The Human Protocol

In this episode of The Human Protocol, Theodora Savlovschi-Wicks is joined by Ali Ghiassi, Director of Global Talent Acquisition at Precision Medicine Group and founder of Bench to Boardroom LLC.

Drawing on years of experience across life sciences recruitment and talent acquisition, Ali takes us behind the scenes of what actually happens when a clinical research role opens, from defining the real business need to reviewing candidates in an increasingly crowded market.

The conversation challenges some of the biggest hiring myths around ATS scores and AI, explores the growing problem of fraudulent applications, and looks at why networking, specificity and human judgement still matter enormously in the recruitment process.

Ali and Theo also discuss where AI genuinely adds value, how hiring may evolve towards skills-based approaches, and why the human side of recruitment could become more important rather than less.

🔸 Why a high ATS score does not mean you are the right candidate for the role
🔸 Why application volume can be a bigger barrier than AI screening
🔸 How candidates should — and should not — use AI when writing their CV
🔸 Why recruitment fraud is changing verification and hiring processes
🔸 Why networking and visibility matter more than simply submitting more applications
🔸 Why human judgement will remain critical as AI becomes more embedded in recruitment

Chapters:

00:50 Introduction and Ali’s Background
01:35 How Clinical Research Hiring Actually Works
07:26 ATS Scores, AI Screening and Hiring Myths
11:37 Remote Roles, Location and Why Candidates Get Rejected
14:33 700 Applicants Per Role and the Reality of Application Volume
18:31 AI-Written CVs, Fraud and Candidate Verification
33:59 Will AI Replace Recruiters?
46:58 Skills-Based Hiring, Career Strategy and Advice for Candidates

Guest: Ali Ghiassi

Director, Global Talent Acquisition, Precision Medicine Group

Founder, Bench to Boardroom LLC

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alighiassi/

Host: Theodora Savlovschi-Wicks

Founder and Managing Director, Vivexa Partners

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/theoswicks/

The Human Protocol is a podcast from Vivexa, exploring clinical conversations at the intersection of people and trials.

In this episode of The Human Protocol, Theodora Savlovschi-Wicks is joined by Kim Ben Salem, Director of Clinical Research at MediLife and co-founder of Revolution CRP.

Kim shares how she progressed from a student placement at Johnson & Johnson into clinical project management, before leaving a large corporate environment to become the first employee of a small CRO.

The conversation explores the pressures shaping careers in clinical research and the need for better support across the industry. Kim also introduces Revolution CRP, a new platform designed to bring together community, practical resources, wellbeing support and career development for clinical research professionals.

Key takeaways

🔸 Why burnout is an industry-wide issue rather than a problem limited to CRAs
🔸 Why moving jobs may reset your boundaries without teaching you how to maintain them
🔸 Why career progression requires curiosity and learning beyond simply doing your job well
🔸 How remote working could affect the development of early-career professionals
🔸 Why community and shared experience can accelerate career growth
🔸 How Revolution CRP aims to improve wellbeing, transparency and support across clinical research

Host: Theodora Savlovschi-Wicks

Founder and Managing Director, Vivexa Partners

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/theoswicks/

Guest: Kim Ben Salem
Director of Clinical Research at MediLife
Co-founder of Revolution CRP

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kim-ben-salem-2a1180216/

Learn more about ReVolution CRP here: https://www.revolutioncrp.com/

Chapters:

00:50 Introduction to Kim Ben Salem
02:55 Burnout in Clinical Research
08:25 Launching Revolution CRP
13:20 Long-Term Vision and Community
18:10 Career Risks and Opportunities
27:56 The Importance of Peer Support
32:39 Balancing Full-Time Work and Side Projects

The Human Protocol is a podcast from Vivexa, exploring clinical conversations at the intersection of people and trials.

🔔 Subscribe for more conversations about the people shaping clinical research.

In this episode of The Human Protocol, Theodora Savlovschi-Wicks is joined by Tihomira Leteyski, founder and CEO of MetaboHub.

