Clinical Trials Day is held annually on 20 May to celebrate clinical trials and honor the contributions of clinical trials volunteers and professionals to public health and medicine.

To commemorate Clinical Trials Day this year, we are launching a new content series, #GoodTrialsGrapevine, where we invite clinical trials experts and thought leaders to share their perspectives on key themes in clinical research; what makes a good trial and why.

These themes align with the principles of the Guidance for Good Randomized Clinical Trials, which sets out the fundamental attributes of a well-planned, well-run and clinically relevant trial.

Our Guidance is a global collaboration involving inputs from a diverse, multidisciplinary community of experts and stakeholders, and it is our great pleasure to be able to showcase some of their reflections and insights in this series.

We kick off with a quote from Dr. Amrit Ray, a healthcare veteran with more than 25 years of diverse experience, ranging from a physician providing patient care to a senior business executive in multinational pharmaceutical companies. A member of the Collaborative’s Steering Group, Amrit is passionate about solving the toughest medical challenges to positively impact the lives of patients and families across the world:

“We must understand the healthcare ecosystem a trial will be conducted in: the facilities, skills, typical practices, processes and cultural norms. Designing trials to align with the context allows for better efficiency, resource utilization and ultimately, effectiveness in reliably answering an important question.”

Dr. Amrit Ray, Biopharmaceutical R&D Executive, Independent Board Director & Member of the Collaborative’s Steering Group