WCG Talks Trials

In this episode, WCG’s President of Patient Advocacy, Steve Smith, talks with Emil Kakkis, MD, PhD, Chief Executive Officer of Ultragenyx Pharmaceuticals and President of the non-profit EveryLife Foundation for Rare Diseases organization. Known for his work in developing an enzyme replacement therapy for the rare disorder MPS I and his connection to the Ryan Foundation, Dr. Kakkis shares with us h...

In this episode, Kristin Smedley sits down with President of WCG Patient Advocacy, Steve Smith, to talk about the journey her two children with retinal blindness have experienced. Known as the “happiest mom of two blind kids” and a powerful TEDx talker, Kristin highlights the CRB1 rare genetic degenerative disease both of her boys are affected with. She underscores the importance of genetic diagno...

In this episode, Amanda Moore, CEO of Angelman Syndrome Foundation speaks with Steve Smith, WCG’s President of Patient Advocacy. As a mom whose son has been diagnosed with Angelman Syndrome - a rare neuro-genetic disorder that affects 1 in 15,000 children - Amanda walks through the time from receiving initial diagnosis to the odyssey of her son’s patient journey in therapy and clinical trials.

In this episode, Mark Opler, PhD, MPH, Chief Research Officer at WCG MedAvante-ProPhase sits down with Steve Smith, WCG’s President of Patient Advocacy to discuss the achievements in the field of CNS and rare disease clinical research. Dr. Opler and Steve highlight the unmet need of therapies available for rare disease, the importance of patient enrollment, ensuring efficacy and safety throughout...

In this episode, Sarah Tompkins, Patient Advocate of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, chats with WCG’s President of Patient Advocacy, Steve Smith. During their discussion, Sarah shares with us her experience being a patient with a genetic rare disease who is involved in a clinical trial.

In this episode, Karmen Trzupek, MS, CGC, Director of Ocular & Rare Disease Genetic Services and Clinical Trial Services at InformedDNA sits down with WCG’s President of Patient Advocacy, Steve Smith. During their conversation, Karmen and Steve talk about the criticality of incorporating genetic counselors into the medical management of a patient’s genetic diagnosis. 

In this episode, WCG’s President of Patient Advocacy, Steve Smith, sits down for an interview with Dr. David Fajgenbaum, Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and Author of Chasing My Cure: A Doctor’s Race to Turn Hope Into Action. In this podcast, you’ll hear Steve and Dr. Fajgenbaum discuss what it’s like to be a patient of a rare disease – in this case Castleman’s di...

What’s the state of clinical trials in autism and neurodevelopmental disorders? What’s on the horizon? Scott J. Hunter, PhD, a member of WCG’s Scientific Leadership Team, shared his insights during a recent conversation with Mark Opler, MD, PhD, Chief Research Officer at WCG-MedAvante-ProPhase. Dr. Hunter is a professor of psychiatry and behavioral neuroscience, as well as pediatrics, at the Unive...

Despite advances in science and technology, we still see that 80% of clinical trials are running behind on their enrollment timeline. Mark Summers, Founder of WCG ThreeWire, and President of Patient Engagement at WCG, shares his insights on the current industry model of patient recruitment and the philosophy behind the new patient recruitment paradigm. Things you will learn in this podcast: Shortc...

Dr. Andrew J. Cutler shares his insights on the current challenges and opportunities for CNS therapies during an energizing conversation with Dr. Mark Opler, Chief Research Officer at WCG MedAvante-ProPhase. Dr. Cutler is a member of WCG’s Scientific Leadership Team, and a recognized expert in CNS therapies and clinical trials. Dr. Cutler is a sought-after speaker about the evaluation and treatmen...

Dr. Seltzer, president and founder of ACI Clinical, and chief scientific officer of WCG Clinical, shared his insights on expert committees during a recent conversation with Bill Stedman, manager, member services, ACI Clinical. 

Dr. Katz, Chief Science Officer and the founder of Analgesic Solutions, shared his insights during a recent conversation with Mark Opler, MD, PhD, Chief Research Officer at WCG’s MedAvante-ProPhase. WCG recently acquired Analgesic Solutions.

Christoph U. Correll, MD, a member of WCG’s Scientific Leadership Team, shared his thoughts in a recent conversation with Mark Opler, MD, PhD, chief research officer at WCG-MedAvante-ProPhase. Dr. Correll is both a clinical psychiatrist (for both adults and children) and a clinical scientist. His work focuses on the identification, characterization and treatment of adults and youths with severe ps...

Leslie Citrome, MD, MPH, a member of WCG’s Scientific Leadership Team, shared his insights during a recent conversation with Mark Opler, MD, PhD, chief research officer at WCG-MedAvante-ProPhase. Dr. Citrome has a private practice and is clinical professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at New York Medical College in Valhalla.