF Framework in their educational offerings, including courses, workshops, and immersive onsite training programs.
Susan Landis, Executive Director of the Association of Clinical Research Professionals (ACRP), will discuss ACRP’s “Partners Advancing the Clinical Research Workforce,” an initiative aimed at building a diverse and qualified clinical research workforce through training programs, educational resources, and collaborations with industry leaders, based on the JTF Framework, to address the needs of the clinical research field by providing pathways for new entrants and career advancement for existing professionals.
This webinar will provide actionable and practical strategies to support global clinical trial professionals.
Key topics:
Utilizing the JTF Framework to define and develop competencies in clinical research
Developing the education and training paradigm for the clinical research workforce
Recruiting and retaining a diverse and representative clinical research workforce
The Research, Development, and Regulatory Roundtable (R3) is a forum to discuss pre-competitive issues in drug and device development, regulatory oversight of clinical trials, and human subjects research. Meetings convene policymakers, legal counsel, academicians, industry representatives, and global regulators. The R3 is a cooperative endeavor coordinated by the MRCT Center and Ropes & Gray LLP.
This hybrid meeting is open to sponsors of the Research, Development, and Regulatory Roundtable.
The Joint Task Force for Clinical Trial Competency (JTF), anchored at the MRCT Center, develops and disseminates standards and practices for the global clinical research workforce. By fostering a cohesive and collaborative approach, the JTF ensures that professionals have the competencies to conduct clinical trials ethically and effectively.
We invite you to attend the next virtual biannual global meeting of the Joint Task Force for Clinical Trial Competency (JTF) to learn about, present updates, and coordinate ongoing activities with the JTF Framework.
This meeting is open to sponsors of the Bioethics Collaborative. For more information about the Bioethics Collaborative and how to become a sponsor, click here.
The Research, Development, and Regulatory Roundtable (R3) is a forum to discuss pre-competitive issues in drug and device development, regulatory oversight of clinical trials, and human subjects research. Meetings convene policymakers, legal counsel, academicians, industry representatives, and global regulators. The R3 is a cooperative endeavor coordinated by the MRCT Center and Ropes & Gray LLP.
This hybrid meeting is open to sponsors of the Research, Development, and Regulatory Roundtable.
This meeting is open to sponsors of the Bioethics Collaborative. For more information about the Bioethics Collaborative and how to become a sponsor, click here.
The Research, Development, and Regulatory Roundtable (R3) is a forum to discuss pre-competitive issues in drug and device development, regulatory oversight of clinical trials, and human subjects research. Meetings convene policymakers, legal counsel, academicians, industry representatives, and global regulators. The R3 is a cooperative endeavor coordinated by the MRCT Center and Ropes & Gray LLP.
This hybrid meeting is open to sponsors of the Research, Development, and Regulatory Roundtable.
The Research, Development, and Regulatory Roundtable (R3) is a forum to discuss pre-competitive issues in drug and device development, regulatory oversight of clinical trials, and human subjects research. Meetings convene policymakers, legal counsel, academicians, industry representatives, and global regulators. The R3 is a cooperative endeavor coordinated by the MRCT Center and Ropes & Gray LLP.
This hybrid meeting is open to sponsors of the Research, Development, and Regulatory Roundtable.
This meeting is open to sponsors of the Bioethics Collaborative. For more information about the Bioethics Collaborative and how to become a sponsor, click here.
