This is the Table of Contents of Clinical Research focus 21(01) for February 2010.
ICR members can download this entire issue [login required] using our new eCRfocus service.
First of all, an apology to any of you who were waiting expectantly for a ‘supplement’ issue of CRfocus to arrive on your desk last month. For the past few years, we have published a smaller magazine in January, mostly having a focus on professional/career development. Unfortunately, logistical issues caused by the heavy snow both before and after the Christmas shut-down made it impractical to put that issue together in time, so we decided to press ahead with February’s issue. Much of the material that had been intended for that issue is now published this month. We announced this decision on the CRfocus website and on our Twitter feed, but if any of you were still wondering where January’s issue had got to, we apologise.
Feature
Alan Jones
NICE’s 11th annual conference had a very different focus this time around, since healthcare budgets have begun to tighten as a result of the economic downturn. Making sure that the NHS delivers services of real value has now taken centre stage. So, the 2009 annual conference focused on the role of innovation in providing value to patients. The year 2009 turned out once more to be a busy one for the NICE as it continued to develop its work streams and also with the plethora of brand new material coming its way from government: patient access schemes, flexible pricing, end-of-life medicines, the Innovation Pass, NHS Evidence, Clinical Standards and many more. Alan Jones reports…
People
Prof. David Edwards
Professor David Edwards is the Weston Professor of Neonatal Medicine at Imperial College School of Medicine, Group Head of the MRC Clinical Services Centre at Hammersmith Hospital and Associate Director of the Medicines for Children Research Network (MCRN). He is the most recent recipient of the Arvo Ylppö Quinquennial International Award for Neonatology. We spoke with Prof. Edwards shortly after he gave a presentation to a meeting of the ICR Paediatrics Forum in January. In this interview, we discuss the misconception that neonatal research is unusually difficult, the constraints imposed by small blood volumes and current solutions, the importance of early involvement of parent groups, and the key difference in how neonatal services are arranged in the NHS compared with more general paediatric services.
Prof. development
Lucy Ball
The typical route into clinical research project management involves gradual progression through the ranks of clinical or data management functions. An alternative team structure including the role of Project Specialist enables the acquisition of global project management skills at an earlier career stage. This has the dual benefit of adding value to the business, whilst enabling talented individuals to perform to their full potential. Lucy describes the route she has taken to develop her career in clinical project management.
ICR Community Events in 2010
Michelle Noble
At a time of year when most people are organising their calendars for the next few months, we thought that it would be useful to give a little more detail on some of the upcoming events that will be of value to ICR members. For further details, availability of delegate places and full agendas (where these are available), please contact the events team on
events@icr-global.org. Reminders of each of these events will be published on the regular diary page in each issue of CRfocus, and we aim to publish another round-up of events in the summer, to cover the rest of the year.
Regular update
Janette Benaddi MICR CSci
One of the benefits of being a member of ICR is that each of you has the opportunity to contribute significantly to the future of clinical research, no matter what field of research or work related function you are responsible for. We very much encourage all our members to voice their opinions, concerns etc. regarding our profession and field of work. We consider it vital to listen to you and to gather your insights, so that we are able to present your collective thoughts with one strong voice. Janette describes a recent example of this type of initiative: the response that we prepared on your behalf with regard to a consultation on the EU Clinical Trials Directive.
