The Future Landscape of Schizophrenia Research

Discover the future of schizophrenia research. Join CenExel experts Dr. David Walling and Dr. Lara Shirikjian as they explore recent breakthroughs, trial innovations, and what’s next for schizophrenia care in 2026 and beyond.

Register Free: https://www.appliedclinicaltrialsonline.com/act_w/redefining_schizophrenia_care

Event overview:

Schizophrenia research is at an inflection point. Over the past few years, the field has experienced a wave of innovation, both in therapeutic development and in the way that trials are designed and conducted. As 2025 comes to a close, it is an ideal moment to reflect on the meaningful progress that has been made and to examine how these advances will shape the next phase of research in 2026 and beyond.
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In this session, Dr. David Walling, Ph.D., Chief Clinical Officer and Principal Investigator at CenExel Los Alamitos to recap key findings from recent schizophrenia studies and explore what they reveal about the future. Dr. Walling will then provide a forward-looking perspective on how sponsors, CROs, and clinical researchers can leverage the momentum of the past few years to accelerate progress in the treatment of schizophrenia.

Key Learning Objectives:

• Breakthroughs in therapeutic development: promising results from novel mechanisms of action beyond dopamine, including glutamatergic, serotonergic, and anti-inflammatory pathways.
• Addressing unmet needs: progress in targeting cognition, negative symptoms, and functional recovery to improve long-term outcomes and quality of life.
• Innovations in trial design: the role of adaptive studies, biomarkers, and digital tools in better capturing treatment effects and real-world relevance.
• Patient engagement strategies: lessons learned from recent studies on improving recruitment, adherence, and retention in schizophrenia trials.
• Looking forward to 2026: anticipated research directions, emerging opportunities, and how clinical stakeholders can position themselves for success.

Who Should Attend:

• Sponsors
• CROs
• Clinical leaders in CNS development who want to understand the evolving schizophrenia research landscape, capitalize on recent progress, and prepare for the opportunities ahead in 2026

Speaker:

David P. Walling, Ph.D.
Chief Clinical Officer, Principal Investigator
CenExel Los Alamitos

Dr. David Walling co-founded Collaborative Neuroscience Research (CNS) in 2000 to advance medical knowledge through clinical trials. Under his operational and strategic leadership, CNS has grown into one of the largest clinical research providers in the U.S. He serves as principal investigator at both the inpatient unit in Long Beach and the outpatient clinic in Garden Grove and advises pharmaceutical companies on drug development, trial design, analysis, and regulatory strategy.

Dr. Walling has participated in over 600 trials, including 100+ Phase I studies, with a focus on schizophrenia and cognition, areas where he is widely recognized as a thought leader. Before CNS, he was VP of Clinical Services at Psychiatric Management Resources & Stadt Solutions Pharmacy Corporation and served as Assistant Professor and Research Scientist in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. He is also a licensed psychologist and marriage, family, and child counselor.

An accomplished author, Dr. Walling has published numerous articles in leading psychiatric journals and provides training on widely used psychiatric and cognitive rating scales, including the PANSS. He is a sought-after KOL in psychiatry and digital device technologies, and his work in small proof-of-concept Phase I studies has supported the successful development of several drugs. He holds multiple advisory board and consulting positions with sponsors.

Dr. Walling earned his doctorate in Counseling Psychology from the University of Southern California and holds a master’s degree in Counseling and a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from California State University, Long Beach.

Register Free: https://www.appliedclinicaltrialsonline.com/act_w/redefining_schizophrenia_care