The highlight of my fall so far has absolutely been the few days I got to spend in October with clinical operations leaders on both the supplier side (pharmaceutical companies) and the vendor side (CRO/FSP) of the industry at the 16th Annual Outsourcing in Clinical Trials (OCT) New England 2024. 

Thanks to Arena International’s expertly organized summit, I had the chance to connect, learn, and collaborate with remarkable individuals driving innovation and efficiency in clinical trials. They always do an amazing job with these events, and this year was no exception. 

Reflecting on the event, one thing stood out above all others: the best clinical trial results come from teams that actively invest and work on teaming. 

This is something I see day in and day out with the study teams we support at Cultivate. Successful clinical trials don’t just come from technical expertise or operational precision—they come from fostering trust, collaboration, and a shared mission among team members. 

Three talks from the event resonated with me and reinforced the critical role of teaming in clinical trials. 

Leticia Tarilonte’s Vision: "One Team" 

In one of the very first talks in Day 1 of the event, Leticia Tarilonte, Vice President of Global Clinical Operations at Brainstorm Cell Therapeutics, set the tone with a compelling call to action: “You are one team!” 

This mindset is so, so important. It captures the essential approach that successful clinical trials demand. 

While I totally get the use of the "supplier" and "vendor" language, I cringe a little bit when I hear these terms because I think the best clinical trials operate as one team. They see themselves as partners, not just players on opposite sides of a transaction. 

For example, in Cultivate's work with PPD and Takeda on a series of studies earlier this year, we noted that they always used the term "partner" only. This approach allowed the teams to focus on unity and paved the way for greater trust, shared goals, and ultimately, stronger trial outcomes. 

One team, one dream. 

Stacey Flattery’s Perspective: Purpose-Driven Teaming 

One of the liveliest conversations at the whole conference was led by Stacey Flattery, Vice President and General Partner at ICON Biotech. 

Stacey shared a deeply personal story about why the work we do in clinical trials matters and how it helps fight disease for patients who are waiting. She also imparted lots of great insights into how teaming impacts ICON’s trial success, emphasizing that the quality of collaboration can significantly influence outcomes.  

Stacey even shared the quotes she uses to inspire her teams, demonstrating how truly committed she is to building effective teamwork. 

What I love about her presentation is that it shows that teams who actually work on teaming have better teaming practices. Sounds obvious, but it's not! 

How often are study teams so focused on tasks like study startup, site selection, patient enrollment, and the other 1000 important things that they forget to take a step back and prioritize on how they will work together? Well, it's evident that one of the biggest CROs in the world, ICON, is successful when they focus on teaming. 

David Gibboni’s Call to Build Trust 

Finally, Independent Clinical Outsourcing Expert David Gibboni helped wrap up the event by continuing to reinforce this message about healthy teaming in his talk. 

A legend in the industry, David emphasized a key theme: moving from a transactional relationship to a consultative, trust-based approach in clinical trials. 

I love this positive reframe because it reminds us that the interpersonal dynamics within a clinical trial team can DIRECTLY impact patient outcomes. We need to remember these every day in our work: Build trust! Admit mistakes!  

David’s perspective on trust and transparency is crucial. Building trust and embracing accountability—even admitting mistakes—is essential to establishing a healthy and high-performing team culture. These shifts don’t just make trials smoother; they also improve patient outcomes by fostering teams that are aligned and resilient. 

Inspired to Empower More Teams 

Leaving the summit, I felt energized by the leaders who are helping to shape the future of clinical trials and deeply inspired about the job ahead of all study teams. 

It’s incredibly motivating to know that, at Cultivate, we’re part of this journey. I'm so proud to get to work to support study teams every day by providing expert teaming solutions that help create the conditions for success. 

We provide a systematic, proactive, and intentional approach to teaming that embeds positive teaming habits and behaviors that foster positive team norms, which improve collaboration and performance. We leverage the information we gathered from primary research on teaming best practices and series of team-tested workshops to develop an ecosystem that supports people in the flow of work through check-ins, tools, coaching, and nudges. 

Our teaming work has led to known learnings, unveiled challenges, and opened unknown opportunities. We drive tangible results and generate value for our partners, among them are: 

• One neuroscience study with 18 months with zero escalations ($198K savings); 

• One BioPharma company and its CRO with zero turnover for 12 months ($467K savings); and 

• Another with multiple studies enrolled up to 3 months ahead of schedule ($90M savings). 

To any team or organization striving to make a greater impact, consider how intentional teaming can amplify your results. By investing in how teams collaborate, we open the door to more successful trials, more positive outcomes, and ultimately, a stronger future for clinical research. 

Learn more about developing high-performing and empowered teams when you download Cultivate’s "The 8 Teaming Behaviors for Clinical Trial Team Success” guide here. 

Want to discuss in-depth how we can help you empower your people and teams? Use our contact form to get in touch or schedule a teaming call with us now if you’re ready to discuss live.