SCOPE 2023: Concerns for Clinical Operations Professionals in 2023

In this Q&A, Rajneesh Patil, global head of AI, digital, and innovation in clinical development at Syneos Health, discusses what changes when AI is embedded across protocol strategy, data infrastructure, and workflow tools at once, where governance frameworks tend to fall short, and why CROs must orchestrate AI ecosystems rather than simply aggregate them.

Medical writing capacity pressure is fundamentally a talent development problem, not a technology problem, since hybrid resourcing and AI cannot substitute for the experienced judgment needed to review AI output and mentor the next generation of writers.

Patients don’t experience primary endpoints, so trials that stop at biomarkers and rigid rating scales risk declaring success while leaving daily burden untouched, and digital tools only deliver meaningful evidence when they are co-designed with patients and deployed with restraint.

In this video interview, Rajneesh Patil, global head of AI, digital, and innovation in clinical development at Syneos Health, describes the industry’s trajectory toward a unified intelligence orchestration environment—and explains why the future isn’t one model that knows everything, but a trusted system that brings the right evidence to the right human decision.

Syneos Health and Optum outline a joint model for trial planning, recruitment and site access, with no financial terms or timelines disclosed.