BRET Career and Professional Development
Job Sim: Facilitating Clinical Research Through Project Management
Would you like to delve deeper into examining the operational elements of clinical research?
Clinical research and clinical trials are mechanisms used by researchers to rigorously test scientific hypotheses to evaluate the safety, efficacy, and effectiveness of medical interventions. Because these studies involve complex regulatory requirements, multiple stakeholders, patient participants, and resource-dependent tasks, effective project management is essential to turn scientific objectives into actionable studies that can be translated into the clinic.
Please join the BRET Career and Professional Development for this job simulation workshop offering participants a practice-oriented introduction to the intersection between clinical research and effective project management. While academic training often emphasizes study rationale, measures of outcomes, and data interpretation, this workshop centers on the operational implementation of clinical design and how to effectively manage and communicate large complex studies. Led by Dr. Jodell Jackson, Associate Director of Scientific Networks and Genomics at VUMC, participants will gain insights into the work of operational teams and how clinical research is executed in real-world settings.
By engaging with clinical research and subject matter experts, 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 Tuesday October 13th from 10 AM to 12 PM. All three sessions will be held virtually over Teams, and participants are required to attend all sessions. Job Sim participant number will be between 10-12 participants.
Program Breakdown
Part 1: Introductory lecture and assignment [Tuesday October 13, 2026, 10 AM -12 PM]
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: 30-minute virtual session [October 26th through November 30th, 2026]
Assignment: Clinical study presentations
Between weeks 3-6, student will meet for 30 minutes in a one-on-one Teams session to discuss clinical research findings with subject matter experts. During this session, participants will present on a clinical study, concisely summarizing findings, concerns, and next steps of the research. Feedback on the presentation will be provided by the instructor and students will complete a self-evaluation.
Part 3: Debrief and lessons learned [Tuesday December 1, 2026, 10-11 AM]
Group debriefing and discussion
A one-hour debriefing session will be held on Tuesday, December 1st, 2026, from 10-11 AM. During this interactive session the instructor will provide an overall debrief of the assignment presentations, the class will discuss lessons learned, and real-world expectations in a scientific project management for clinical research role.
Instructor: Jodell Jackson, PhD. Associate Director of Scientific Networks and Genomics
Capacity: 10-12 participants
Eligibility: Open to Vanderbilt biomedical sciences postdoctoral fellows and PhD students who have passed their qualifying exams before October 13, 2026.