Heart of the Trial

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Clinical research isn't just about protocols and binders — it's about people, purpose, and building community.

In this episode, Suzanne sits down with Ashley Liggion, Senior CRA and founder of The Research Social, to talk about her journey from site coordinator to industry leader, and how she's turning mentorship and networking into a movement. Ashley shares what it's really like to live life on the road as a CRA, how the Tuskegee legacy shaped her perspective, and why her "why" comes from a patient who reminded her to live your life.

We explore:

• Ashley's unconventional path into clinical research and CRA life
• What monitoring during COVID taught her about resilience and adaptability
• The realities of CRA travel, site visits, and building strong site relationships
• How The Research Social grew from a single dinner into a national platform
• The importance of mentorship, authenticity, and breaking down gatekeeping in research
• Why burnout, balance, and kindness must be part of the conversation

📘 About the Guest

Ashley Liggion is the powerhouse founder of The Research Social, a career and culture platform shaking up what access, strategy, and confidence look like in clinical research. With over a decade in the industry and a degree from the legendary Tuskegee University, Ashley has built her reputation on precision, presence, and purpose. She's navigated compliance, risk management, and site operations — while mentoring and rebranding the careers of hundreds of professionals who needed someone to see their potential.

But Ashley's true edge? She knows how to walk into a room and own it. A proud first-gen professional, she's turned systems not built for her into spaces where she not only belongs — but dominates. Through The Research Social, Ashley is creating a movement where strategy becomes action and experience becomes access. Whether leading workshops, coaching one-on-one, or hosting bold events, Ashley brings energy that's unapologetic, disruptive, and unforgettable.

📍 Connect with Ashley Liggion

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashley-l-939910166/

The Research Social: https://theresearchsocial.com

📞 Connect with Suzanne:

• Website: https://www.iceconsultingllc.com/home
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/turnersuzannem/

💌 Feedback and Questions:

• Email Suzanne at [email protected]

🎙️ Tune in and get to know the passionate professional behind Heart of the Trial!

Send us Fan Mail

She helped Verily land its first FDA clearance for a wearable medical device — and has broken four all-time world records in powerlifting. Emily Hu joins us to open Season 3.

To kick off Season 3, Suzanne sits down with Emily Hu, a clinical trials expert, angel investor, and biomedical engineer with over 15 years in the medical device and healthcare industry. They talk about what sets device and consumer-product trials apart from traditional drug studies, what it took to help Verily through its first FDA clearance for a wearable, and how Emily built a decade-plus career as a competitive powerlifter alongside her work in clinical research. The conversation also turns to burnout, travel, and staying grounded in a high-pressure industry — plus Emily's book on building strength as a working professional.

We explore:

• How Emily's engineering background led her into medical device clinical trials
• What separates device and consumer-product trial operations from drug trials
• Helping Verily secure its first FDA clearance for a wearable device
• Why clinical research roles are often the first cut in hard times — and the last ones a company can do without
• Building a decade-long powerlifting career, breaking four world records, and appearing on The Titan Games
• Managing burnout, travel, and mental health in clinical research
• Her book on strength training and nutrition, written from the perspective of a professional athlete and biomedical engineer

📘 About the Guest

Emily Hu is a clinical trials expert, angel investor, and biomedical engineer with over 15 years of experience in the medical device and healthcare industry. Her expertise is in clinical operations for FDA and consumer product trials, particularly for startups in medical device, health and wellness, supplement, and human performance sectors. She has developed and conducted clinical studies across all classes of medical devices, working with companies ranging from small Series A startups to organizations like Google X/Verily — where she served as the Clinical Trial Manager who helped Verily obtain its first FDA clearance for a wearable medical device. She's currently Senior Director of Clinical Trials at Unilever, managing studies in the health and wellness space, with a focus on nutraceuticals, cosmetics, and general wellness.