Tihomira shares how a decade in clinical research shaped her decision to build something of her own. After starting her CRA career young and spending years in the industry, she launched MetaboHub during maternity leave after recognising a major gap in metabolic health support for women postpartum, in menopause, and for people struggling with weight, prediabetes, and related conditions.

The conversation explores why clinical research professionals often underestimate their own skill set, why GLP-1s and peptides have become such a noisy and misunderstood topic online, and how hard it can be for the public to distinguish between legitimate medical information and content designed to exploit confusion.

This is a thoughtful conversation about women’s metabolic health, entrepreneurship, and the tension between loving the career you built and knowing it is time to build something else.

Key takeaways

🔸 Why Tihomira started MetaboHub during maternity leave rather than after it
🔸 Why CRA skills translate surprisingly well into building a healthcare startup
🔸 Why “healthfluencer” content around GLP-1s and peptides can be so dangerous
🔸 Why people need better access to legitimate, understandable medical information
🔸 Why entrepreneurship often means choosing a different kind of difficulty, not avoiding it
🔸 Why the future of healthcare needs to be more accessible, preventive, and hybrid

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction and Tihomira’s Background
04:06 Burnout, Career Transition and Starting MetaboHub
07:07 Building MetaboHub and Women’s Metabolic Health
12:57 GLP-1s, Influencers and Health Misinformation
15:41 Finding Legitimate Health Information
18:34 Telemedicine Regulation and Access to Care
21:31 Big Pharma, Trust and Public Perception
23:59 The Future of Healthcare and Advice for Entrepreneurs

Host: Theodora Savlovschi-Wicks

Founder and Managing Director, Vivexa Partners

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/theoswicks/

Guest: Tihomira Leteyski

Founder & CEO at MetaboHub

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tihomiraleteyski/

The Human Protocol is a podcast from Vivexa, exploring clinical conversations at the intersection of people and trials.

In the next episode of The Human Protocol, Theodora Savlovschi-Wicks is joined by Ursula Tavender and Dagmar Albers, co-founders of Innovation In.

Ursula and Dagmar work with SMEs on people-first AI transformation, helping leaders make sense of a fast-moving and often overwhelming shift in how work, decision-making, and performance are evolving. In this conversation, they explore why AI adoption is still so uneven, what organisations get wrong when they bolt tools onto old systems, and why clarity, curiosity, visibility, and judgment matter more than ever.

We talk about resistance to change, shadow AI, leadership uncertainty, self-advocacy, performance reviews, and the growing risk of valuing speed over quality. We also explore what future-proofing really looks like for professionals in a world where technical skills alone are no longer enough.

This episode is a thoughtful conversation about the future of work, the human skills AI cannot replace, and why people-first transformation has to begin with leadership clarity.

Key takeaways

🔸 Why resistance to AI is often really fear, uncertainty, and lack of clarity

🔸 Why leaders need to define what AI is actually for before adoption can work

🔸 Why working hard with your head down is no longer enough for career growth

🔸 Why speed is not the same as performance in an AI-enabled workplace

🔸 Why curiosity, adaptability, visibility, and judgment matter more than ever

🔸 Why people-first AI transformation starts with better questions, not just better tools

Host: Theodora Savlovschi-Wicks

Founder and Managing Director, Vivexa Partners

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/theoswicks/

Guest: Ursula Tavender

Co-Founder at Innovation In

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ursula-tavender/

Guest: Dagmar Albers

Co-Founder at Innovation In

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dagmar-albers/

The Human Protocol is a podcast from Vivexa, exploring clinical conversations at the intersection of people and trials.

🔔 Subscribe for more conversations on the people shaping clinical research and the future of work.

In this episode of The Human Protocol, Theodora Savlovschi-Wicks is joined by Emma May, founder of The Career Habit.

After 25 years in the pharmaceutical industry as a statistician, Emma has pivoted into professional development for statisticians, programmers, data scientists, and other analytical scientists. In this conversation, she explains why so many technically brilliant people struggle to communicate their value, advocate for themselves, and build the habits that advance their careers.

