AGENDA

Welcome & Coffee

Start Strong, Stay Strong: Mastering Study Start-Up for Monitoring Success

A smooth study start-up sets the tone for everything that follows. This session breaks down the critical early phase of clinical trials, from site selection and initiation visits to building strong investigator relationships from day one. Learn the strategies that prevent common start-up pitfalls, accelerate enrollment timelines, and establish the foundation for efficient monitoring throughout the study lifecycle. Get it right at the beginning, and everything else gets easier.

CRA’s Soft Skills for Successful Studies – Boundaries, Trust & Communication

Technical knowledge gets you in the door. Soft skills keep you there, and make you exceptional. This session focuses on the interpersonal competencies that separate good CRAs from great ones: setting healthy boundaries with sites, building trust quickly, navigating difficult conversations, and communicating with clarity under pressure.

Coffee Break & Networking

Career Growth in Clinical Research – From First Visit to Leadership

Where does a CRA go from here? This session maps out the career pathways available to Clinical Research Associates, from senior monitoring roles to study management, regulatory affairs, and beyond. Hear from an experienced professional with almost two decades in recruitment how to intentionally build the experience, skills, and network that will get you there.

Site Relationships: Managing Difficult Relationships & Turning Conflict Into Collaboration

Not every site relationship is smooth sailing. What happens when investigators resist monitoring visits? When site staff become defensive about findings? When communication breaks down and tensions rise? This unique panel brings all perspectives to the table—CROs, sponsors, and site representatives—to explore what actually builds strong, resilient partnerships. Hear honest insights from each side of the monitoring relationship and discover strategies that work across the divide to transform conflict into collaboration.

Lunch Break

Networking Lounge

The best opportunities rarely happen by chance, they happen by design. This dedicated 2.5-hour networking lounge gives you structured time to connect with the people who matter most to your goals. Pre-book 1:1 meetings with fellow CRAs, speakers, recruiters, sponsors, technology providers, or industry peers. Whether you're seeking solutions to monitoring challenges, looking for collaboration or mentorship opportunities, or building relationships that will shape your next chapter—this is where intentional networking happens.

Closing Keynote: What the Future of the Industry Holds for CRAs

As we close two days of intensive discussion about where monitoring is and where it's headed, our closing keynote takes a bold look at the future. What will clinical research look like in 5 years? 10 years? Which trends will transform the industry, and which are just noise? This session synthesizes the conference themes into a compelling vision of what's coming—and how CRAs can position themselves not just to survive the changes, but to thrive in them.