Outside her clinical work, Emily is a professional powerlifter who has broken four all-time world records, and she appeared on NBC's The Titan Games. She's also the author of The Smart Simple Guide to a Better Physique: Fitness, Strength Training, and Nutrition Lessons from a Professional Athlete and Biomedical Engineer.

📍 Connect with Emily Hu

Her book: https://www.amazon.com/Smart-Simple-Guide-Better-Physique-ebook/dp/B0BRDCWPCS

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-hu-shapiro-13b806/ 

📞 Connect with Suzanne:

• Website: https://www.iceconsultingllc.com/home
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/turnersuzannem/

💌 Feedback and Questions:

• Email Suzanne at [email protected]

🎙️ Tune in and get to know the passionate professional behind Heart of the Trial!

Send us Fan Mail

Training, tattoos, and the truth about burnout in clinical research.

In this season finale of Heart of the Trial, Suzanne sits down with the visionary behind Clinical Research Pro and ClinOps at Sea—Jess Thompson—to talk about building a career with purpose and sustainability in clinical research. From project management tips to mental health

check-ins, Jess shares how her own journey through labs, sites, CROs, and sponsors inspiredher to create a professional development platform that supports the whole person, not just the job title.

Together, they dig into:

● What inspired Jess to start Clinical Research Pro

● How burnout reshaped her approach to leadership

● Why community is the antidote to overwhelm in this industry

● The story behind ClinOps at Sea and why it struck a nerve

● Empowering project managers to take ownership of their careers

📘 About the Guest

Jess Thompson, MS, MBA, PMP, is a clinical research project manager, wellness advocate, and founder of Clinical Research Pro—a platform offering expert-led learning, mentorship, and wellness support for clinical research professionals. With 15+ years of experience across labs, sites, CROs, and sponsors, Jess brings hands-on insight and heart-led leadership to everything she builds.

Under her leadership, CRPro offers programs in project and risk management, ICH GCP, change leadership, and career development, alongside resources focused on stress management, self-care, and work-life balance. She’s also the force behind ClinOps at Sea, a conference that brings connection and professional development to the high seas.

Jess is a highly rated speaker, a WCG MAGI Steering Committee member, and holds a CCRC, PMP, Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt, and multiple advanced degrees in business and leadership.

Her mission is to empower CRPMs and support clinical research professionals as whole people, not just project deliverables.

📍 Connect with Jess Thompson

Website: www.clinicalresearchpro.comInstagram: @clinicalresearchpro

LinkedIn: Jess Thompson

📞 Connect with Suzanne:

• Website: https://www.iceconsultingllc.com/home
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/turnersuzannem/

💌 Feedback and Questions:

• Email Suzanne at [email protected]

🎙️ Tune in and get to know the passionate professional behind Heart of the Trial!

Send us Fan Mail

What’s it really like to join a clinical trial? Amin Jagani takes us step-by-step through the patient experience.

In this episode, Suzanne reconnects with Amin Jagani for a deep dive into the full patient experience in clinical trials—from referral and informed consent to decentralized visits and data collection. Through a hypothetical case study, Amin walks listeners through what it really looks like to participate in a complex oncology trial, including practical considerations around time commitment, travel, reimbursements, wearable tech, and informed decision-making.

They explore:

• How eligibility is determined and why protocols matter
• The difference between open-label vs. double-blind studies
• Common patient hesitations (and how to address them)
• The evolution and promise of decentralized trials
• What questions patients should ask before saying yes

Patient links:

Clinical Trials Ontario: https://ctontario.ca/learn-about-trials/

Clinical Trials: Home | ClinicalTrials.gov

📘 About the Guest

Amin Jagani is a seasoned pharmaceutical leader with over 20 years of experience in drug development, holding key roles at Procter & Gamble, Eli Lilly, and global contract research organizations like Parexel, PPD, and Syneos. As a serial entrepreneur, he has founded three biotech ventures, achieving two successful exits.