We talk about why technical disciplines still prioritise technical excellence at the expense of professional skills, why self-advocacy can feel uncomfortable for quantitative scientists, and why career development is less about collecting knowledge and more about changing behaviour in small, repeatable steps. Emma also shares her views on confidence, imposter syndrome, networking, reflective practice, and the reality that nobody else will care about your career as much as you do.

This episode is a conversation about what it takes for highly technical professionals to grow, influence, and lead.

Key takeaways

🔸 Why knowing what makes a good leader is not the same as becoming one

🔸 Why technical experts often underinvest in communication, influence, and self-advocacy

🔸 Why self-advocacy can start by learning to advocate for your data

🔸 Why behaviour change and habit-building matter more than passive learning

🔸 Why confidence issues and imposter syndrome often show up in different forms across a career

🔸 Why your career is your responsibility — but not something you have to build alone

Host: Theodora Savlovschi-Wicks

Founder and Managing Director, Vivexa Partners

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/theoswicks/

Guest: Emma May

Founder, The Career Habit

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emma-may-uk/

Key chapters:

00:00 Emma’s Journey and Career Pivot
03:53 Why Professional Development Matters
07:07 Supporting Technical Professionals
10:03 Generational Shifts in Career Growth
13:05 Self-Advocacy, Vulnerability and Leadership
16:12 Why Soft Skills Matter in Technical Fields
21:13 Building Habits and Measuring Progress
29:46 Networking, Relationships and Taking Action

The Human Protocol is a podcast from Vivexa, exploring clinical conversations at the intersection of people and trials.

🔔 Subscribe for more conversations on the people shaping clinical research.

In this episode of The Human Protocol, Theodora Savlovschi-Wicks is joined by Egle Pavyde, Vice President of Business Development at APICES CRO.

Egle shares her journey from pharmacy and stem cell research into the CRO industry, business development, marketing, M&A integration, women’s leadership, and longevity.

This is a grounded conversation about the human side of clinical research growth: what happens after acquisition, why integration needs more than restructuring, and why keeping expertise inside a company depends on listening to the people doing the work.

We also talk about women in life sciences leadership, the reality of building a senior career alongside personal responsibilities, and why graduates entering the industry need to be proactive, visible, and comfortable with technology.

Finally, Egle reflects on AI, business development, travel, wellbeing, and why technology can remove repetitive work, but should not replace critical thinking, human judgement, or meaningful relationships.

Key takeaways

🔸 Why people and culture matter so much during CRO mergers and acquisitions

🔸 Why clinical research remains a people business, even as technology grows

🔸 What still needs to change for women in senior life sciences leadership

🔸 How business development professionals can use AI without losing the human touch

🔸 What graduates can do to stand out in today’s clinical research market

Host:

Theodora Savlovschi-Wicks

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/theoswicks/

Guest:

Egle Pavyde

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/egle-pavyde/

The Human Protocol is a podcast from Vivexa, exploring clinical conversations at the intersection of people and trials.

🔔 Subscribe for more conversations on the people shaping clinical research.

In this episode of The Human Protocol, Theodora Savlovschi-Wicks is joined by Anna Titkova MD, PhD, MBA, Country Head Ukraine and Director of International Operations at Pratia.

Anna shares how building Ukraine’s first dedicated clinical research unit in March 2020 became the beginning of a much larger story about leadership, responsibility, and continuity through crisis.

This is a powerful conversation about clinical research in Ukraine, patient access during conflict, and what it takes to keep trials moving when safety, stability, and certainty can no longer be assumed.

We also explore the human side of trial continuity, from local decision-making and team resilience to the real people behind every protocol, data point, and patient ID.

