As we kick off 2024, I hope many of you were able to join the hundreds in attendance of the State of the Industry address as Patrick Nadolny, Global Head, Clinical Data Management, Sanofi, steps prominently into his role as SCDM Chair. The event was hosted by Peter Stojanovic (Editor at HotTopics.ht) and joined by Andrew Thomson, Data, Analytics, and Methodology Task Force, EMA, Andrzej Rys, EU Visiting Fellow at St Antony’s College, University of Oxford and Carol Schaffer, Director, Program Lead at Pfizer, SCDM Vice-Chair. Topics included a recent history of our industry’s shift towards data science, the publications and regulations substantiating this shift and what is on our path in the coming three years. Key highlights included the launching of the new SCDM branding and of the SCDM Industry Competency Framework, a call for expediting the review cycle of articles from draft to published, new chapters in RBCDM and eSource, and how to manage data even in the face of disruption whether local or global.
One of Patrick’s closing remarks was a key resonator for me:
There is a massive amount of change coming and data is becoming increasingly at the center of what we do in general. The data is a story of the patient and useful to the site and to bring drugs to market and potentially expand the use of the label – every piece of the data matters. It is not just 1 piece of data on the computer, it is a piece and has value. We are not considering enough the value of the data and what it means to people.
How will our industry adapt to the unfolding of AI and Generative AI solutions? There is much to consider in the coming years and SCDM is at the center of that conversation.
Board of Trustees meeting updates:
We had an excellent global Board of Trustees meeting on February 4-5. The Board was unanimous that education is our number one priority with key launches this year around the CDM Industry Competency Framework and the CCDA certification program. Another key step forward was to bring global consistency in our messaging to allow heightened cross-awareness of our global conference themes and content through central oversight from our Belgium office. We had continuing conversations around CCDS and the content needed to drive this certification program through webinars and new GCDMP chapters. There were further conversations around emerging Africa and Latin America regions and key regional updates from China, Japan, EU, North America and India. Lastly, we discussed the upcoming launch of the SCDM Ambassadors initiative and started shaping content for updates for our corporate partnerships to be shared at the upcoming EMEA conference. There were over 50 actions flagged in what is shaping up to be a very exciting year! It was terrific to see our new Board members, Ward Lemaire, J&J, Magda Jaskowska, GSK and Shobhit Shrotriya, Accenture jumping in to help us take action on our follow-through.
Global Events
EMEA conference (April 17-19)
Warsaw in Poland will be the beautiful setting for our 2024 EMEA Conference, bringing with it more delegates, more innovations and more possibilities.
The core learning focus of the event will be cross-collaboration and its ability to drive innovation in Clinical Data Science. Featuring world-class guest speakers and presentations on topics ranging from AI and cognitive tech to new ways of working, the conference is where the global Clinical Data Management community will shape the future of the profession in Europe. Will you be part of that future? Register now and take advantage of the early bird rates only until February 29!
Annual Conference (September 29 – October 2)
This year’s Annual Conference will build upon last year’s inaugural Festival of Clinical Data Science and focus on opportunity with new innovations around session formats to be unveiled. There are eight topic streams to choose from, and I know the co-chairs have been excited to shape this year’s content into a world-class event hosted in the heart of Boston, Massachusetts. We received 100+ session proposals – a record number – and in a couple of days we will open the call for speaker abstracts. You won’t want to miss the chance to have your voice heard, so stay tunes for the official launch.
China
SCDM’s seventh China conference is fast-approaching and will occur June 27-29, 2024 in Shanghai and a theme of “Focus Data Science, Foster Transformation”. The focus is on the shift from CDM to CDS and will include hot topics such as regulations and standards, risk-based quality management (RBQM), DCT, AI and other new technologies in clinical data management as well as real-world data curation. The pre-conference workshops on the 27th will focus on quality in clinical data management to meet regulatory requirements and new technologies in clinical data management.
Education & Certification
Our strategic priorities are newly focused with continued commitment to the launch of the CCDA certification in 2024 and the development of the CCDS certification. Would you like to be part of the process, earn CEUs and possibly be among the first participants who earn their CCDA certification? Apply now for the CCDA Beta Exam in 3 easy steps:
- Visit this page and scroll down
- Select “Applications” from “Learn more about”
- Apply now for the CCDA Beta Exam
I am very excited about the launch of the CDM Industry Competency Framework which will set the stage for learning journeys within the SCDM Learning Hub and facilitate topic-specific inquiries. As well, it will facilitate a focus of educational content development and learning aligned with the three levels of certification (CCDA, CCDM and CCDS).
Volunteer
Volunteering remains a cornerstone of SCDM’s success and with our four strategic pillars around education, content alignment, community engagement and global expansion, there is no better time to take a look and help out with an area that inspires you. I know I am a bit bias here but can truly say that volunteering with SCDM is not only a welcoming experience at any level, but also a source of immense joy as your collaborations make meaningful impact on SCDM’s content and fosters new relationships that can last for years. If you want to learn more, please click to find out more!
Thank you!
As I enter into the role as Secretary of the SCDM Board of Trustees I would like to thank Carol Schaffer for providing updates throughout 2023, supporting the Board and hosting our 2023 Annual Conference. It has been greatly appreciated and I look forward to seeing you soar in your new roll of Vice Chair! Last year, I spent some time thinking about who inspires me and so many times I thought of members of our SCDM community. No matter your role, remember you are an inspiration and your voice matters. I look forward to being one voice of many this year as your Secretary of SCDM and hope to see or hear from you throughout what is sure to be an action-packed 2024!
Stephen Cameron
Secretary, SCDM Board of Trustees
