WCG Talks Trials

In episode 10 of WCG Talks Trials, we are joined by Catherine Gregor, the Chief Clinical Trial Officer at Florence Healthcare, to discuss Florence’s recent Research Revolution event and the importance of site enablement in clinical research. Listen in as we recap Research Revolution, share insights on emerging clinical trial trends and innovations, and have a candid conversation about what stands...

In this episode of WCG Talks Trials , we are joined by Elizabeth Weeks-Rowe, CCRA, author of The CRA’s Guide to Monitoring Clinical Research , 6th Edition. Led by WCG Director of Publications and Content, Leslie Ramsey, the discussion will delve into the ways the clinical trials industry has become more complex and technologically focused and the challenges clinical research associates (CRAs) face...

In this episode of WCG Talks Trials, we are joined by MAGI@home Steering Committee members, Jennifer Peterson, Director, Head of Clinical Quality at M3 Wake Research, and Geoffrey Schick, Director, Strategic Site Partnerships at WCG.  Led by Carmin Gade, Chief Marketing Officer at WCG, the discussion will delve into the insights and value MAGI events provide that enable attendees to achieve succes...

This episode of WCG Talks Trials, hosted by Kelly Fitzgerald, Executive IRB Chair and Vice President of IBC Affairs at WCG, dives into the topic of diversity and inclusion with technology in decentralized clinical trials (DCTs). The episode explores the transformative opportunities that DCTs present for addressing diversity gaps in clinical research. The discussion features a panel of experts, inc...

Listen to the latest episode of WCG Talks Trials to hear from experts on the importance of patient advocacy in clinical research and key takeaways from WCG's 2023 Patient Forum. We'll summarize how the patient forum elevates the voices of those changing drug development for the better and recap breakthroughs and best practices shared during the most recent event. Discover more about pati...

Listen to the latest episode of WCG Talks Trials to hear from experts on the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion in clinical research and how intersectionality plays a role in promoting DE&I. We'll discuss why diversity is pivotal for comprehending the full spectrum of clinical care mechanisms and review effective DE&I strategies being deployed today. Discover how communiti...

Join WCG Talks Trials podcast host Kelly Fitzgerald, PhD, in a riveting dialogue with guest expert Currien MacDonald, MD, as they unravel the nuances of "Psychedelics in Research: Ethical and Medical Perspectives."  Dr. MacDonald, with a solid foundation in family medicine and clinical trials administration, guides listeners through a grounded exploration of psychedelic substances. In th...

In episode three of WCG Talks Trials , two WCG experts discuss key findings from the 2023 Avoca State of the Industry Report , which provides a 360-degree view on motivators and deterrents to clinical trial participation. Listen in as we dive into feedback from perspectives across all clinical research stakeholders — sponsors, providers, sites, and patients — for valuable take-aways and insights i...

In episode two of WCG Talks Trials, we are joined by two WCG experts to discuss overcoming common enrollment challenges and how DE&I, technology, and protocol design factor into enrollment success. Listen in as we delve into the critical topic of common enrollment barriers in clinical trials, how to improve enrollment by focusing on DE&I efforts, the importance of site-centric and patient-...

In the first episode of our new podcast series, WCG Talks Trials, we are joined by three industry experts, Lisa Ballance from Virginia Commonwealth University, John Musser from Florida Cancer Specialists and Research Institute, and Dan Otap from Genentech, to discuss the topic of overcoming site challenges and addressing site burden. Listen in as we discuss the results of WCG’s recently published...

Bernadette Siddiqi, associate director of research partnerships at The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research talks about how they give members of the public access to the Fox Trial Finder. This clinical trial search tool that allows anyone to search for Parkinson’s disease clinical trials. More than 300 are listed on the site. It’s a bottleneck in clinical research. Patients are eager...

Movement disorder trials have always been demanding. Now, sponsors face an additional challenge: How do you ensure data integrity in the era of remote clinical trials? In this podcast, Bob Dagher, MD, WCG MedAvante-ProPhase’s Chief Medical Officer, addresses this in conversation with Steve Smith, WCG President of Patient Advocacy. This is the fourth episode in our series, “Transforming CNS Trials...

As a global strategist for Intel’s Health and Life Sciences Group, Bryce Olson had an up close view of innovation happening in the lab—especially in terms of genomic sequencing and gene therapy. As a man diagnosed with aggressive stage 4 prostate cancer at 44, he had as well an up close view of how that innovation was not being translated into the clinic.  He was started on a one-size-fits-all sta...

