The Network’s Operations Groups provide opportunities for professional development through peer-to-peer support, networking events, the creation of training and guidance materials and sharing learning and best practice.
Each Operations Group leads a programme of work with the aims of;
- Identifying challenges and developing solutions together
- Highlighting challenges which require a policy response
- Identifying opportunities to improve efficient trial conduct
- Sharing best practice and developing practical guidance on good research practice and quality standards for non-commercial trials
- Contributing to national and internationally led new initiatives within the clinical research community; and
- Representing the views of Registered CTUs.
The Operations Groups develop an annual programme of individual and cross-Group deliverables to support these aims. These deliverables are agreed with the UKCRC CTU Executive Group. The Operations Groups’ activities are underpinned by a set of General Terms of Reference.
Groups often set up sub- or working groups to deal with specific short-term projects such as the development of a discrete piece of guidance. You can find out a bit more about the currently active groups via the links below.
Statistics
The Group aims to create opportunities for open dialogue and knowledge sharing between statisticians across the Network in order to reach consensus on the most effective methods and solutions to common statistical challenges, support the use of appropriate novel methods in trial design, and promote career options for statisticians in CTUs.
Membership
Catherine Hewitt (Chair) – York Trials Unit
Natalie Rowland (Deputy Chair) – Birmingham Clinical Trials Unit
Stephen Bremner – Brighton and Sussex Clinical Trials Unit
Jo Haviland – Pragmatic Clinical Trials Unit
Graeme MacLennan – Centre for Healthcare Randomised Trials (CHaRT)
Louise Stanton – Southampton Clinical Trials Unit
Piers Gaunt – CRUK Clinical Trials Unit
Catriona Keerie – Edinburgh Clinical Trials Unit
Find out more about the Statistics Group’s activities here.
Data & Information Systems
The Group aims to foster an open, collaborative, and supportive environment where data managers and IS professionals can exchange expertise and best practices. Our goal is to ensure the provision of robust, secure, and regulatory-compliant IT systems and processes in the non-commercial research environment.
Membership
Amanda Loban (Joint Chair) – Sheffield Clinical Trials Research Unit
John Turgoose (Joint Chair) – Hull Health Trials Unit
Lindsey Masters (Deputy Chair) – MRC CTU at UCL
Vanessa Gregory – Diabetes Trials Unit
Patrick Julier – Oxford Clinical Trials Research Unit
Nigel Kirby – Centre for Trials Research
Martin Pond – Norwich Clinical Trials Unit
Find out more about the Data and IS Group’s activities here.
Quality Assurance
Our Quality Assurance group discusses aspects relating to the complex research environment in which CTUs operate to help ensure that trials are undertaken in an ethical and regulatory compliant way. They foster relationships with regulatory bodies, sites, and industry partners to facilitate a collaborative approach to managing regulatory changes and promoting best practice,
Membership
Will Cragg (Chair) – Leeds Clinical Trials Research Unit
Gail Holland (Joint Deputy Chair) – Swansea Clinical Trials Unit
Eloise Britten – Imperial Clinical Trials Unit
Jill Fleming – CaCTUS
Conor McKee – Northern Ireland Clinical Trials Unit
Emily Swinburne – Newcastle Clinical Trials Unit
Sara Yeats (Joint Deputy Chair) – Southampton Clinical Trials Unit
Find out more about the QA Group’s activities here.
Trial Management
Our primary aim is to develop and share best practices to promote high-quality, effective trial management in member CTUs.
Membership
Jaclyn Bailey (Chair) – Warwick Clinical Trials Unit
Claire Cantley (Deputy Chair) – CaCTUS
Ana Boshoff – Imperial Clinical Trials Unit
Vicki Barber – Oxford Clinical Trials Research Unit
Gina Cranswick – Edinburgh Clinical Trials Unit
Alexa Gillman – Institute of Cancer Research Clinical Trials & Statistics Unit
Alison Jenkins – NWORTH
Carla Richardson – Leicester Clinical Trials Unit
Natalie Wakefield – UK Trial Managers’ Network Representative
Find out more about the Trial Management Group’s activities here.
Policy
The Group is committed to providing a strong voice for member CTUs at a national policy level. Membership includes those Directing or members of senior leadership from Clinical Trials Units with depth and breadth of knowledge relating to all areas of trials activity, ideally placed to represent the wider membership at a policy level.
Membership
Claire Snowdon (Chair) – Institute of Cancer Research Clinical Trials & Statistics Unit
Anna Hockaday (Deputy Chair) – Leeds Clinical Trials Research Unit
Lucy Culliford – Bristol Trials Centre
Carrol Gamble – Liverpool Clinical Trials Centre
Fiona Hogarth – Tayside Clinical Trials Unit
John Petrie – Glasgow Clinical Trials Unit
Find out more about the Policy Group’s activities here.
Monitoring
The group was established to promote high-quality and effective trial monitoring approaches in non-commercial research. By focusing on collaborative discussions with trial monitors, regulators, and other stakeholders, and the production of guidance, training, and other knowledge sharing activities, we aim to enhance monitoring policies and practices throughout the registered CTU community.
Membership
Sharon Love (Chair) – MRC Clinical Trials Unit at UCL
Andrea Corkhill (Deputy Chair) – Southampton Clinical Trials
Carrie Bayliss – Cambridge Clinical Trials Unit
Melanie Boulter – Nottingham Clinical Trials Unit
Jo Grumett – Warwick Clinical Trials Unit
Lisa Fox – The Institute of Cancer Research Clinical Trials & Statistics Unit
Emma Laing – Intensive Care National Audit and Research Centre
Cara Mooney / Lizzie Swaby – Sheffield Clinical Trials Research Unit
Patricia Rafferty – Northern Ireland Clinical Trials Unit
Krista Wills – CR UK & UCL Cancer Trials Centre
Find out more about the Monitoring Group’s activities here.
Chairs’
This group brings together the leads of the Network’s operations groups covering statistics, trial management, QA, data management & IS, policy, and trial monitoring to discuss national priorities and group activities.
Membership
Helen Evans (Chair) – UKCRC Registered CTU Network Programme Manager
Amanda Loban (Data & IS Operations Group Joint Chair) – Sheffield Clinical Trials Research Unit
John Turgoose (Data & IS Operations Group Joint Chair) – Hull Health Trials Unit
Lindsey Masters (Data & IS Operations Group Deputy Chair) – MRC CTU at UCL
Sharon Love (Monitoring Operations Group Chair) – MRC Clinical Trials Unit at UCL
Andrea Corkhill (Monitoring Operations Group Deputy Chair) – Southampton Clinical Trial
Will Cragg (QA Operations Group Chair) – Leeds Clinical Trials Research Unit
Gail Holland (QA Operations Group Joint Deputy Chair) – Swansea Clinical Trials Unit
Sara Yeats (QA Operations Group Joint Deputy Chair) – Southampton Clinical Trials Unit
Claire Snowdon (Policy Operations Group Chair) – Institute of Cancer Research Clinical Trials & Statistics Unit
Anna Hockaday (Policy Operations Group Deputy Chair) – Leeds Clinical Trials Research Unit
Catherine Hewitt (Statistics Operations Group Chair) – York Trials Unit
Natalie Rowland (Statistics Operations Group Deputy Chair) – Birmingham Clinical Trials Unit
Jaclyn Bailey (Trial Management Operations Group Chair) – Warwick Clinical Trials Unit
Claire Cantley (Trial Management Operations Group Deputy Chair) – Cactus
Find out more about the Chair’ Group’s activities here.
