Helping Sites and Teams Make the Shift to Decentralized Trials: Interview with Paul Evans of Velocity Clinical Research

Paul Evans of Velocity Clinical Research talks with Kelly Ritch, EVP of Product and Clinical Research Solutions, to discuss best practices for sites making the shift toward decentralized trials.

Paul shares how his own organization was able to pivot so quickly when the pandemic hit, why it’s too early to make the call on whether virtual will be cost saving, and how he pictures the future of his 12 (and counting) sites.

Enjoy this interview by video below, or by subscribing to our podcast on Simplecast, Spotify, or iTunes.

Paul Evans

Paul Evans is the President and CEO of Velocity Clinical Research. In his nearly 30 years of industry experience, Paul has both run sites and managed them.

He’s worked for some of the world’s largest CROs, but he returned to the sites business because that’s where he believes there’s the most potential for positive impact on clinical research.

Paul’s primary aim at Velocity is to tackle the one clinical research problem that’s been a constant throughout his career: patient recruitment.

Episode Highlights

• How Velocity adapted when the pandemic hit, and what they prioritized to act promptly and effectively.
• Why brick-and-mortar and virtual constitute a continuum, not a dichotomy.
• What teams need to do to be successful transitioning to virtual.
• Why remote monitoring still poses a challenge.
• Why tech isn’t always optimized for the site side.
• How remote improves patient engagement and retention.
• Why the clinical research coordinator role is changing, right down to the essential skillsets.
• What we need to do to make sure site coordinators are comfortable enough to be effective with the tech they need to adopt.
• Why we’re probably a long way from seeing virtual as a money-saver, and what will need to change to make it cost-effective.
• How lessons learned in the late 90’s can be an instructive cautionary tale today.

Resources:

Velocity Clinical Research
Paul Evans on LinkedIn
Conversations in Clinical Trial Readiness Interview Series