Key takeaways:

🔸 Why Anna built a clinical research business in Ukraine during the first weeks of COVID

🔸 What happened to patients, sites, and trial teams in the first days of the war

🔸 Why Ukraine should not be written off as a clinical research location

🔸 How sponsors, CROs, and neighbouring countries supported patient continuity

🔸 What extreme circumstances taught Anna about leadership, empathy, and adaptability

Host:

Theodora Savlovschi-Wicks

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/theoswicks/

Guest:

Anna Titkova MD, PhD, MBA

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anna-titkova-clinical-operations-medical-affairs/

Key chapters:

00:00 Introduction to Anna Titkova
04:36 Building Clinical Research in Crisis
07:42 Navigating War, Resilience, and Responsibility
10:46 The Impact of War on Clinical Trials
13:32 Why Ukraine Still Matters in Clinical Research
16:40 Lessons from the International Clinical Research Community
19:40 Leadership, Empathy, and Purpose Under Pressure
25:33 The Future of Pratia Ukraine

The Human Protocol is a podcast from Vivexa, exploring clinical conversations at the intersection of people and trials.

🔔 Subscribe for more conversations on the people shaping clinical research.

In the second episode of The Human Protocol, Theodora Savlovschi-Wicks is joined by Anna-Liisa Parts, COO and Co-Founder of Menken Trials.

Anna-Liisa shares her path from genetic engineering into clinical operations, her years as a CRA and clinical lead, and the workload pressures that pushed her to build rather than wait for the system to change. What follows is a grounded conversation about what clinical tech gets right, what it still gets wrong, and why tools built without real operational context rarely solve the problems they promise to fix.

We talk about essential document management, adoption, integration, burnout, and the gap between software built for procurement and software built for the people who actually use it.

We also explore a more human question: what if automation gave CRAs back time to think, connect, and build better relationships with sites?

Key takeaways

🔸 Why Menken Trials started with essential documents and repetitive CRA workload

🔸 Why clinical tech needs real end-user input, not just technical ambition

🔸 What burnout looks like in CRA roles, and why it feels different from management

🔸 Why automation should create more space for human interaction, not less

🔸 Why networking early matters for anyone trying to enter clinical research

Host:

Theodora Savlovschi-Wicks

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/theoswicks/

Guest:

Anna-Liisa Parts

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaliisaparts/

The Human Protocol is a podcast from Vivexa, exploring clinical conversations at the intersection of people and trials.

🔔 Subscribe for more conversations on the people shaping clinical research.

In the first episode of The Human Protocol, Theodora Savlovschi-Wicks is joined by Maria Milas, founder of CRAConnect and a leading voice within clinical research.

Recorded during International Women’s Day week, this conversation goes beyond career paths and job titles to explore the reality of working in clinical trials, and the often overlooked role CRAs play in shaping patient outcomes.

Maria shares her journey into the industry from a non-traditional background, what the CRA role actually looks like in practice, and why the biggest challenges in clinical research aren’t always technical, they’re human.

This episode reflects the core of The Human Protocol: understanding the people behind the roles, and how their experiences ultimately shape the way trials are designed, delivered, and experienced.

Key takeaways:

🔸 The CRA role isn’t just operational, it quietly sits at the centre of patient safety and data integrity

🔸 You don’t need a scientific degree to succeed in clinical research but you do need adaptability and strong human skills

🔸 Burnout in the industry often comes from mismatched expectations, not just workload

🔸 Why peer-led communities like CRA Community are becoming essential support systems

🔸 The gap between how technology is built and how it’s actually used in trials

🔸 Why CRAs need more agency, and how that could reshape the industry long term

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction

01:10 Maria’s background and entry into clinical research

05:20 Breaking into the CRA role without a traditional path

09:00 What a CRA actually does day-to-day

15:30 Early career challenges and expectations vs reality

23:50 The reality of workload, pressure, and burnout

30:40 Building CRA Community and supporting others

38:20 Technology in trials: what’s working and what isn’t

44:10 The future of the CRA role

49:30 Final reflections

Host:

Theodora Savlovschi-Wicks

LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/in/theoswicks/

Guest:

Maria Milas

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariamilas/

The Human Protocol is a podcast from Vivexa, exploring clinical conversations at the intersection of people and trials.

Learn more about Vivexa Partners here: https://vivexapartners.com/

🔔 Subscribe for more conversations on the people shaping clinical research.