By Rachel Myers and Kevin Davies  

August 17, 2012 | This year’s annual Barnett Clinical Summit, taking place October 9-12, 2012 in Cambridge, MA, will focus on the theme of Optimizing Trial Performance.   

The Summit is the leading event connecting clinical research experts, sponsors, sites and regulators. The meeting will include formal presentations, case studies, interactive breakout discussion groups, short courses and countless networking opportunities.   

The main event features four tracks: Clinical Protocol Development; Virtual Investigator Meeting Management; Clinical Training Forum; and Clinical Project Management Forum. Here are some of the anticipated highlights.  

Clinical Training Forum   

Presentations in the Clinical Training Forum will include strategies for linking training initiatives to study outcomes, how to respond to key regulatory considerations and findings, and ways to address training deficiencies that put clinical research activities at risk.  

Herb Anthony, Associate Director of Clinical R&D Training, will offer proactive solutions for maximizing training resources while ensuring that the quality and effectiveness of training programs stay intact.   

Tactical online training strategies will be addressed by several speakers. Gerlinde Jayme (EMD Serono) and Cécile Nicolas-Denizou (Merck Serono) will share their international experience designing online training that is both effective and engaging. And Karen Gilbert (Barnett Educational Services) will provide hands-on activities that show participants how to write effective test questions, and incorporating play and discovery into training activities.   

Minimizing clinical research risk will also be a theme throughout, with a focus on how training can positively affect clinical trial outcomes and efficiency. Participants will hear about Duke Clinical Research Institute’s groundbreaking concept of a Rapid Educational Development (RED) Process. This is an event that ensures maximum benefit and efficiency when working with development teams and SMEs.   

Site perspectives will be provided as well, addressing how trends in risk-based monitoring, quality management systems, clinical trials in emerging regions, and social media affect site-based training initiatives.   

Virtual Investigation Meeting Management  

In this program, clinical operations and compliance arenas will come together to discuss strategies to optimize the investigator meeting through virtual meeting platforms. Throughout the conference, sites will be share their perspectives on Virtual Investigator Meetings.   

Anne Looney (Mid-Ohio Heart Clinic) will discuss how research sites benefit from virtual investigator meetings, including the impact on training and learning for all research site staff, including the investigator. And Denise Finley (Boston Scientific) will present a case study on a blended meeting strategy to accelerate study site start-up.  

Attendees will also hear about a variety of blended learning techniques that support protocol compliance – including webinars, virtual classrooms, scenario-based assessments, software simulations; wikis and mediated social forums. Implementation, application, tools, technologies, staffing, benefits, and risks will be discussed for each.   

The conference will also include a one-of-a-kind “Vendor Town Hall.” In a highly interactive setting, participants will experience first-hand how to select and optimize vendor relationships for Virtual Meetings support. Vendors will present their perspectives, approaches, and techniques for maximizing investigator participation and learning. Attendees will receive a checklist of selection criteria, including the variables associated with different technology options and options for blended learning solutions.  

Ed Note: For more information or to register, visit http://www.BarnettClinicalSummit.com.