The Association of Clinical Research Professionals (ACRP) announced Beth Harper as its new Workforce Innovation Officer.

Harper will spearhead ACRP's initiatives to lead innovation in clinical research workforce development, including development of a competence-based Entry-Level Assessment (ELA) for clinical research professionals and promoting industry-wide adoption and implementation of ACRP's recently published Core Competency Framework for Clinical Study Monitoring.

"Beth Harper brings the passion, knowledge, and experience necessary to deliver value to industry and our global network of more than 13,000 ACRP Members," said Jim Kremidas, ACRP executive director. "We are improving quality in clinical research by directly impacting the professionals conducting clinical trials. Beth's vast experience and expertise will greatly assist our efforts to drive initiatives leading innovation in clinical research workforce development by setting standards for professional competence, and building and validating competence in the workforce."

Harper has passionately pursued solutions for optimizing protocols, enhancing patient recruitment and retention, and improving sponsor and site relationships for more than 30 years. She is president of Clinical Performance Partners, a clinical research consulting firm specializing in enrollment and site performance management, and is an adjunct assistant professor at the George Washington University who has published and presented extensively in the areas of protocol optimization, study feasibility, site selection, patient recruitment, and sponsor-site relationship management.

"I am really excited to take my experience and apply it to workforce development," Harper said. "Our industry has a long way to go to define standards for professional development and setting expectations for various roles and maturity levels. We must reduce the variance in our workforce to ensure the absolute quality that's needed to further our drug and device development. I am excited about this opportunity to support ACRP's mission to promote excellence in clinical research."

Harper serves on the CISCRP Advisory Board and the Clinical Leader Editorial Advisory Board, among other industry volunteer activities. She received her B.S. in Occupational Therapy from the University of Wisconsin and an M.B.A. from the University of Texas.

ACRP created the Workforce Innovation Officer position last year in response to rapid change across the clinical research enterprise, specifically within clinical trial operations, requiring of clinical research professionals a new set of skills and competencies.