Author: FOCM Networking

FOCM Surprise Event

It was a typical Halloween Eve evening, weather-wise in Raleigh, North Carolina.  It should come as no shock to anyone that it was also October 30.  I’d rather hastily organized the 10/30 FOCM event just the day before as Brian Langin was coming to town.  Brian has the distinction of receiving the first FOCM card ever handed out.  So clearly, he was worthy of me getting people together.

Brian was first to arrive, followed by me and then surprise, surprise, surprise, Paula Brown Stafford joined us.  Paula and I have known each other for 22 years when I first started in the clinical research industry working at Quintiles together.  She has said to keep her on the FOCM event distribution lists as someday she just might surprise me and show up.

Brian, Me, Paula

In what can only be described as one of the happiest moments of her life, Paula received her FOCM card. 

 

 

 

 

It was a fun evening.  Others in attendance: Rob Sucharski, Duncan Shaw, Peter Payne,  Lauren Sherwood, Heather Malinowski*, Steve Young, Peter Weiman*.

*1st time attendees

Funny things I’ve recently seen

From the September 2018 issue of Readers Digest:

I go to a bar and ask “what’s the wi-fi password?”
Bartender replies: You need to buy a drink first.
I reply, “okay, I’ll have a beer”
Bartender: that’ll be $5.
I pay him and say, “ok, so what’s the password?”
Bartender: “You need to buy a drink first, no spaces, all lowercase.”

A poodle and a collie are walking down the street when the poodle suddenly confides to his friend. “My life is a mess,” he says “my owner is mean, my girlfriend is having an affair with a German Shepherd and I’m as nervous as a hamster.”
“Why don’t you go see a psychiatrist?” suggests the collie.
“I can’t,” says the poodle, “I’m not allowed on the couch.”

I hate when I see an old person and then realize I went to high school with them.

I think it’s wrong that only one company makes the game of Monopoly.
– Steven Wright

 

FOCM Welcomes New Members

On a warm, pleasant evening in October, the 1st day of the month to be precise, a significant event in FOCM history occurred; 4 new members received their cards.

I was in the RTP area to attend the Arena International Clinical Trial Supply Southeast meeting and hosted a FOCM networking event at the Sheraton Imperial Lobby Bar.

Attending that night were long time* members as well as first timers+.  As best I can recall, the following people were there: Michael Williams*, Kris Gustafson*, Mike Burrows*, Rosina Pavia*, Paul Oldfield*, Tim Sauls*, David Holland, Carolyn Waff+, Lauren Sherwood, Israel Bocanegra+, Shae Wilkins* (traveled the farthest) .

Receiving their membership cards were: Lauren Sherwood, Carolyn Waff, David Holland and Israel Bocanegra.  As you can expect, emotions ran high during the card ceremony, with many people wiping tears from their eyes.  The look of sheer joy on their faces the moment they realized they’d completed the sometimes long, sometimes short, but neverthless arduous and rigorous initiation process.

Carolyn Waff
David Holland
Lauren Sherwood

 

 

 

 

 

Israel Bocanegra

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Inductees – 10/1/2018

Job Opportunity for Oncology Health Care Clinician

Am helping a FOCM member find a candidate for the position described below.  Additional information: basically need a current/recent oncology nurse or NP that is also good at knowing when data regarding patient volumes from EMR queries are likely inaccurate. It’s a key role that is critical to our meeting our deliverables… I think the perfect person has that oncology nursing background, but maybe left 2-3 years ago to join one of the CROs as a CRA or PM.

Job Title: Manager, Nursing Informatics – Oncology
Reports to Vice President, Clinical Operations
Location: Raleigh, NC

Job Purpose
Utilize knowledge of oncology patient care to support proposal development and clinical trials via thorough curation, analysis, and interpretation of EMR data housed in data warehouse.

