The project, Partnership to Expand Education and Training Pathways in Clinical Research, is led by principal investigator Samuel Poore, MD, PhD, professor in the Department of Surgery at the UW School of Medicine and Public Health, and co-investigators Rafael Veintimilla, MD, senior director of the University of Wisconsin Clinical Trials Institute, and Marissa Winer, MA, dean of the School of Health Sciences at Madison College. This project aims to modernize how clinical research professionals are trained by replacing traditional degree requirements with focused, competency-based coursework and paid internships linked to career opportunities. Through collaboration with educational institutions, industry leaders and community organizations, the project will create accessible pathways into rewarding, high-demand careers for individuals from varying backgrounds and communities. In doing so, it aims to develop a clinical research workforce that broadly reflects Wisconsin’s population and health needs while strengthening the state’s research infrastructure and capacity to advance new medical treatments.
Key partnership collaborators include Madison College (MC), University of Wisconsin (UW) Clinical Trials Institute (CTI), UW SMPH Office of Biohealth Industry Partnerships and Master of Science in Biotechnology, Industry Leaders (Exact Sciences), Community Engagement (South Madison Partnership, Sokaogon Chippewa Community Biohealth Incubator) and additional partners (BioForward, Biopharmaceutical Technology Center Institute (BTCI)).
The Challenge
Clinical trials are critical to medical advancements, yet accessible pathways into the field for individuals from varying backgrounds and communities remain limited. Traditional hiring practices, including an overreliance on four-year degree requirements, have created barriers to entering the field and contributed to a workforce that does not broadly reflect the populations and health needs of the communities it serves. At the same time, high turnover and limited training pathways have made it difficult to sustain the staffing needed to meet Wisconsin’s growing clinical research workforce needs.
These challenges constrain the expansion of clinical trials, reducing access to cutting-edge care and limiting Wisconsin’s ability to help propel future medical advances and treatments. These barriers are also reflected at the local level. Madison College serves a broad student population, with approximately one in four students coming from low-income backgrounds. A needs assessment of prospective learners found strong interest in clinical research careers, but financial constraints remain a significant barrier to pursuing additional education. Students identified cost, time to employment and the lack of clear career pathways as key challenges, highlighting the need for accessible, practical training opportunities that connect education directly to paid experience and employment.
Project Goals
This project will create an educational model that combines classroom learning with paid, hands-on experience to train, sustain and grow Wisconsin’s community-engaged clinical trials workforce. In partnership with Madison College and other industry and community collaborators, the program will:
Develop a competency-based curriculum for a Clinical Trials Certificate Program at Madison College and train two cohorts of students.
Recruit and enroll students from the community, creating accessible entry points into Wisconsin’s health workforce for individuals from varying backgrounds and communities.
Facilitate paid internship placements that provide professional experience and clear pathways to employment.
Prepare students to become eligible for a professional clinical research certification exam after two years of employment, opening career-long opportunities in the clinical trials field.
Establish an education and training program that is expected to become self-sustaining after the grant funding ends.
