The role of the clinical research coordinator (CRC) is one of the most important in clinical studies, yet also one of the most poorly defined (the role even goes by several different names, including the study coordinator, trial manager, and research specialist).

Lance Roller II, a population/public health manager at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, explains in a article for Undark that “[r]esponsibilities vary but generally include study protocol development, recruitment of volunteers, budgeting, billing, data management, banking of biospecimens, and regulatory duties, among others” – all tasks that are fundamental to supporting sites in the success of a well-functioning clinical trial. The demands of this critical role frequently lead to burnout and turnover, which can further lead to catastrophic delays.

Roller was recently part of a research team that surveyed members of the American Association for Bronchology and Interventional Pulmonology to learn more about perceptions of the role among coordinators and investigators. The findings were stark, especially around the training the role receives:

There was a clear gap around training. Investigators reported directly training their coordinators less than half the time, and 20 percent did not know how their coordinators were trained. Coordinators reported being trained by their senior colleagues and doing online or self-directed training at higher rates than investigators perceived.

This gap highlights how the role has historically been undervalued, but the team also found the lack of recognition visible in other ways. “I felt like I did a lot of the work, but I wasn’t recognized for it when it came down to writing the articles. I wasn’t able to be a part of that,” said one coordinator. “However, I did 89 to 99 percent of the data collection.”

Learn more about the findings in the full article.

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