Duties and Responsibilities
1. Develop clinical trial enrollment projections for bids
2. Assess impact of amendments to ongoing clinical trials, including revised projections
3. Collaborate with IT to build accurate data queries for awarded clinical trial projects and to modify queries as necessary on an ongoing basis
4. Review medical records of patients identified by data queries as likely matches to a clinical research, and determine eligibility.
5. Maintain and manage “watch list” of those patients that are not currently eligible but may be in the future based on disease progression, resolved comorbidities, etc., to ensure timely enrollment when appropriate.
6. Communicate specific patients’ eligibility and logistical information (e.g., date/time of next appointment, exam results, etc.) to onsite clinical research staff
7. Track progress/actions in study applications
8. May supervise other data-oriented positions within the Clinical Operations department
9. Handle other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications:
• BA/BS degree preferred; equivalent combined education and experience will be considered
• Understanding of clinical research fundamentals
• Basic understanding of SOPs, WIs, FDA, and local regulations as well as ICH GCP guidelines, required

Experience:
• Three (3) years’ experience delivering oncology care delivery as a nurse, nurse practitioner, or other healthcare provider. Clinical research experience strongly preferred, whether as a study coordinator or in an operational role at a CRO or pharma company

Required Competencies/Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:
• Functional knowledge of patient pathways in oncology
• Functional knowledge of clinical research workflow and regulations.
• Ability to organize and analyze data to derive reasonable interpretations and conclusions
• Ability to quickly learn new software applications.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong organizational skills, including ability to manage multiple deliverables across multiple projects.
• Excellent office productivity skills, especially with MS Word and Excel, as well as strong familiarity with clinical trials management software.
• Adaptability and flexibility.
• Ability to complete tasks independently, accurately, and within compressed timelines.

Working conditions
Day shift with standard working hours (8AM – 5 PM); corporate office and/or home office environment with regular computer and phone usage. Minimal travel expected (less than 5%) after initial training/onboarding.

Direct reports
This position may have direct reports depending on company growth and needs.

DIA 2019 Call for Abstracts

The DIA 2019 Call-for-Abstracts is now OPEN!! DIA 2019 will be in San Diego, getting an abstract approved is a great way to get to attend. The registration fee is significantly reduced for those who present content. At the site is also the abstract guidelines and categories.

The submission period is open from August 1 – September 12.

DIA 2019 Call for Abstracts

 

LaunchBio NC Networking

LaunchBio (LaunchBio) holds events on the first Thursday of the month in Durham, NC.  They are held in the Chesterfield Building in the downtown area.  The building was formerly a cigarette manufacturing building.  It has now been converted and there is incubator lab space for drug discovery and development.

It is a great opportunity for networking with people involved in the clinical research industry.  Here I am enjoying a Durty Bull Lager beer and conversation with Peter Weiman and David Holland (they’re drinking the IPA that was being served).

LaunchBio_August_2018_Web-10

Quotes taken out of context

As some of you know, when I hear someone say something that, if taken out of context strikes me funny, I make note of it.  I’ve done this for years at corporate meetings and have published many of them at this website.

Being out of larger corporations and their penchant for meetings, meetings and more meetings, I’m not presented with as many opportunities.  Here are a few captured over the past 3 years in a variety of settings:

I drink a lot, all the time.
– Michelle Jacobson, 7/14/2015

My beer is always full of fridge.
– Michelle Jacobson, 7/14/2015

The men are easy.
– Kelly O’Brien, 7/14/2015

She just changed reality!
– Chris Matheus (date unrecorded)

Sooner or later, everything happens.
– Kevin Clover, May 2018

How not to get hired

Reprinting this from a Reader’s Digest:

These are things not to do when interviewing.  These were provided by hiring managers:

  • Candidate specified that his availability was limited because Friday, Saturday and Sunday was “drinking time”.
  • Candidate explained an arrest by stating, “We stole the pig, but it was a really small pig.”
  • Advertising is a tough business.  Which may be why one prospective adman wrote a cover letter boasting, “I am getting to my goal, slowly but surly.”

FOCM New Members and DIA 2018

FOCM was busy before and at the DIA convention in Boston in June.  FOCM along with Zymewire, Investigator Support Services, Kwipped and DataMatrix sponsored the 2nd annual Sunday night networking event before DIA exhibits opened.  In the exhibit hall, FOCM gave its seal of approval to several vendors, assisTek being one.  Unfortunately, the Arizona State Sun Devil hand sign snuck into the picture.  In the shadow on the table, it appears to be a weapon of some kind.

Clinical Reconnections Event Hosts
assisTek

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At the recent annual Drug Information Association (DIA) meeting held in Boston last month, two outstanding individuals completed the grueling probationary period, thorough background checks and initiation process. Please join me in welcoming Andrew Suri and Megan Carson to FOCM. As others who have received their membership cards, the ceremony itself can be emotionally draining. This was no exception, the sheer joy on their faces tells the story.

Andrew is Director of Business Development for Clinogix.  Megan is Assistant Project Manager at assisTek.

Andrew Suri
Megan Carson