Clinical Researcher—September 2020 (Volume 34, Issue 8)
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE
Jim Kremidas
We recently published a letter in the Washington Post calling for greater diversity in both the clinical trial patient population and workforce. The response has been heartening and overwhelming. I’ve heard from hundreds of people—members and non-members of ACRP alike—thanking us for speaking out, asking us how they can help, and otherwise supporting our shared goals.
We’ve also produced a number of insightful interviews with industry professionals talking about their experiences promoting diversity in the trial workforce and patient population for ACRPtv. Like our recent item in the Post, these segments are sparking good conversation and, hopefully, helping us take steps toward identifying and harnessing new solutions.
I don’t need to tell you these are simultaneously challenging and exciting times for the clinical research enterprise. We’re faced with a global pandemic that’s stretching our capabilities to the limit—yet clinical trial professionals are rising to the occasion with skill and dedication.
These are also exciting times because the COVID-19 catalyst has forced us to rethink how we conduct trials. It’s made us take a closer look at our rationales, the tools we leverage (and don’t), and even our own mindsets professionally and personally.
We have been handed a rare opportunity as an industry to retain our best aspects and fuse them with new approaches—whether it is promoting clinical trial diversity in the workforce and patient population, embracing new technologies, leveraging new concepts such as decentralized clinical trials, or taking advantage of other exciting innovations to the benefit of our participants.
I’m excited about the future, and I hope you are too. Thank you for everything you do. As always, I’d love to hear from you with your ideas and concerns about our enterprise.
Jim Kremidas (jkremidas@acrpnet.org) is Executive Director of ACRP.
