SCOPE Summit 2026 Wrap Up: Aligning Speed, Strategy, and the Human Element in Clinical Trials

This year’s SCOPE Summit in Orlando, FL, opened with a theme that carried through nearly every session: acceleration is possible, but only if purpose, operational discipline, and human connection move in unison.

The first full day began with a keynote fireside chat between Eliav Barr, head of global clinical development and chief medical officer at Merck Research, and Ken Getz, executive director and professor, Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development, Tufts University School of Medicine. Their discussion emphasized the mission of the conference by highlighting that innovation only matters if it translates into smarter execution.

Specialization in a growing pipeline

Getz opened by asking about pipeline growth and the strain it places on development teams. Barr responded by explaining therapeutic area specialization has become essential.

While there are shared principles across development programs, Barr noted that the nuances within immunology, ophthalmology, or chronic care studies can determine whether a trial succeeds or fails. Those nuances influence endpoint selection, patient management, and monitoring strategies.

As pipelines expand, so must depth of expertise. At Merck, that has meant building more specialized capabilities within medical monitoring and clinical operations.

The case for data discipline

Efficiency quickly emerged as a defining thread. In today’s research environment, there is a persistent instinct to collect as much data as possible. Barr acknowledged the temptation, but he also challenged it.

Much of the data gathered in clinical trials is rarely used. Even when collected electronically, it increases burden on both patients who must provide it and teams responsible for managing and cleaning it.

Instead, Barr advocated for sharper focus.

“We're trying very hard to focus our attention on what are the critical questions that the relevant constituents want from us, and how often do you have to measure that piece of data,” he said. “The idea here is, if we can reduce our complexity by a reasonable percent—I'm not talking about massively, just moderately—I think that'd be really useful.”

Trust and the patient perspective

The conversation then shifted to public trust in the post-pandemic era, as awareness and scrutiny of clinical research continues to grow.

In some communities, trust followed, but that momentum has since faded. Barr emphasized the need to meet patients, physicians, and policymakers where they are.

New pockets of resistance have emerged, including among well-educated populations.

“Now we have new communities that are resistant—new people—including quite well-educated people, so we have to be able to address how to reach them in a new way,” he said.

Radical acceleration: Reality or rhetoric?

Following Getz and Barr’s conversation, the opening keynote panel pushed the efficiency conversation further, asking whether radical acceleration in clinical research is truly achievable.

Panelists from AstraZeneca, EMD Serono, and Amazon Web Services converged on one idea: if acceleration is possible, it starts before the first patient is enrolled.

Protocol design, site selection, and enrollment readiness represent the highest-leverage opportunities for acceleration, the panel said. Decisions made early ripple across the entire timeline. Optimized upfront planning prevents rework and delays later.

Technology, of course, plays a role. One persistent challenge in recruitment is limited visibility into where eligible patients are located.

Retrospective datasets, often months old, leave sponsors making educated guesses. Emerging privacy-preserving technologies now allow health providers to share insights without exposing sensitive data. Layer artificial intelligence (AI) on top and feasibility forecasting subsequently becomes more precise.

Once again, balance was emphasized. AI can enhance productivity and streamline workflows, but it cannot replace the human conversations at the heart of clinical care. Speed cannot come at the expense of meaningful engagement between sites and patients.

“I am a firm believer. I love AI. I love productivity. I've participated in a clinical trial. You're never going to replace the human component discussing a medical condition with a patient. Just use it for productivity, and you could speed things up,” said Shawne Moran, head, in-country study operations-Americas, EMD Serono/Merck KGaA Darmstadt, Germany.

The panel suggested that acceleration will require industry-wide collaboration—not just on tools, but on workflow redesign and cultural alignment.

Diversity: Acceleration with accountability

On the second full day, another panel focused on how speed and innovation intersect with diversity, equity, and inclusion. Moderated by Bianca Green, Clinical Program Diversity head, UCB, the discussion featured leaders from Takeda, Bristol Myers Squibb, Pfizer, and Merck.

The panelists agreed that community engagement must extend beyond digital campaigns. Showing up consistently in communities requires “boots on the ground” effort and remains one of the most effective strategies for improving representation.

Angel Akinbinu, director, Trial Equity & Representation, Takeda, emphasized that community engagement has been a buzzword for years. The difference now is sustained commitment. Digital outreach has value, but trust is built face to face.

