Insights

Clinical research professionals working for study sites, clinical research organizations, and sponsors share a commitment to developing medications, medical devices, and other treatments designed to improve and extend quality of life. It’s a higher calling, and we as a clinical trial industry should be proud of these and other accomplishments. But at the same time, as an industry we aren’t living up to our highest potential—and it is the patients who endure the consequences of delayed new treatments and inefficient clinical trials that don’t always represent the full population.

For many study sponsors, particularly small to mid-sized biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, oversight of the contract research organizations (CROs) with which they partner on projects is one of the most challenging aspects of running clinical trials. Too often, oversight becomes either hands-off neglect, where sponsors assume the CRO will “just handle it,” or suffocating micromanagement, where every report and decision is second-guessed. Neither approach works.

The people collecting and handling clinical data report that the tools and processes currently used in clinical trials are slowing them down. In fact, new industry research shows it might be interfering with the quality of data. Two-thirds of data managers and clinical research associates think data quality in clinical trials is at risk if the inefficiencies in execution persist. This highlights a known challenge in the industry—there are too many manual steps and disconnected technologies that don’t work together to conduct tasks.

As ACRP gets ready to celebrate its 50th Anniversary in 2026, we are ready to help ensure that our members are prepared for what's next in clinical research. We are shaping your expertise into an education-packed conference and ensuring that our training is accurate, relevant, and career-building. We have the tools we need as we continue to do our important work to support you. I know that you, the members of our amazing ACRP clinical research community, will continue, in turn, to support each other.

A gathering of insights and introspections on hot topics in the clinical research enterprise edited by Gary W. Cramer, Managing Editor for ACRP, with contributions from Muhammad Waseem, MBBS, MS, FAAP, FACEP, FAHA, FSSH, CPI, FACRP; Joy Jurnack, RN, CCRC, FACRP; Olutola O. Adetona, MD, MPH, CPI; and a sampling of industry leaders.