Making Your Profession One of Your Happy Places

Photograph of Susan Landis

Clinical Researcher—April 2024 (Volume 38, Issue 2)

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE

Susan P. Landis, Executive Director of ACRP

 

 

 

Where is your happy place?

Many members and stakeholders in ACRP and its mission will soon GO to ACRP 2024 for inspiration, education, and connection in Anaheim, Calif., near what some say is “The Happiest Place on Earth.” ACRP has held independent conferences all over the U.S., and sometimes in Canada, since 1984, but the happy (sometimes approaching magical) moments of attending an ACRP conference come from making or rekindling professional friendships, learning about the latest resources that are key to excellence in your clinical research career, and sharing valuable lessons for your success in the workplace.

Wherever your happy place(s) may be, in terms of both your professional and private sides of life, your ongoing membership in and commitment to volunteer engagements with ACRP are a big part of what keeps the Association’s lifeblood happily flowing all year long. We thank you for making life better for your organizations, participants, and community at large through your dedication to upholding the highest standards of quality and safety in our profession. To keep the momentum going, whether or not you can join in on the fun and learning in Anaheim, we invite you to consider how you can be an agent of happiness in your clinical research setting the rest of the year. Let me offer one timely suggestion…

Clinical Trials Day 2024 is coming up fast on the heels of the conference on May 20. This year, we are celebrating the “Trailblazers Among Us” through our observance of Clinical Trials Day—those who are forging a path forward in the profession through the relentless pursuit of knowledge, an exacting application of best practices, and an unwavering commitment to championing patient well-being. Please visit the event website for a bevy of downloadable resources and ideas for drawing attention onsite and through social media to the importance of clinical researchers in your workplaces and communities—and you need not wait until May to start “flying the flag,” as we have begun promoting the big day already and it will have a major presence in our activities at ACRP 2024.

Meanwhile, no conference on the scale of ours comes together without the generous donation of time and talent from volunteers helping ACRP staff spread the news about the upcoming event, select content from proposals for workshops and sessions, lay the groundwork for activities onsite, greet and assist incoming attendees, and meet behind the scenes for such purposes as tending to item writing for certification exams, Chapter management updates, workforce development initiatives, and much more. In that vein, we are also already in preparation for ACRP 2025 in New Orleans, La., and if you are interested in helping out in any way, please let us know—and keep an eye out for the Call for Proposals for 2025, which will open May 3.

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