He authored The Profit Pill, a book on biotech investing, and has served as an advisor, board member, and editor for industry publications. Amin holds degrees in Cell & Molecular Biology, Pharmacy, and an MBA in Corporate Finance and Entrepreneurship. He has pursued advanced studies at Harvard Medical School and the Ivey School of Business.

Beyond work, he is a licensed pharmacist, adjunct professor, and a dedicated martial artist and competitive tennis player.

📍 Connect with Amin Jagani

Website: hyggroupinc.com

Email: [email protected]

The Profit Pill: The Profit Pill: How to make make money in the pharmaceutical industry: Jagani, Amin, Jagani, Amin: 9781777513610: Amazon.com: Books

📞 Connect with Suzanne:

• Website: https://www.iceconsultingllc.com/home
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/turnersuzannem/

💌 Feedback and Questions:

• Email Suzanne at [email protected]

🎙️ Tune in and get to know the passionate professional behind Heart of the Trial!

Send us Fan Mail

When you've been both behind the system and in the trial yourself, you build solutions with empathy—and urgency.

In this episode, Suzanne chats with Jen Arters, a systems strategist, clinical operations consultant, and three-time clinical trial participant. Jen shares her unique perspective on trial management—from building medical writing macros and managing TMF systems, to sitting on the patient side of the screen logging symptoms and food diaries.

Together, they dive into:

• What it’s really like participating in three different trials for celiac disease
• How tech and empathy intersect in digital transformation
• Why trial integration and system interoperability should be an industry-wide priority
• The role of user access management and validation in today’s sponsor environment
• Her passion for making systems smarter and easier for the humans who use them
  
  

📘 About the Guest
Jen Arters is an empathetic, results-driven leader with a deep commitment to patient-centered innovation in clinical systems management. With a strong foundation in both Life Sciences and IT, she specializes in clinical application implementation, validation, digital transformation, and process optimization.

Known for her resilience, precision, and ability to lead large-scale initiatives under pressure, Jen delivers system-agnostic solutions that improve operational efficiency across organizations. She’s also a skilled collaborator and strategic connector—bridging the gap between clinical teams and technology to drive successful data migration strategies, encourage digital adoption, and promote excellence across the clinical trial ecosystem.

📍 Connect with Jen Arters
 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenarters/

 Email: [email protected]

📞 Connect with Suzanne:

• Website: https://www.iceconsultingllc.com/home
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/turnersuzannem/

💌 Feedback and Questions:

• Email Suzanne at [email protected]

🎙️ Tune in and get to know the passionate professional behind Heart of the Trial!

Send us Fan Mail

What if we held naturopathic care to the same evidence-based standards as conventional medicine—and made it easier for patients to access it?

In this episode, Suzanne talks with Dr. Jordan Robertson, founder of The Confident Clinician, about her mission to transform how naturopathic and integrative care is practiced and perceived. From academic research to co-teaching a course with NASA, Dr. Jordan brings a rare mix of science, strategy, and soul to the evolving world of holistic medicine.

We explore:

• What naturopathic medicine is (and what it isn’t)
• Why critical appraisal and evidence grading matter—especially in integrative care
• How her platform empowers clinicians to make better decisions and have informed consent conversations
• The challenges of misinformation, patient compliance, and traditional system limitations
• How structured human support—not just data—drives real-world health outcomes

📘 About the Guest
Jordan Robertson is on a mission to elevate integrative and naturopathic medicine to the standards of care that conventional medicine practices while simultaneously solving the unpaid research-labour crisis of Naturopathic Doctors.

With a 15-year career in facilitation, research inquiry and critical appraisal at McMaster University, Jordan has taught thousands of students how to be better communicators, work in teams and research nutrition, integrative care, medicine and “space medicine” (that last one while co-facilitating a course with NASA).

Jordan is the founder of The Confident Clinician, a database, clinical decision-making tool and home for over 700 full-time members, 60 fellows in her leadership program and over 5000 clinician subscribers to her free integrative magazine, The Stacks.

