Director, Clinical Research Services - Hillman Cancer Center

Join Our Team at UPMC Hillman Cancer Center!

Position: Director, Clinical Research Services HCC

This position requires an Advanced Practice Provider (APP) License as a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA), Certified Registered Nurse Practitioner (CRNP), Physician Assistant (PA), or Certified Nurse Midwife .

Location: Hillman Cancer Center, Pittsburgh, PA
Schedule: Monday to Friday, daylight hours

Join the nationally recognized Hillman Cancer Center, an NCI-designated cancer center, as an Advanced Practice Provider (APP) specializing in hematologic malignancies and clinical research. This role offers the opportunity to collaborate with leading physicians and research teams, contributing to groundbreaking oncology studies and improving patient outcomes.

Purpose:
This position will collaborate closely with the Vice President of Clinical Research, physician leaders, and the Director, APP Relations to oversee all aspects of oncology clinical research at UPMC Hillman Cancer Center. This role requires leadership at both strategic and operational levels to ensure the success and integrity of clinical research initiatives.

Responsibilities:

Clinical Staff Engagement & Education:
• Develop and deliver inpatient and outpatient nurse education programs to support research protocol adherence.
• Foster collaboration between clinic and research staff through quality improvement initiatives to improve communication and workflows.

Advanced Practice Provider (APP) Engagement:
• Partner with APPs to increase research participation, particularly in the network, to increase trial accrual, ensure compliance with research documentation, and extend physician ability to manage research related activities.
• serves as a key liaison between clinical operations, research teams, and network partners to ensure seamless integration of research into patient care

EPIC & Beacon Integration:
• Assist in the implementation and adoption of EPIC Bridges, ensuring seamless integration of research workflows into clinical systems.
• Lead training initiatives for research staff to promote effective use of EPIC tools in clinical trial management.
• Partner with Investigational Drug Services (IDS) and research teams to verify the accuracy of Beacon protocol builds.
• Collaborate closely with treatment nurses to ensure protocol compliance and safe administration of investigational therapies.

Hematology Research Expansion:
• Lead feasibility assessments and implementation of hematology studies across network sites
• Coordinate with the Hematology Sr Manager to present new trials to Disease Center Providers for Tier One scientific review.
• Support Cancer Center Director in building a Blood Cancer Destination Program for research patients
• Act as a liaison between research and clinical team to ensure alignment on trial operations and patient care.
• Partner with Hematology physicians to provide clinical care to hematologic malignancy patients on clinical trials (.15-20%).

• Provide strategic direction and operational oversight for oncology clinical research programs.
• Ensure compliance with regulatory requirements and institutional policies. Assist with development of correction and preventative action (CAPA) plans as needed.
• Promote a culture of excellence and innovation in clinical research.
• Identify, develop, and implement quality improvement initiatives to enhance clinical research operations, staff performance, regulatory compliance, and patient experience. Monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of quality improvement efforts and adjust strategies as needed.
• Directly and/or indirectly supervise managers, clinical research nurses, coordinators, research assistants, and operational staff. Lead recruitment, interviewing, hiring, onboarding, training, performance management, and time-off approvals for research staff.
• Work with the disease center leaders and managers to develop disease center growth plans, financial goals, and accrual strategies.
• Look across Clinical Research Services to ensure balanced staff workload of disease centers/sites, anticipate staffing needs through data analysis, and adjust staff assignments to address underutilization or gaps.
• Develop and maintain relationships with pharmaceutical companies, internal and external collaborators to support a diverse and representative study pipeline.
• Collaborate with physician leaders, interdepartmental leaders, and sponsors to identify and resolve roadblocks
• Lead assigned clinical research initiatives, create measurable key performance indicators, and report to applicable leadership groups.