Mind the Methods

In this episode of Mind the Methods (the ISCTM podcast), Dr. Mark Opler speaks with Dr. Elizabeth Ballard, Associate Scientist at the NIMH Intramural Research Program and the 2025 recipient of the ISCTM Lewis Alan Opler Prize, about the evolving science of suicidal ideation and behavior. Dr. Elizabeth Ballard explains why many commonly used tools were built for risk documentation and legal protect...

In Part 1, Gary Sachs, MD , Clinical Vice President at Signant Health, moderates a discussion with Luca Pani, MD , President of ISCTM and Chief Regulatory and Innovation Officer at NetraMark. The conversation examines how AI can be used to support drug development, clinical trial design, and data interpretation, alongside key regulatory, ethical, and scientific considerations.

In Part 2, Amir Kalali, MD , Independent Consultant, continues the discussion with Luca Pani, MD , focusing on how AI could fundamentally transform CNS drug development by enabling deeper biological insight, patient enrichment, and real-world outcome assessment, while emphasizing the cultural resistance, regulatory transparency, ethical trust, and leadership readiness required for responsible adop...

In this introductory episode of Mind the Methods, host Elizabeth Pappadopulos, PhD , introduces the mission, scope, and audience of the ISCTM podcast. She outlines how the series will explore innovations in CNS clinical trial design and methodology ranging from digital endpoints, adaptive protocols, and generative AI to patient-centric approaches and real-world challenges across psychiatric, neuro...