She’s known for helping clinicians see their own potential, inspiring curiosity, vulnerability and “mind-changing” and for giving clinicians the push they need to become the best at what they do.

As a retired ND, she’s paving the way for clinicians to love their work, career and (EVEN) critical appraisal of research.

📍 Connect with Dr. Jordan Robertson
Instagram: @drjordannd
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drjordannd/
Website: confidentclinicianclub.com
Podcast: Real Integrative Medicine

📞 Connect with Suzanne:

• Website: https://www.iceconsultingllc.com/home
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/turnersuzannem/

💌 Feedback and Questions:

• Email Suzanne at [email protected]

🎙️ Tune in and get to know the passionate professional behind Heart of the Trial!

Send us Fan Mail

TMF Tools, AI Experiments, and the Power of “Why” with Rob Jones

Show Description & Notes

From lab coats to line items, meet the creator of the TMF Pocket app shaking things up in clinical operations.

In this episode, Suzanne chats with Rob Jones, a product manager, TMF innovator, and creator of the TMF Pocket app, about how curiosity—and a little bit of late-night YouTube—led him to build practical tools for the clinical research world. We dive into what sparked his idea, how he leveraged AI without writing a single line of code, and why specialized tools (beyond Excel!) are the future of our industry.

We talk about:

• How Rob’s TMF journey started in IT and bloomed into product management
• The inspiration (and frustration) behind building the TMF Pocket app
• Why vibing with AI might be your new favorite development tool
• His open-access chatbot “Emma” and how it helps teams interpret EMA guidance
• The real reason education and patient access are at the heart of his mission
  
  

📘 About the Guest
 Rob Jones has over 15 years’ experience in the world of clinical trials. After starting in the labs with a white lab coat, he soon realized he was meant for more exciting things. A few years after working in IT, Regulatory, and general Clinical Operations, he found that excitement—TMF.

Now Rob serves as a Product Manager for a TMF software and services vendor, but it's his spare time where he gets to really be creative. As the designer of the TMF Pocket app and the force behind InnovationToolKit.co.uk, Rob is leaping feet first into the world of AI and what it means for the clinical operations industry.

📍 Connect with Rob Jones
 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertjonestmf/
Website: InnovationToolKit.co.uk

📞 Connect with Suzanne:

• Website: https://www.iceconsultingllc.com/home
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/turnersuzannem/

💌 Feedback and Questions:

• Email Suzanne at [email protected]

🎙️ Tune in and get to know the passionate professional behind Heart of the Trial!

Send us Fan Mail

Biotech, Business, and Brandon: A Conversation with Amin Jagani

Show Description & Notes

What do a licensed pharmacist, biotech entrepreneur, clinical site founder, and professor all have in common? This guy.

In this energizing conversation, Suzanne sits down with pharmaceutical leader Amin Jagani to talk about his 25-year journey across nearly every corner of the drug development world—from CRA to biotech founder to venture advisor. They explore what’s changing (hello, AI and decentralized trials), what’s holding us back (yes, we’re still struggling with patient recruitment), and the real-life moments that keep us going—like Brandon, a patient whose story became Amin’s driving force.

We dig into:

• The evolution of CRA roles and trial models
• How mergers, acquisitions, and patent cliffs are shaping biotech
• What every professional should understand about trial efficiency
• Why understanding business is just as important as science
• A preview of what the next decade may hold for clinical research

📘 About the Guest

Amin Jagani is a seasoned pharmaceutical leader with over 20 years of experience in drug development, holding key roles at Procter & Gamble, Eli Lilly, and global contract research organizations like Parexel, PPD, and Syneos. As a serial entrepreneur, he has founded three biotech ventures, achieving two successful exits.

He authored The Profit Pill, a book on biotech investing, and has served as an advisor, board member, and editor for industry publications. Amin holds degrees in Cell & Molecular Biology, Pharmacy, and an MBA in Corporate Finance and Entrepreneurship. He has pursued advanced studies at Harvard Medical School and the Ivey School of Business.

