In this episode Heidi Hawkins shares her story of personal discovery and healing through psychedelics. Heidi shares her experience of finding connection and integration through her journey with plant medicine.

In this episode, I sat down with Paresh Shah, the Founder and CEO of CliniLink.

Paresh shared views on the importance of DE&I and accessibility in clinical trials, as well as social determinants of health and impact in clinical trial recruitment.

CliniLink Health stands out in revolutionizing patient engagement in clinical trials, through their AI enabled data platform.

To connect with Paresh, and find out more:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/pareshkshah/

In this episode, Joe Dustin, a long time industry leader, shares stories and wisdom gleaned from decades of experience. Joes's passion for the industry and the patients he serves is palpable. From his driving curiosity to excitement about the latest tech advancement, Joe's desire to connect and impact others is clearly a superpower. His advice to remember the people that matter in one's personal life serves as a poignant reminder to find balance.

Enjoy this episode!

To learn more about Joe, and connect with him on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eclinical/

Scott Schliebner is an industry executive with deep knowledge of clinical research coupled with a commitment to patients and a growth mindset. He is a true industry disruptor, not afraid to step out of his comfort zone. Scott has a passion for building teams and nurturing others towards their goals.

In this episode we discuss adopting a patient focused approach throughout drug development. We talk about the implications when we as an industry fail to take into account what patients really want. Scott shares about differences in the Rare Disease community and how to address some of the challenges and then apply those learnings to other areas.

Scott shares tips for empowering patients and how to assess patient burden and ensure ROI.

Enjoy this episode!

Scott Schlieber takes people, teams, and organizations further than they would otherwise go.
A strategic, innovative, and commercially-oriented clinical drug development executive with 30 years experience across the biopharma, CRO, and non-profit sectors.
Scott creates, builds, transforms, and accelerates growth for clinical research organizations. He drives commercial success through relationship-building, strategic partnerships, creativity, transparency, and integrity. Scott is passionate about patient-centric research and developing innovative approaches to accelerate clinical drug development.

In this episode, Alex Wykoff, vulnerably shares her patient journey through Lupus.

We discuss the lengthy period searching for answers and being dismissed by the medical community. Alex shares how she was able to advocate for herself and navigate the clinical trial landscape. She outlines the challenges with getting doctors to talk to one another and ensuring one's care team has all pertinent information. Alex shares about getting a doctor to think she was "worth their time" and building a partnership to address her health.

Alex tells about the emotional and physical toll of her journey and the power of resiliency. She shares how she was able to find momentum and develop a positive identity.

She shares practical tips for how to document and effectively communicate symptoms to aid with diagnosis. She talks about how to find accurate information and engage with support groups.

Ales's journey is one of resiliency and personal growth.

About Alex, in her own words:

As a native of Fairfield, Connecticut, a graduate of Gettysburg College, and a 6 year resident of New York City – it’s safe to say that I should probably get out more. In 2016 I was formally diagnosed with Lupus CLE/SLE – a chronic and complex autoimmune disease. Thanks to the support of my amazing family, friends, colleagues, and my exceptional “Dream Team” of physicians and specialists, I am grateful for the strength and resilience that living with lupus has taught me.

I firmly believe that care is contingent on communication, and through my own personal journey I’ve found a passion for patient advocacy, clinical research, and health literacy. By furthering the dialogue and contributing to clinical research, we can collectively contribute to the creation of the next life changing or lifesaving treatments globally.

Rebecca Little is the Executive Vice President Clinical Strategy and Development at Objective Health.

In this episode, we discuss changes in the industry. We address the need to integrate research into the flow of patient care and forge collaborative relationships through education and communication.

We explore patient education about clinical trials and the need for communication and education of patients and the impact on retention in clinical trials.

We discuss the role of advocacy groups in engaging communities and using real data for site feasibility. We chat about integrating technology into the workflow and tips for ensuring compliance.

We touch on turn-over at both the site and CRA level and and the role of education and communication.

We explore campaigns and strategies to meaningfully move the needle for patients.

Have a listen and let us know what most resonates.

Rebecca Little is an Executive Vice President, Clinical Strategy and Development at ObjectiveHealth. Prior to joining ObjectiveHealth, Rebecca led the global commercial team for ICON’s clinical research site network, where Rebecca specialized in developing and growing partnerships with both large pharma and biotechs, specifically in the therapeutic areas of Immuno-Inflammation (GI and Derm), Respiratory, CNS, Vaccines, Women’s Health and CVM. Rebecca has worked in the clinical research industry for the last 16 years, both in the research site networks and full service CRO spaces. Rebecca graduated from Clemson University with a BS in Health Science.

In this candid conversation about workplace stress and mental health, Jess Thompson, shares her experience with ketamine assisted psychotherapy.

Jess recounts how ketamine based psychotherapy allowed her to revisit past traumatic experiences and allow her to move forward with a new sense of emotional freedom.

Through treatment, Jess was able to release trauma in the body, leaving her feeling as if, "things are just a little brighter." She recounts, it was like I "got through years of therapy in so little time."

Jess has wanted to, "heal out loud, so others don't suffer in silence." She felt her position at work was compromised because of her mental health, her job threatened.

After experiencing passive suicidal ideations, Jess took time off from work to deal with her mental health. However after sharing about her struggles on social media, a company representative informed she was, "shedding a bad light on the organization."

Laid off from her project management position after returning from mental health leave, Jess was compelled to create the Association of Clinical Research Project Managers, where she sees "people as whole individuals, not productivity engines."

Following her course of 6 ketamine sessions, Jess is busy implementing new healthy habits and developing new neuropathways. She says it feels like a dark cloud has been lifted and the, "sun seems to shine brighter."

You can catch up with Jess and find out more about the Association of Clinical Research Project Managers here: https://acrpm.org/.

In this episode, I connect with industry Zane Courbay, CEO of Baja Clinical Trials. Zane shares this insights and perspectives of 30+ years of rich industry experiences.

We discuss nuances of running clinical trials in Mexico, including language and cultural differences, as well as pricing and budgets.

We talk about managing multiple vendors and communicating effectively with patients.

We dive into the impact psychedelics are having on the market and the challenges some of the newer psychedelic companies are having.

Zane shares his perspectives on medical tourism and the importance of inclusive clinical trials.

Enjoy this episode.

Zane Courbay is the COO of Baja Clinical Trials and Founder of Zane Consulting.

Connect with Zane on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/zane-courbay-a05221a/

To find out more about Baja Clinical Trials:

Baja Clinical Trials https://www.bajaclinicaltrials.xyz/