Explore the Agenda

8:00 am Morning Coffee & Check-in

8:55 am Chair’s Opening Remarks

Designing Trials Patients Can Join & Complete to Improve Enrollment & Retention Outcomes

9:00 am The Changing Government Policy Landscape & Its Impact on the Future of Clinical Trial Recruitment

Senior Director, Clinical Research Policy, Merck
  • Understand how evolving government priorities, including initiatives such as Operation Trialblazer, are addressing systemic barriers to clinical trial participation and improving patient access
  • Explore how policy initiatives are working to integrate clinical trials more seamlessly into healthcare pathways, positioning research as part of the patient care conversation rather than a last resort
  • Hear real-world examples of industry advocacy and government engagement driving change, from improving patient support to strengthening the clinical research ecosystem

9:30 am Balancing Scientific Ambition With Recruitment Reality, Reducing Patient Burden Without Compromising Study Objectives

Senior Director, Clinical Operations, Carrick Therapeutics
  • Reduce unnecessary complexity in trial design
  • Balance scientific rigor with operational feasibility
  • Create protocols that improve enrollment and retention without compromising objectives

10:00 am How Patients Are Already Using AI & What It Means for Clinical Trial Recruitment

Director, The Pink Fund
  • Understand how patients are already using AI to navigate diagnoses, manage treatment decisions, and identify clinical trial opportunities
  • Explore where patients trust AI, where they remain hesitant, and how these behaviors are reshaping expectations for clinical trial engagement
  • Learn how sponsors can support safe, patient-centered AI use to improve awareness, reduce barriers to participation, and empower more informed trial decisions

10:30 am Morning Break & Networking

11:30 am Navigating the Patient Journey, Designing Recruitment Around Real Patient Needs

Cofounder, INARC
  • Map the end-to-end patient experience from awareness to completion
  • Identify friction points that lead to enrollment delays and dropouts
  • Build support models that improve engagement throughout the study

12:00 pm Panel: The Patient Perspective – What Made Me Stay in a Trial & What Nearly Made Me Leave

Director, The Pink Fund
Chief Scientific Officer, Barth Syndrome Foundation
  • What patients value most during participation
  • Why patients withdraw from studies
  • How sponsors can build trust and improve the participant experience

Enhancing Site Performance & The Critical Role of Site Coordinators to Accelerate Recruitment Success

12:45 pm Turning Site Relationships into Recruitment Success: Using Site Insights to Improve Enrollment & Retention

Director, Patient Engagement & Health Equity, Moderna
  • Build stronger partnerships with sites to identify and resolve operational barriers impacting recruitment and retention
  • Tailor recruitment strategies and support materials based on site-specific feedback rather than one-size-fits-all approaches
  • Leverage AI to rapidly develop site-specific resources and improve responsiveness without increasing costs

1:15 pm Lunch Break

2:15 pm Rethinking Sponsor-Site Collaboration: Organizational Strategies to Accelerate Recruitment Performance

Senior Director - Clinical Operations, Karyopharm Therapeutics
  • Discover how introducing a dedicated Site Relationship Lead created stronger cross-functional alignment and enabled faster responses to emerging recruitment challenges
  • Explore strategies for expanding beyond traditional centers by engaging community sites to broaden patient access and strengthen enrollment
  • Hear how collaborative investigator and study coordinator forums created opportunities for peer learning, stronger sponsor-site partnerships, and measurable improvements in recruitment performance

2:45 pm Cross-Functional Collaboration Between Sponsors, CROs, & Sites to Break Down Silos for Recruitment Success

Former Senior Director, Clinical Operations in Rare Disease, Independent
  • Build stronger communication models across stakeholders
  • Create shared accountability for recruitment success
  • Improve transparency around site performance and patient experience

3:15 pm Roundtable: The Site Coordinator Perspective, What Sites Need to Successfully Recruit & Retain Patients

Associate Director, Clinical Operations, Tiziana Life Sciences
  • The realities of patient conversations at site level
  • What support sites need from sponsors and CROs
  • Why some studies fail to recruit despite strong protocols

3:45 pm Chair’s Closing Remarks

3:50 pm End of the Targeted Patient Recruitment Summit 2026