Claire Radford

I completed a BSc (Hons) in Biomedical Sciences in 1999. My degree included a work experience year at a pharmaceutical company in France. I went on to gain a Master’s of Research (MRes) at the University of Glasgow in 2000. The experience gained during my Master’s degree and my interest in scientific research lead me to complete a PhD in breast cancer studies at the University of Glasgow.

After completing two postdoctoral research fellow posts, researching type two diabetes, my interests became focused on clinical research. In 2009 I undertook a role as a Quality Assurance Associate in a primary care clinical trials unit (PC-CRTU) and following this I joined Birmingham Clinical Trials Unit (BCTU) in 2016. My role involved monitoring and auditing trials, writing and developing SOPs on pharmacovigilance and trial management processes, and maintaining PC-CRTU and BCTU’s Quality Management System. As a qualified NIHR GCP trainer and on passing the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine GCP exam from the Royal Colleges of Physicians, I deliver GCP training to clinical researchers.

In July 2019 I moved to Oxford and joined the Oxford Clinical Trials Research Unit (OCTRU). My role is to develop, implement and enforce the audit programme for trials across the CTU and ensure audits are formally documented, findings disseminated and appropriate Corrective and Preventative Action (CAPA) plans are in place.  I provide Quality Assurance advice, support and training to CTU stakeholders regarding trial management, research ethics and governance issues. I believe that clinical trials are an important step in developing new medicines and using Good Clinical Practice in clinical trials ensures that patient safety and data integrity is maintained.