ACRP Making 4-Year, $4 Million Investment in Training Program For Clinical Research Professionals

The Association of Clinical Research Professionals (ACRP) is investing $4 million over the next 4 years developing a new state-of-the-art proprietary training curriculum to support the professional growth and development of clinical research professionals worldwide. This investment will result in the introduction of more than 80 new training courses covering 14 topic areas critical to the ethical, responsible conduct of clinical trials.

ACRP's new clinical research training curriculum is being designed around contemporary adult learning principles and will be offered in multiple learning formats, with a heavy focus toward online courses (eLearning) using the most advanced technology tools available to provide effective, efficient training for clinical research professionals. All services will be hosted on a proprietary new Learning Management System (LMS) that allows for administration, documentation, tracking, reporting, and delivery of eLearning training solutions.

ACRP's investment will position the organization as the preeminent provider of professional development resources for the clinical research enterprise.

Leading the development of ACRP's training curriculum is Esther Daemen, BSN, PG, PMP, MBA, ACRP Director of Professional Development, who has extensive experience in the biopharmaceutical industry as a Clinical Research Associate and Senior Clinical Trainer, expertise as a Global Training Manager and Developer at global contract research organization Kendle, and who was named by Training Magazine as a "Best Young Trainer to Watch."

"The training solutions we are developing at ACRP are unlike any others currently available in the clinical research training marketplace," says Daemen. "Existing training options, which are unfortunately too frequently prescribed as a 'check box' response to audit and inspection findings, are generally focused only on what is stated in the guidelines for clinical research. While this approach to training satisfies regulatory requirements, it does little to improve the learner's performance or help them avoid further instances of the problems that resulted in prescribed training in the first place."

"My approach at ACRP is to engage learners in course content through the use of technology-enabled interactivity and adult learning principles in a way that allows clinical research professionals to understand the guiding principles of clinical research and to put them into real-world application and action, not just to regurgitate them," Daemen continues. "Training in the realm of clinical research, where the health and safety of human subjects is in play, must be approached proactively and training solutions must result in a positive impact on the behaviors and performance of individuals conducting clinical trials. This approach to training solutions is how ACRP will redefine the clinical research training market."

The first of ACRP's new clinical research training curriculum, which includes nine new eLearning courses will be available in January 2014.

For additional information about ACRP's investment, contact James Thomasell at [email protected].

For insights into clinical research training needs, trends and developments, please contact Esther Daemen, BSN, PG, PMP, MBA, ACRP's Director of Professional Development, at [email protected].