{"id":625,"date":"2022-09-09T07:12:00","date_gmt":"2022-09-09T07:12:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.socra.org\/blog\/?p=625"},"modified":"2022-10-12T14:37:47","modified_gmt":"2022-10-12T14:37:47","slug":"interview-with-socras-2022-presidents-award","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.socra.org\/blog\/interview-with-socras-2022-presidents-award\/","title":{"rendered":"An Inspiring Interview with SOCRA\u2019s 2022 Recipient of the President\u2019s Special Recognition Award for Distinguished Service: Nancy Wintering, MSW, LCSW, CCRP"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>From September 14 to September 17, 2022, our global clinical research community will gather virtually for SOCRA\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.socra.org\/annual-conference\/2022-conference-information\/2022-annual-conference-information\/\">31<sup>st<\/sup> Annual Conference<\/a> to enjoy an engaging learning and networking experience to promote safe, efficient, and high-quality clinical research.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At the event, we will honor this year\u2019s President\u2019s Award recipient Nancy Wintering, MSW, LCSW, CCRP, for outstanding service and dedication to SOCRA\u2019s mission. Nancy is the Assistant Director of Research for the Marcus Institute of Integrative Health at Thomas Jefferson University. Nancy has served SOCRA in many ways, including as a past board member, SOCRA Source Journal author, Annual Conference speaker and session chair, workshop and conference organizer and speaker, and poster presenter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We caught up with Nancy to discuss her thoughts on clinical research, SOCRA, the future, and much more. Read on for interesting insights and perspectives in this inspiring interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2>SOCRA: What does receiving the 2022 President\u2019s Award mean to you?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>NW:<\/strong> I am honored to receive this year\u2019s SOCRA President\u2019s Award. This recognition has allowed me to pause, reflect, and summon my gratitude to revivify my passion for continuing to persevere. I am grateful for all I have learned and will learn in future curriculums and annual conferences and workshops, to expand and deepen my knowledge and my personal and professional growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I am so grateful to the many colleagues and members who have contributed so much to clinical research. For every new drug, device, and therapeutic intervention, the research team is there, behind-the-scenes, working diligently and often without much public recognition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2>SOCRA: Who inspired you to seek a career in clinical research?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>NW:<\/strong> My gratitude, inspiration, and passion for research can be attributed to my maternal great-grandmother. In reflecting upon my journey into the field, I recall, as a young woman spending an afternoon with my elderly great grandmother. She was extraordinary. In an era when Sigmund Freud viewed children\u2019s failure to thrive as a manifestation of failed child development, he blamed the family for a child\u2019s condition. My great grandmother was grateful that her family rejected those psychodynamic theorists and instead sought a medical explanation for her condition. In the late Victorian era, she was among the first children to be studied with what was then called Juvenile Diabetes. The children often saw the doctor together, and their illness and disease progression were monitored over time while they were placed on a near-starvation diet in hopes of curtailing the progression of the disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>During our afternoon together, my great grandmother shared journal articles from her childhood. She showed me images of herself alone, and images of the children involved in diabetes research who were lined up as a group in \u201cbefore\u201d and \u201cafter\u201d photos. The children were not identified by name, yet she remembered them all. She looked back at those childhood images and reflected as she pointed to the photographs. She indicated things like, \u201cThis one died as a child,\u201d \u201cThis one became very sick,\u201d \u201cThis one stopped coming after a while,\u201d \u201cWe don\u2019t know what happened to her, but I know she lived,\u201d and \u201cI was in touch with this girl until after we were both married.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>My great-grandmother credited her life to the dedicated research doctors and her parents for their hope, courage, and perseverance. She lived a very, very, long life. From shortly after 1922 when insulin was used in the first human studies, and for the rest of her life, she maintained her twice-a-day insulin regimen and managed her diet well, only enjoying one lemon sugar cookie a month. If it were not for her, in more ways than one, I would not be here today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2>SOCRA: What issues drive your passion for clinical research?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>NW:<\/strong> I am a social worker at heart, and social justice is on my hard drive. We must continue to take action for social change and social justice. Therefore, instead of criticizing people on their identity politics and placing blame elsewhere, I support our speakers and subject matter experts who expand our SOCRA conference curriculum to be more inclusive in these areas. Topics like health disparities and non-compliance foment substantive discussion and self-reflection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote\"><blockquote><p>\u201cAdvocating for and educating on inclusion and diversity and understanding the social determinants of health and inequity in the Health Disparities Track is an important topic for clinical research practice and SOCRA programming.