{"id":451,"date":"2021-05-05T08:30:00","date_gmt":"2021-05-05T08:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.socra.org\/blog\/?p=451"},"modified":"2022-10-04T16:08:22","modified_gmt":"2022-10-04T16:08:22","slug":"clinical-trials-day-2021-a-time-for-celebration-and-reflection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.socra.org\/blog\/clinical-trials-day-2021-a-time-for-celebration-and-reflection\/","title":{"rendered":"Clinical Trials Day 2021: A Time for Celebration and Reflection"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

May 20th<\/sup>  marks Clinical Trials Day (CTD), an international commemoration of James Lind\u2019s launch of the scurvy clinical trial<\/a> on May 20, 1747, which would form the foundation for modern clinical research. Celebrated for the first time in 2005, CTD raises clinical trial awareness and honors clinical research professionals across the globe. In celebration of this distinguished occasion, we\u2019ve continued our three-year tradition of inviting SOCRA Members to nominate each other for their outstanding work and contributions to public health, medical advancement, and improved health outcomes. We caught up with our first 2021 nominee to uncover her thoughts and insights on the significance of CTD and the clinical research industry as a whole.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Meet our first SOCRA CTD 2021 nominee<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Laura Holtz, MS, PMP, CCRP<\/strong>, is an active SOCRA Board Member and the first to receive a nomination in 2021 for her dedication to the clinical research industry. She joined SOCRA in 2010 after earning her certification and earned a spot as a SOCRA Annual Conference Speaker in 2015. For the last several years, Laura has continued participating in SOCRA conferences, including her role as a closing plenary speaker. She helped found the SOCRA Indianapolis Chapter<\/a> and was elected to the SOCRA Board of Directors in 2018. At the end of her term in September, Laura will be up for reelection as treasurer. She has recently transitioned to a new role as Clinical Research Leader, Project Manager at Indiana University School of Medicine, Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Having stumbled into a clinical research position 15 years ago after serving as a teacher, Laura admits she\u2019s fallen in love with the work because of the direct impact she\u2019s helping to make on public health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere\u2019s such energy around research! I enjoy being part of the collaboration and think-tank that discovers, innovates, and stays agile enough to find the answers that change lives. I enjoy working as part of a team where we\u2019re all in it together.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When asked if she\u2019d lend us her perspective on CTD 2021, Laura enthusiastically agreed, saying, \u201cSOCRA and Clinical Trials Day are dear to my heart \u2013 this is a chance to celebrate the hard work of the professionals who are the doers in many trials. May 20th<\/sup> gives us a forum to recognize each other and celebrate together.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And with our gratitude to Laura, let\u2019s begin our celebration of the doers with the core values that bind our clinical research community together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CTD Celebrates our shared values<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The clinical research community is highly varied as reflected in SOCRA\u2019s membership. Data collectors, research coordinators, site managers, institutional review board (IRB) members, and many other hard-working clinical research professionals bring a unique perspective and skillset to the table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While diverse in their backgrounds and expertise, Laura notes that the entire community shares several core values that drive the industry \u2013 and our humanity \u2013 forward, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n