SCRS Talks

Clinical research software has rarely been built with sites in mind. In this episode of SCRS Talks, Jimmy Bechtel sits down with Storm Stillman, CEO of Sitebase, by Curebase and one of SCRS’s newest Global Impact Partners, to talk about how that’s changing.
Storm shares what SiteBase is, why Curebase is offering it free to sites, and how starting with eSource aims to cut down on data entry so coordinators can spend more time with patients. They also dig into why Curebase joined the GIP program, what they hope to learn from sites, and how that feedback shapes what they build next.

In this episode of SCRS Talks, Jimmy Bechtel sits down with Tom Farrand, Co-Founder and CEO of Delfa, to break down what a healthy recruitment funnel looks like from first inquiry to scheduled visit. Tom shares benchmark rates sites can measure themselves against, how to spot where a funnel is leaking, and why both speed to contact and consistent follow-up matter.
They also walk through the three Cs of capacity, cost, and conversion, a simple framework to guide weekly staffing and spend decisions. Whether you’re managing a handful of leads or a large network, you’ll leave with practical numbers to track and ideas to try.

Technology is consistently one of the top pain points for research sites, and a big reason is that sites often aren't part of the conversation until a solution is already built. In this episode of SCRS Talks, Jimmy Bechtel sits down with Ashley O'Brien, Executive Director of Product Management, and David Stecklair, Director of Product Management, both of Signant Health, to talk about what it looks like to develop technology with sites instead of on top of them. They cover where vendors tend to miss the mark, why discovery should come before design, and what surprised them when they gathered site feedback on their Rater Station solution. They also get into balancing sponsor requirements with site burden, planning for the unhappy path, and why closing the feedback loop matters just as much as listening in the first place.

Site engagement often shows up only after a study is already in trouble. In this episode of SCRS Talks, Jimmy Bechtel sits down with Julie Wilhjelm, Senior Director of Site Strategy and Engagement at Novotech, to talk about why it should be built into how studies are planned and run from day one.
They cover what separates real engagement from checkbox outreach, how early feedback during feasibility and protocol design can head off costly amendments, and why trust and responsiveness give CROs a real edge with the sites they work with. Julie also gets honest about the revolving door of site contacts, what it costs everyone, and why continuity is so hard to solve at scale.
If you work with sites, or you are one, this one is worth a listen.

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.