\u201d<\/p><cite>-Nancy Wintering<\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2>SOCRA: How has your career evolved over the years?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>NW:<\/strong> Throughout my career, I have held many roles and responsibilities. I have attempted to climb the career ladder laboriously while learning from my mistakes and moving forward. I have tried to view the research experience from the multiple perspectives of the patient and the clinician, and as a dedicated researcher.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I focus on the need for good study designs that reduce the burden on study participants whenever possible. The hallmarks of my practice always include the protection of human subjects and the collecting of good quality data. I value the time and effort involved in the research enterprise. At one point, I decided to take ownership of my career, and not to rely on my employer to challenge me, and I tried to create opportunities for professional and personal growth and fulfillment. I took the perspective that I had a significant role in charting the course of my future. It was and is up to us to show initiative and self-reliance to have an impact through our work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2>SOCRA: How has your involvement with SOCRA impacted your career?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>NW:<\/strong> SOCRA has played an integral part in my career. From my first contact with SOCRA members, I felt supported and encouraged. On the eve of taking the CCRP exam, I was welcomed by four outstanding SOCRA leaders. As we spoke over dinner, Lisa Benson, Helen Darwin, Susan Devine, and Donna Headlee encouraged me to see this exam as the first step of a journey. They told me about the beginning of SOCRA, evolving from a small group of oncology research data managers into what it is today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Those leaders continue to be great sources of knowledge and inspiration for all of us. They encouraged me to develop and pursue my contributions to the field of research and to SOCRA, with courage and tenacity. I have tried to live up to their expectations and to be worthy of their commitment to SOCRA. I observed, then and now, relative to the leadership roles in society, among the SOCRA leaders and members, that there is a preponderance of strong, intelligent leadership from whom I can learn and who I can emulate.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-large is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.socra.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Nancy-Wintering.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.socra.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Nancy-Wintering-731x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-626\" width=\"160\" height=\"224\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.socra.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Nancy-Wintering-731x1024.jpg 731w, https:\/\/www.socra.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Nancy-Wintering-214x300.jpg 214w, https:\/\/www.socra.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Nancy-Wintering-768x1075.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.socra.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Nancy-Wintering-1097x1536.jpg 1097w, https:\/\/www.socra.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Nancy-Wintering-1463x2048.jpg 1463w, https:\/\/www.socra.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Nancy-Wintering.jpg 1500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 160px) 100vw, 160px\" \/><\/a><figcaption>Headshot of Nancy Wintering<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<h2>SOCRA: How have the events of the last few years shaped your vision for clinical research?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>NW:<\/strong> These last few years have been challenging, to say the least. Many of us have lost family members, friends, or colleagues or have been impacted directly or indirectly by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/coronavirus\/2019-ncov\/index.html\">COVID-19<\/a> in many ways. We have been called upon to innovate and anticipate significant changes in our personal and professional lives. As we move forward into a tentative and somewhat unknown future, we do not know what shape or form our work will take. Nevertheless, I am inspired by the determination and tenacity of the clinical research profession and those who persevered throughout the pandemic. I admire the self-sacrifice and courage of our fellow clinical and research colleagues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At the same time, these last few years have brought to the forefront the impact of racism and health inequity in our society and our need to critically evaluate our values, systems, practices, and institutions. Allowing any inequities to continue, as if it is someone else\u2019s duty to resolve, lessens all of us and impacts our best efforts for improvement. In today\u2019s world, our values and our professions must continue to be transformed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote\"><blockquote><p><span style=\"background-color: initial;\">\u201cIt is our challenge and responsibility to overcome racism and health inequity and to use our platforms as a research community to challenge any forms of implicit or explicit bias or discrimination.\u201d<\/span><\/p><cite>&#8211; Nancy Wintering<\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2>SOCRA: What can the SOCRA Annual Conference attendees expect from your upcoming presentation?