Trials without Tribulations 2026 Program

Opening Remarks | Associate Professor Angela Todd, Research Director, Sydney Health Partners (SHP)

Welcome to Country | Michael West, Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council

Chair: Associate Professor Angela Todd, Research Director, Sydney Health Partners

Recent Policy and System Changes | Danielle Somers, Director Research Methods and Clinical Trials, Office for Health and Medical Research, NSW Health

Short Presentations: Accreditation and Audit

• National Clinical Trials Governance Framework (NCTGF) | Suchit Handa, Director, Measurement for Improvement, Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care
• View from the Frontline: Executive Engagement with the NCTGF | Professor Lisa Horvath, Chief Clinical Officer and Director of Research, Chris O’Brien Lifehouse
• Recent Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) Inspection Findings and Practical Strategies to Avoid Audit Findings | Gemma Blunt, Manager, Trials Integrity and Quality, Sydney Clinical Trials Centre
• View from the Frontline: TGA Inspection | James Vitnell, Senior Clinical Research Coordinator, Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network

Chair: Kath Irish, Manager – clinicaltrialsNSW, Office for Health and Medical Research, NSW Health

A Snapshot of Today’s Clinical Workforce | Associate Professor Angela Todd, Research Director, Sydney Health Partners

Panel Discussion: Recruitment, Retention and the Participant Experience

• Professor Daniel Steffens, Sydney Clinical Trials Centre, The University of Sydney and Surgical Outcomes Research Centre (SOuRCe), Sydney Local Health District
• Hayley Subhag, Clinical Research Coordinator, Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network
• Anna Jolly, Manager Partnerships, Research and Innovation, Southern NSW Local Health District

Short Presentations: Financial Management and Schedule 2 Tracking

• Clinical Trials Research Agreements Schedule 2 Interpretation | Anson Vo, Clinical Trials Operations Manager, South Western Sydney Local Health District
• Tracking Tools and Systems: Clinical Trial Management System (CTMS) and SiteDocs Pay examples | Gracie Micali, CTMS Data Lead, Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network and Neusa Goncalves De Magalhaes Rego, Clinical Trials Finance, Chris O’Brien Lifehouse
• New SHP Budget Tool for Investigator-led and Collaborative Trials | Alison Rego, Clinical Trials Project Manager, Sydney Health Partners and Naomi Strout, Acting Research Governance and Development Manager, Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health District

Panel Discussion: Decentralised, Rural and Teletrials

• Kaye Hewson, Head Clinical Innovation Strategy, SPHERE
• Michelle Tusler, Clinical Trial Support Unit Manager, Western NSW Local Health District
• Anna Hartley, Project Lead, Decentralised Clinical Trials Project for the RRR-CTEP Program, Cancer Institute NSW
• Rishi Gupta, Clinical Development Centre Trial Manager, Novo Nordisk Pharmaceuticals

Breakout Session #1 | Clinical Trials Essentials: Practical Tips for Success

This interactive session will provide practical insights into key areas of clinical trials, including ethics and governance, project management, and good documentation and clinical practice.

Facilitators:

• Lucia Smith, Research Governance Manager, Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network
• Izabella Pokorski, Clinical Trial Project Manager, Osteoarthritis Clinical Research Group, The University of Sydney
• Mariya Walker, Clinical Trials Specialist Lead, Monitoring, Sydney Clinical Trials Centre

Suitable for: Anyone who is new to clinical trials or looking for tips to improve their clinical research skills.

Breakout Session #2 | Workforce and Capability Development

This interactive session will explore practical strategies for developing and retaining a strong clinical trials workforce, with a focus on capability building, career progression, and high-performing teams.

Facilitators:

• Anthony Jaworski, Associate Director, Trial Operations, Sydney Clinical Trials Centre
• Mel Grand, Acting Associate Director, Research Operations, Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network
• Erfan Jaberiyanfar, Research Business Unit Manager, Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health District
• Martijn Oostendorp, Associate Director, Trial Operations, Sydney Clinical Trials Centre

Suitable for: Managers and senior clinical trial staff involved in workforce development and team leadership.

Breakout Session #3 | Applying AI in Clinical Trials

This interactive session will explore how AI is being integrated into clinical trials through real-world case studies, hands-on experience with AI tools, and discussion of key considerations for future applications.

Facilitators:

• Dr Maryam Correa, Director of Clinical Trials Unit, Chris O’Brien Lifehouse
• Associate Professor Kate Mohan, Director of Medical Oncology, Chris O’Brien Lifehouse
• Dmitry Goloskokov, Clinical Study Manager, BeOne Medicines

Suitable for: Anyone interested in using AI and digital innovations in their day-to-day work, and future workforce capabilities.

Breakout Session #4 | Feasibility, Study Start-up and Sponsor Engagement

This interactive session will explore strategies to strengthen site competitiveness and streamline study start-up, covering feasibility assessments, site CVs, early-phase ethics applications, sponsor engagement, and practical tips for efficient trial activation.

Facilitators:

• Sharon Lee, Manager, Research Strategy and Partnerships, Northern Sydney Local Health District
• Jerneen Williams, Director of Operations, Bellberry Limited
• Pip Pattinson, Senior Director Clinical Operations, Worldwide Clinical Trials
• Megan Collett, Executive Director, APAC Operations Oncology, Worldwide Clinical Trials
• Carly Leighton, Clinical Trials Manager, Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District
• Kristel Gelfius, Senior Oncology Clinical Trials Pharmacist​, Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District

Suitable for: Clinical trial staff involved in site feasibility, ethics, and study activation.

Sydney Health Partners is hosting the Trials Without Tribulations workshop on 18 September 2026 in collaboration with NSW Regional Health Partners and Maridulu Budyari Gumal, the Sydney Partnership for Health, Education, Research and Enterprise (SPHERE). The NSW Government, through the Office for Health and Medical Research, is supporting the 2026 event to enable participation from clinical trials staff across NSW including regional NSW Health districts.