COG: CRO Summit 2024 Meeting Review
The inaugural Clinical Outsourcing Group: CRO Summit marked a significant milestone in the clinical research industry as the first conference created specifically by CROs for CROs. The two-day event in Raleigh drew an unprecedented attendance, with attendance from the full breadth of CROs ranging from multi-national players, to regional, and therapeutic specialists.
Key Themes
The summit's agenda carefully wove together the most pressing challenges and opportunities facing the CRO industry today. Day one opened strong with a focus on collaboration and technology integration, with Steve Chriscoe (Worldwide Clinical Trials) setting the tone through his examination of sponsor-CRO partnerships. The digital transformation of clinical trials emerged as a recurring theme, particularly highlighted in Sarah Ruiz's (Vial) comprehensive presentation on bringing trials into the digital age.
Vendor alliances and audit readiness received significant attention, with Vatche Bartekian (Vantage Biotrials) providing crucial insights into maintaining compliance and trial integrity. The financial aspects of trial management were thoroughly explored through Paul Johnson's (PharPoint Research) session on budget management and transparency.
C-Suite Panel: A Strategic Industry Outlook
Day two opened with what many attendees cited as a highlight of the summit - an unprecedented gathering of CRO leadership for the "Navigating the Future" panel. Moderated masterfully by Sybil Wilson (Veristat), the panel brought together CEOs and senior executives from across the industry, including Jin Dai (Everest Clinical Research), Cassandra Erato (Spaulding Clinical), Jeanne Hecht (Lexitas), Beatrice Setnik (Altasciences), François Moisson (Excelya), Becky Knockemus (Biorasi), and Gary Zammit (Clinilabs). The panel's discussion of the Biopharma environment, AI implementation, and industry consolidation trends provided invaluable strategic insights.
Innovation and Patient Centricity
The summit's second day continued with deep dives into artificial intelligence and patient engagement. Kirk Wroblewski (Propharma) and Shae Wilkins (TRYAL) offered practical perspectives on AI implementation, while Hiroki Matsushima (A2 Healthcare) shared fascinating insights into patient engagement strategies in Asian markets.
The closing sessions focused on diversity and patient access, with Ryan Brown (H1) presenting data-driven approaches to improving trial diversity and Krystyna Kowalczyk (Kapadi) challenging traditional site selection methods to expand clinical research access.
Industry Impact
The CRO Summit's success has clearly demonstrated the industry's need for CRO-focused events that address their unique challenges and opportunities. The PBC Group are committed to deliver practical, experience-based content which resonates strongly with attendees.
This review reinforces why this summit was not just another industry conference, but rather a watershed moment in how CROs collaborate and share knowledge to advance clinical research as a whole.
Audience Snapshot
The CRO Summit welcomed an audience of CRO executives from across the US, Canada, & Europe, with a strong attendance from the local market of North Carolina. Proudly, over 70% of the audience was made up of C-Suite executives, and senior directors/ VPs. The split between CRO and Vendor attendees was actively managed by the PBC Group, achieving over 2:1.
Looking Forward
Given the overwhelming response to this inaugural event, the PBC Group have already announced plans for a 2025 summit. The success of this first gathering has established the COG:CRO Summit as what promises to be an essential annual event in the clinical research calendar.
When: 2nd & 3rd December, 2025
Where: Raleigh, North Carolina
How to get involved:
Present on the Program – David Jones (djo@thepbcgroup.com)
Sponsorship & Exhibiting – Alexander O'Leary (aol@thepbcgroup.com)
Register to Attend - www.thepbcgroup.com/crosummit-registration