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>NW:<\/strong> One of the goals of my presentation is to have listeners think ahead and anticipate changes in our education and research practice, including being attentive to regulatory and guidance document changes. This idea inspired the concept behind my presentation, \u201cDisseminating Research Results to a Broad Audience: Let\u2019s Give Them Something to Talk About.\u201d I will discuss writing for impact more inclusively for a lay audience and, to share results using Good Lay Summary Practice. We are in the midst of an ever-evolving technology revolution. The speed with which information is developed, collected, and disseminated continues to progress at an increasingly rapid pace. In our lifetimes, we have seen significant developments and advances in clinical research as science has evolved; and as technology has advanced and the means of global communication enhance clinical research conduct.&nbsp;&nbsp; It is essential to share information in a format that laypersons can understand. Research results are no longer only of interest to the scientific community.&nbsp; Our work could not go on without the partnership with patients and research subject populations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote\"><blockquote><p>&#8220;It is important to conduct research with greater transparency, access, and accountability to the public&#8221;<\/p><cite>&#8211; Nancy Wintering<\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2>SOCRA: What is your advice to fellow and aspiring clinical research professionals?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>NW:<\/strong> Clinical research is not just a job \u2013 it\u2019s a vocation. My advice is to consider your strengths and aspirational goals, then chart a course for your own life. What are the milestones? What do you want to contribute or achieve? It\u2019s important to understand your expectations and how your role fits into the scheme of things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At the same time, I like believing in one\u2019s life narrative where there are an infinite number of possible outcomes and trajectories. It is possible to develop concurrent pathways toward an unknown future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote\"><blockquote><p> \u201cWhether we are in pursuit of social justice or gaining a better understanding of diseases or disorders, we should not be content with the status quo. We should push beyond the limits of our current understanding. The future is entrusted to our own hands.\u201d<\/p><cite>&#8211; Nancy Wintering<\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2>SOCRA: What are you looking forward to in the future?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>NW:<\/strong> I\u2019m excited to work with so-called Millennials. I think intergenerational communication while working on joint projects is so necessary and mutually beneficial. I have learned much from persons who are computer natives whose world view has been shaped along with technological advancements. For me, leadership involves collaboration and reciprocal learning. When we think about cultural diversity, it not only refers to race, socioeconomic status, or country of origin. Such diversity also includes intergenerational and multicultural differences. Embracing our differences, working together, and learning from each other can only help improve and expand the impact of our work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2>SOCRA: As we wrap up, do you have any final thoughts?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>NW:<\/strong> I am very grateful to Erich Lukas, Executive Director of the SOCRA organization, for his mentorship. He has enabled me to give voice to so many of my concerns and interests. Thank you also to the SOCRA staff, past and present, and Anne Howell, the unsung heroine who gets all of us speakers into compliance and to the stage. Additionally, I am grateful to Dr. Andrew Newberg, with whom I have worked for the last 20 years; his support and encouragement have enabled me to continue my growth and development. Also, many thanks to the SOCRA Board and Presidential leadership, past and present.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-css-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p>To learn more about the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.socra.org\/annual-conference\/2022-conference-information\/2022-annual-conference-information\/\">2022 SOCRA Annual Conference<\/a> or SOCRA <a href=\"https:\/\/www.socra.org\/membership\/socra-membership-overview\/\">membership<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.socra.org\/membership\/member-benefits\/\">benefits<\/a>, please get in touch with us or call 423.424.2814.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>From September 14 to September 17, 2022, our global clinical research community will gather virtually for SOCRA\u2019s 31st Annual Conference to enjoy an engaging learning and networking experience to promote safe, efficient, and high-quality clinical research. At the event, we will honor this year\u2019s President\u2019s Award recipient Nancy Wintering, MSW, LCSW, CCRP, for outstanding service &hellip; <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.socra.org\/blog\/interview-with-socras-2022-presidents-award\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">An Inspiring Interview with SOCRA\u2019s 2022 Recipient of the President\u2019s Special Recognition Award for Distinguished Service: Nancy Wintering, MSW, LCSW, CCRP<\/span> &rarr;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":627,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[126,124],"tags":[127,129,128],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v15.6.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>An Inspiring Interview with SOCRA\u2019s 2022 Recipient of the President\u2019s Special Recognition Award for Distinguished Service: Nancy Wintering, MSW, LCSW, CCRP - 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