The panel also addressed what has not been working. Laurie Myers, senior director, Health Literacy Strategy & Innovation, Merck, noted growing hesitancy around even discussing diversity. In the current climate, some stakeholders are reluctant to engage in the conversation at all.

“We have to stop that,” she said. “Scientific excellence depends on making sure that the people who are most in need of our medicines and vaccines are represented adequately in our clinical trials. I think in the current environment, there are people who are afraid to ask questions, people who are afraid to be part of this. It really is incumbent upon all of us to continue to have those conversations.”

Flexibility emerged as another critical theme. Each community is unique, so solutions cannot be one-size-fits-all.

Companies must be willing to listen, adapt, and customize approaches for specific studies and regions. That may include investing in trial-naive sites, improving health literacy initiatives, or expanding support structures for new investigators.

Exclusive KOL insights

Outside of attending the educational sessions, Applied Clinical Trials (ACT) caught up with several key opinion leaders on-site at SCOPE to gain insight on some of industry’s most trending topics—including the use of AI, how site operations are evolving, the need for more focus on the patient experience, and the evolution of clinical data.

On the topic of AI, Raja Shankar, VP of Machine Learning at IQVIA, explained how trial simulation and automation are beginning to influence decision-making across the clinical development lifecycle, including before a trial even starts.

“…AI can be applied to real-world data, clinical trial data, and other data sources to simulate, in silico, what might happen in vivo. That allows sponsors to make better clinical trial decisions and write stronger protocols that increase the chances of success, both from an efficacy and an operational perspective,” he said.

Sticking with technology, but this time on the eClinical side, ACT caught up with CRIO’s chief innovation officer, Mike Wenger. Following a session he participated in on data capture, he provided his key takeaways from the conversation.

“I think one of the big takeaways that we shared with the audience was that when you think about the concept of eSource, there are different flavors of eSource, and it’s important to be aware of that as you’re thinking about your study and the sites that are going to be on that study,” he explained.

Jeremy Wyatt, CEO, Ametris, also spoke with ACT on data and technology—specifically on best practices in integrating wearables into oncology trials. Studies in this therapeutic area provide their own unique challenges, so any kind of decision on integration must keep patients at the forefront.

“From an operational standpoint, the priority has to be workflow design that reduces patient burden wherever possible,” Wyatt emphasized. “When we’re collecting real-world data using wearables, sensors, or other technologies, the technology itself should never get in the way. Patients shouldn’t have to think about battery life, recharging devices, or remembering to turn something on or off. Those frictions need to be eliminated.”

Site selection and patient experience

Another key theme that was front-and-center at SCOPE—and has been for quite some time—was site-centric operations. ACT was on-site at the most recent Society for Clinical Research Sites (SCRS) Global Site Solutions Summit last year to explore this topic. The conversation continued at SCOPE.

Following a session she participated in on sites being more selective with whom they work with, Holly Leslie, vice president of services at Ledger Run, said: “The larger, more sophisticated sites are making additional demands, such as being paid for data queries and asking for better remuneration policies and processes. Smaller sites, through events like this and through webinars, are learning that they have a lot more power in the dynamic than they actually thought.”

Continuing the conversation from the earlier keynote sessions around patient experience, Miriam Dervan, founder & CEO of mdgroup, said: “…For far too many years—we haven't really been thinking about the patient. I'm in the industry a long time, and it's great to know now that, from an operational perspective, our sponsors and our clients are focusing on the patient. They're having patient engagement departments, so you've got to invest in that—having those people who are focusing on the patients for their studies.”

New emphasis on ESG in clinical research

An emerging topic at SCOPE—fueled by Otis Johnson, PhD, MPA, founder and principal consultant at Vantix Operations—was how expectations around environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance are evolving across the clinical trial vendor ecosystem.

In a video interview with ACT, he said: “I’m noticing a clear shift in how ESG is being viewed. It’s no longer seen as a side report, as it was in the past. It’s now being treated as a readiness test. In one conversation I had with a supplier, they told me they thought they had ESG covered until a sponsor asked a very specific question: Can you show me evidence that I can audit?”

A shared throughline

Whether discussing AI, protocol optimization, or diversity, the underlying challenge for industry remains modernizing clinical trials without losing sight of the human experience.

The 2026 SCOPE Summit made one thing clear: progress in clinical research will depend not only on moving faster, but on moving thoughtfully with patients, sites, and the communities it is meant to serve.

Andy Studna, senior editor, ACT