In major depressive disorder, researchers have used remote assessments for decades. As a result, many of these studies have had an easier time adapting to the new clinical trial landscape. But that doesn’t mean they are pandemic-proof. So what are the critical success factors for clinical depression programs—especially now?  In his conversation with WCG President of Patient Advocacy Steve Smith, M...

LaTasha Lee, PhD, MPH’s path to becoming a sickle cell disease (SCD) researcher and policy advocate began as a child. Because the SCD trait ran in her family, she became a patient advocate while still small. Today, she is Vice President, Social and Clinical Research & Development, at the National Minority Quality Forum. In this wide-ranging interview, she touches on an array of issues affectin...

At 51, Jeffrey Borghoff was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. What would devastate many people turned Borghoff into an advocate. The former software architect and developer is now a national spokesperson for the Alzheimer's Association and board member of the Greater New Jersey chapter. In this podcast, he talks about how the diagnosis forced him to reprioritize his life. “I've been pr...

Remote assessments have become a necessity across CNS trials, but some areas are more complicated than others. Schizophrenia provides one such example; the risk of variability is high, and sponsors are concerned. In this podcast, Mark Opler, PhD, MPH, Chief Research Officer at WCG MedAvante-ProPhase, sits down with WCG President of Patient Advocacy Steve Smith to discuss the topic. This is the sec...

Lisa Deck was a healthy 21-year old a week away from college graduation when her first stroke put her in the hospital. She barely made it to her graduation ceremony. She suffered two more strokes before she turned 25, and after that, a fourth stroke. After serious misdiagnosis and incorrect treatments, she was finally diagnosed with Moyamoya disease, a rare condition without a cure, but it does ha...

How can CROs and sponsors detect potential problems and issues in clinical trial conduct and data quality? That’s one of the critical issues discussed in Steve Young’s interview with Linda Sullivan, MBA, Executive Director of WCG’s Metric Champion Consortium (MCC). Young, Chief Scientific Officer at CluePoint, discusses how risk-based quality management (RBQM) methodology, data analytics, and data...

For many of the same reasons underrepresented populations lack access to appropriate healthcare services, they are also left out of clinical trials. The problem is widely known, but solutions have been hard to come by. In this episode, Michael Poku, MD, MBA, biopharma medical director at Signify Health, explains why this is the case and then shares some approaches he and his colleagues have succes...

Dana Deighton, an esophageal cancer survivor, shares her diagnostic odyssey of false starts and life-threatening detours. Deighton had always been healthy—she didn’t smoke, didn’t drink and exercised every day. Then came a joint pain that wouldn’t go away, visits to numerous doctors, a series of misdiagnoses, invasive tests, and growing symptoms. The correct diagnosis of stage 4 esophageal cancer...

Can patients be trained to report their symptoms more accurately? That’s one of the key topics discussed in Nat Katz’s and Art Morales’ interview with Linda Sullivan, MBA, Executive Director of WCG’s Metric Champion Consortium (MCC). Katz, the Chief Science Officer of WCG-Analgesic Solutions and Morales , Vice President, Technology Solutions at WCG, assert that, with proper design and implementati...

How are clinical trial companies pivoting to implement Risk-Based Quality Management programs during the pandemic? That’s one of the deep dives explored in Duncan Hall’s and Rachel Oakley’s interview with Linda Sullivan, MBA, Executive Director of WCG’s Metric Champion Consortium (MCC). Hall, founder and CEO of Triumph Research Intelligence (TRI) and Oakley, Vice President of RBQM Services at TRI,...

What’s the secret to success for implementing a world-class holistic approach to a Risk-Based Quality Management (RBQM) system? That’s one of the key topics from Artem Andrianov‘s and Johanna Proeve’s interview with Executive Director of WCG’s Metric Champion Consortium (MCC), Linda Sullivan, MBA. Andrianov, CEO, and Proeve, Chief Science Officer at Cyntegrity emphasize the importance of developin...

Ever since elementary school, Gregory L. Hall, MD, knew he would be a doctor. In this interview, he shares that journey and how he came to write the book—literally—on health disparities for African Americans. His focus on disparities began more than 30 years ago with his appointment to the Ohio Commission on Minority Health—the first such commission in the country. Eventually, when he became the c...