Beyond Compliance: ProofPilot's Joseph Kim and Lauren Briggs on Making Clinical Trial Training Actually Work

In this episode of Beyond Compliance, host Otis Johnson, PhD, MPA, founder and principal consultant at Vantix Operations, talks with Joseph Kim, Chief Strategy Officer at ProofPilot, and Lauren Briggs, Chief Customer Officer at ProofPilot, about the gap between training completion and training effectiveness in clinical trials.

Kim argues that conventional protocol training, often delivered months before a coordinator will actually use it, fails because it asks people to memorize entire protocols rather than execute the single visit in front of them. He points to ProofPilot's involvement in SCRS's Cut 25 Initiative as part of a broader industry push to reduce unnecessary training burden on sites. Briggs describes how role-based training, paired with analytics on what sites are searching for, allows sponsors to identify gaps and retrain teams as a study evolves rather than relying on a one-time session.

Both guests emphasize eliminating redundant training, such as repeated GCP or basic platform instruction across studies, in favor of protocol-specific, visit-by-visit guidance delivered just in time. They connect this approach directly to protocol adherence and consistency, noting that when sites lack clear, role-specific instructions, they create their own workarounds, increasing the risk of deviations. The conversation closes with a shared takeaway: sponsors should judge training not by documentation of completion, but by whether site staff can confidently execute the next visit.

Key takeaways

• Traditional training completion records don't reflect whether site staff can actually execute a specific visit, especially when training happens months before it's used.
• ProofPilot's involvement in the SCRS Cut 25 Initiative reflects a broader industry effort to eliminate redundant training, including repeat GCP and basic platform courses across studies for the same sponsor.
• Role-based, visit-by-visit training paired with analytics on site search behavior allows sponsors to identify gaps and retrain teams as a study progresses.
• Inconsistent, self-created site workarounds are a direct consequence of unclear protocol instructions, contributing to deviations and undermining data quality.