Beyond work, he is a licensed pharmacist, adjunct professor, and a dedicated martial artist and competitive tennis player.

📍 Connect with Amin Jagani

Website: hyggroupinc.com

Email: [email protected]

The Profit Pill: The Profit Pill: How to make make money in the pharmaceutical industry: Jagani, Amin, Jagani, Amin: 9781777513610: Amazon.com: Books

📞 Connect with Suzanne:

• Website: https://www.iceconsultingllc.com/home
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/turnersuzannem/

💌 Feedback and Questions:

• Email Suzanne at [email protected]

🎙️ Tune in and get to know the passionate professional behind Heart of the Trial!

Send us Fan Mail

The Heart of the TMF with Ann Ackley-Fifer

Show Description & Notes

What started in a file room became a 20-year journey of transforming how trials are documented, connected, and inspected.

In this episode, Suzanne sits down with fellow TMF expert Ann Ackley-Fifer to talk about her evolution from paper-based Trial Master Files to digital strategy, system configuration, and end-user empowerment. Ann shares what’s changed in the last two decades of TMF management—and what hasn’t.

Together, we cover:

• How paper roots shaped Ann’s digital TMF philosophy
• Common misconceptions that still slow teams down
• What E6(R3) means for sponsor oversight and CRO transparency
• Why end-user understanding is the hidden key to TMF quality
• What keeps Ann passionate after nearly 20 years in the field

📘 About the Guest
Ann Ackley-Fifer’s TMF journey began in 2006. With experience at CROs, sponsors, and now as a consultant, she’s witnessed the evolution from paper to digital—and everything in between. Her philosophy centers on user-friendly systems and practical training, ensuring that TMFs aren’t just compliant, but clear and usable. A Veeva-certified expert and TMF consultant for the past four years, Ann believes even the best system fails without empowered users.

📍 Connect with Ann Ackley-Fifer
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annackleytmfsme/
(Yes, she’s the one with the awesome blue hair.)

📞 Connect with Suzanne:

• Website: https://www.iceconsultingllc.com/home
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/turnersuzannem/

💌 Feedback and Questions:

• Email Suzanne at [email protected]

🎙️ Tune in and get to know the passionate professional behind Heart of the Trial!

Send us Fan Mail

Building Clinical Research Careers – with Rudy Malle

Show Description & Notes

What if the key to industry growth wasn’t just talent—but career navigation?

In this episode, Suzanne talks with Rudy Malle, founder of YANA Career Consulting and the Clinical Research Accelerator, about how his unconventional path through the clinical research world—from medical assistant to site director to career strategist—is helping others break in and move up.

They cover:

• Rudy’s 360-degree view of clinical trials from site, sponsor, and CRO perspectives
  
  
• The power of curiosity, adaptability, and asking the right questions
  
  
• Why bridge programs matter and how they help diversify the industry
  
  
• The disconnect between job requirements and real-world experience
  
  
• The importance of mentorship, networking, and mindset in career growth
  
  
• How Rudy is helping job seekers translate transferable skills into clinical research roles
  
  

📘 About the Guest
 Rudy Malle is a career strategist and clinical research expert with over 15 years of experience spanning clinical research sites, academic institutions, pharma companies, and CROs. As the founder of YANA Career Consulting and creator of the Clinical Research Accelerator, Rudy helps professionals transition into and thrive in clinical research careers through strategic coaching, mentorship, and training programs. He is passionate about empowering job seekers and career changers to confidently navigate their career journeys and achieve success in the life sciences industry.

📍 Connect with Rudy Malle
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rudymalle/
Website: www.yanacareers.com

Email: [email protected]

📞 Connect with Suzanne:

• Website: https://www.iceconsultingllc.com/home
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/turnersuzannem/

💌 Feedback and Questions:

• Email Suzanne at [email protected]

🎙️ Tune in and get to know the passionate professional behind Heart of the Trial!