SCRS Talks

Lauren Stockwell sits down with Jennifer Larkin, VP of Business Development at M3 Wake Research, to break down what a modern site BD function actually looks like day to day. Jennifer walks through how data intelligence and AI platforms have reshaped feasibility and pipeline management, why relationships alone aren't predictive of future business, and the tiering framework she used to re-rank client accounts based on pipeline fit rather than tenure.
The conversation also covers what turns a sponsor-site relationship from transactional to genuinely partnered, why sites should be willing to say no, and the specific metrics, from proposal-to-award conversion to time from award to first patient screened, that reveal whether a BD strategy is actually working.

Jimmy Bechtel sits down with Mike Hutton of Almac Clinical Technologies to talk about where site burden really starts, and what sponsors can do earlier in study design to reduce it. They dig into the difference between protocol complexity and operational complexity, why fragmented systems and workflows quietly pile friction onto site staff, and what a more connected, site-first approach to trial design actually looks like. Mike also shares the one question he wishes more sponsors would ask sites before finalizing a protocol.

Jimmy Bechtel sits down with Megan Richards, Director of Sponsor Operations at CRIO, to talk about how research sites can get more strategic with their data. Megan walks through where to start when identifying the right KPIs, how to build dashboards that actually get used (and the four common pitfalls to avoid), and how benchmarking against industry standards helps sites spot both wins and opportunities for improvement. The conversation wraps with practical advice on turning operational data into a compelling story for sponsors and CROs, strengthening relationships, and winning future study awards.

Jimmy Bechtel talks with Catherine Gregor, Chief Clinical Trial Officer at Florence Healthcare, about Operation Trialblazer and what it means for sites and sponsors. Drawing on her experience running sites (including at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center) and now working in trial technology, Catherine unpacks why regulatory ambiguity holds both sides back, how CRAs lose major visit time to admin work instead of clinical review, and why data still moves so inefficiently between sites and sponsors. The conversation touches on AI's potential to ease that burden, what rising eTMF pass rates really signal, and what it will take for sites to move faster without losing critical context.

Lauren Stockwell sits down with Rick Greenfield, Founder and Chief Strategy Officer of RealTime eClinical Solutions, to talk about three awards making their debut at the 2026 Global Site Solutions Summit Eagle Awards Gala.
Rick and Lauren break down what each award is looking for, from the best exhibit booth in the hall to the person who best embodies the spirit of the summit itself. The bulk of the conversation centers on the Bright Idea Award, which is open to anyone across sites, sponsors, CROs, and vendors who has a solution worth sharing with the industry. Rick also makes a case for why participant experience is one of the biggest areas ripe for a fresh idea.
If you are heading to Global this October and have been sitting on an idea or just want to know what to look forward to at the gala, this is a quick and worthwhile listen.