GSK wins US Clinical Researcher Competition
Competition recognises high levels of professionalism, integrity and drive within research community
Jennifer Luevano was named top Experienced CRA in the first US Clinical Researcher of the Year competition. The awards took place in Philadelphia, US.
Vicky Leamy of i3, scooped first place in the Project Manager category, Jennifer Worrell of Kforce/Pfizer won the New CRA category, while Olivia Payton of Benchmark Research took the accolade in the Clinical Research Coordinator category.
The US Clinical Researcher of the Year competition was launched in 2009 to raise the profile and importance of clinical research in the US by recognising outstanding individuals, and is the first initiative of its kind to test candidates on clinical research competencies.
With no preparation prior to the finals day, finalists were set a real-life clinical challenge and given one hour to prepare an action plan before presenting it to senior judges drawn from the competition's Executive Steering Committee. The evaluation committee included Susan McHale, executive director of Study Delivery at AstraZeneca and Andrea Proccacino, Business Unit Head of Training at Johnson & Johnson.
The finalists were also judged on core competencies, such as knowledge of their role, individual leadership skills and customer focus.
Executive committee member, Sean Morgan-Jones of PharmaTimes, the organisation behind the competition, said: ‘This competition has demonstrated, beyond any doubt, the high levels of professionalism, integrity and drive for success that exist within the US clinical research fraternity. Everyone who took part in the competition should feel very proud.’
Entries for the 2010/2011 US Clinical Researcher of the Year competition will open in June.