ASPIRE Job Sim: Clinical Research Through a Project Management Lens
Would you like to delve deeper into examining the operational elements of clinical research?
A clinical trial is a methodically designed research study that rigorously tests scientific hypotheses to evaluate the safety, efficacy, and effectiveness of medical interventions. Because these studies involve complex regulatory requirements, multiple stakeholders, and time- as well as resource-dependent tasks, effective project management is essential to turn scientific objectives into actionable studies with clear timelines and outcomes.
Please join the ASPIRE Program for this job simulation workshop offering participants a practice-oriented introduction to clinical research as a systematically coordinated project that requires careful planning and operational oversight. While academic training often emphasizes study rationale, measures of outcomes, and data interpretation, this workshop centers on the operational implementation of clinical design. Led by Dr. Shelby Meier, Clinical Scientist and Senior Scientific Research Project Manager in VUMC, participants will gain insights into the work of operational teams and how clinical research is executed in real-world settings.
By engaging with real-world scenarios, participants will develop an understanding of how project management principles support the successful execution of clinical research. By the end of the workshop, participants will have a practical understanding of the operational landscape of clinical studies and insight into a career in clinical research management.
Join us for this 3-part interactive workshop with first session on Friday, March 20, 2026, 9-11am. All 3 sessions will be held virtually over Zoom and participants are required to attend all 3 parts of the workshop. Job Sim participant number will be at 8.
Program Breakdown
Part 1: Friday, March 20, 9:00 – 11:00am
Introduction to Clinical Research
In this 2-hour session, the instructor will provide participants with an introduction to clinical research, clinical trials, and further discuss the applications of project management principles in clinical research or trial management. The first hour of this session will be open to all trainees while the remainder of the session and workshop is limited to Job Sim participants
Part 2: 1-hour zoom session between Monday, March 30 and Friday, April 29, 2026
Assignment: Clinical study presentations
Between Monday, March 30 and Friday, April 29, 2026, the instructor will hold one-hour, one-on-one Zoom sessions with each participant. During this session, participants will present their assigned clinical study. Feedback on the presentation will be provided by the instructor and a guest clinician in attendance.
Part 3: Week of May 4th, 2026 (exact date and time TBD)
Group debriefing and discussion
A two-hour debriefing session will be held the week of May 4th (exact date and time TBD). During this interactive session the instructor will provide an overall debrief of the assignment presentations and provide a rubric of clinical study presentations in the context of the real-world expectations in a scientific project management for clinical trial role. The instructor will also highlight what a clinical research and trial management role entails in institutions like VICTR.
Instructor: Dr. Shelby Meier, Clinical Scientist and Senior Scientific Research Project Manager, VUMC
Capacity: 8 participants
Eligibilty: Open to Vanderbilt biomedical sciences postdoctoral fellows and PhD students who have passed their qualifying exams before March 20, 2026.