Applying lessons from COVID-19: Shaping the delivery of cancer clinical trials

Applying lessons from COVID-19: Shaping the delivery of cancer clinical trials

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Join us this International Clinical Trials Day to explore positive lessons from cancer clinical trials delivery during COVID-19.

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Join us on International Clinical Trials Day to explore positive lessons from cancer clinical trials delivery during COVID-19 – and how we can harness these insights to influence the future of cancer trial delivery for the better. 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, clinical research nurses and delivery teams nationwide have shown resilience and pragmatism, adapting clinical trial delivery to ensure the safety of patients. Now we have an opportunity to capture lessons and innovations from this period. Together, we can use these insights to shape the future of cancer clinical trial delivery and optimise care for people affected by cancer.

Chaired by Anne Croudass, our Lead Research Nurse, this webinar will provide a platform to: 

  • share modifications you have made to cancer clinical trials in response to the pandemic
  • explore what these mean for the future of cancer research delivery and trial participant care
  • capture innovations that enhance patient care and experience so that we can embed these as best practices going forward

We will issue Cancer Research UK certificates of attendance to recognise live webinar attendees.

Can’t join us on the day? We’ll make a recording of the webinar available shortly after the live event. 

Confirmed speakers

Anne Croudass (Chair)
Lead Research Nurse,
Cancer Research UK
Anne has been Lead Research Nurse at Cancer Research UK since 2006, heading up a national team of 15 senior research nurses. Anne has worked in a variety of clinical and research settings and has managed research nurses in asthma, allergy and oncology. She was involved in establishing the UK Clinical Research Facility (UKCRF) in Southampton and the Central South Coast Cancer Research Network.
Ben Hood
Cancer Research UK Senior Research Nurse,
Sir Bobby Robson Cancer Research Trials Centre, Newcastle
Ben is the Cancer Research UK Senior Research Nurse for Newcastle, based at the Sir Bobby Robson Cancer Trials Research Centre. He is a member of the Experimental Cancer Medicines Centres Nurse Steering Group and sits on the RCNi Cancer Nursing Practice editorial advisory board. He has extensive experience in delivering high-quality research and cancer clinical trials, driving innovation to support the changing nature of trial design and emerging cancer treatments. Ben received the Excellence in Cancer Research Nursing Award at the RCNi Nursing Awards in 2020.

Karen Turner
Cancer Research UK Senior Research Nurse,
Cancer Research UK Clinical Trials Unit, University of Birmingham

Karen is a Cancer Research UK Senior Research Nurse at the University of Birmingham, based within the Cancer Research UK Clinical Trials Unit. In this role, she divides her time between the CRCTU Nursing Team Management and working closely with Cancer Research UK locally and nationally. Karen has over 25 years’ oncology nursing experience, almost 20 of which have been in early phase clinical research (oncology and haematology).  
 

Mandy Edwards
Cancer Research UK Senior Research Nurse,
Aneurin Bevan University Health Board

Mandy is the Cancer Research UK Senior Research Nurse for Wales, based at the Aneurin Bevan University Health Board. She has worked in the NHS for 20 years, the last seven of which have been in clinical research. During the pandemic Mandy was redeployed to work in COVID-19 trials and she managed the Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine trial in Wales for six months, before returning to her Cancer Research UK role. 
 

Andrea Harkin
Operations Director,
Cancer Research UK Clinical Trials Unit, Glasgow

Andrea is Operations Director at the Cancer Research UK Clinical Trials Unit (CTU) Glasgow and the Beatson Clinical Research Facility (BCRF). At the CTU, she is responsible for the management of approximately 60 academic investigator-initiated trials at all stages of development and delivery. At the BCRF, she oversees the management of site participatory activity at the Beatson Cancer Centre, which generally has around 160 cancer trials open to recruitment at any one time.

Andrea has worked in cancer clinical trials for 24 years, with her experience encompassing both the central management of trials within the CTU setting and site participatory activity. She is currently Chair of the Operations Lead Group for the National Cancer Research Institute’s (NCRI) Cancer CTU Group. Her previous roles include Portfolio Coordinator for the NCRI Gynaecology Clinical Study Group, Secretary of the Scottish Gynaecologic Cancer Trials Group, and Chair of the Harmonisation Group (data management and statistics) of the Gynaecologic Cancer Inter Group (GCIG).

Lesley Robson
Clinical Operations Manager,
Centre for Drug Development, Cancer Research UK

Lesley has been Clinical Operations Manager at the Centre for Drug Development since 2006. In this role, she acts as the clinical liaison for all early phase clinical trials, many of which are first in human as well as first in class. Lesley inputs into study design and makes sure patients are the focus for any new trials in development, as well as managing a team of clinical research associates.

Lesley first trained as a nurse and has worked with people affected by cancer since qualifying in 1983. She moved into a data manager and trials co-ordinator role, working predominantly on phase I and II oncology trials, before joining the Centre for Drug Development in 1998 to monitor and project manage early phase cancer trials. 

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