Workforce Engagement and Resilience
To achieve the vision of advancing health and executing a coordinated strategy in clinical research to evolve the model of care outcomes.
The Workforce Engagement and Resilience (WE-R) team in DOCR adapted competencies for research professionals drafted by the Joint Task Force for Clinical Trials Competency (JTFCTC), to create a framework for clinical research jobs at Duke. These competencies are used as the foundation to help managers:
- Select titles for new positions
- Onboard and train clinical research personnel
- Set goals for professional development
- Provide career advancement opportunities
- Support pathways into the clinical research workforce
School of Medicine leadership believe that a strong workforce of clinical research professionals will enable higher quality research and ultimately lead to better patient care and health outcomes.
New Certification Pathway for Tier Advancement
We’re excited to introduce a new certification pathway for Tier Advancement beginning with the upcoming cycle. Employees in the CRC, CRNC, Regulatory Coordinator, and Clinical Data Manager classifications may use an approved professional certification in place of the required competency points, providing an additional pathway to demonstrate professional growth and advance through the Tier Advancement program. This change does not impact the RPL Tier Advancement process.
Click Here for details about the new pathway and approved certifications.
Sharable Tools
Duke mapped incumbent employees into new clinical research job classifications. This is being done with the use of a tool developed in REDCap. In the instructions document below, we describe how to use the tool to collect employee report of job responsibilities and competencies, and how the manager will review and edit the employee’s report. The document also describes how to create a report for each employee that summarizes the information from the employee and manager REDCap tool for review.
Publication: Brouwer, R. N., Deeter, C., Hannah, D., Ainsworth, T., Mullen, C., Hames, B., ... & Snyder, D. C. (2017). Using competencies to transform clinical research job classifications. Journal of Research Administration, 48(2), 11-25.
- Mapping Tool Instructions
- Mapping Tool Data Dictionary - *Please note: When the data dictionary is downloaded, it needs to be saved as a CSV file in order to be uploaded into REDCap
- Mapping Summary Data
- Mapping Summary Sample: Jane Doe
- Mapping Summary Mail Merge
01-01-2025 Update:
Duke has since moved into a program that requires SAS coding and a REDCap API connection. For accessibility, we will leave the below posted. If you would like to obtain our new tools, please reach out to wer-jobs@dm.duke.edu. As our competencies have been updated since the original project, here is a copy of our updated competency list: click here
Duke has developed a tool to ensure that hiring into clinical research positions is consistent. The title picker tool allows the person that best understands the job responsibilities for the position being requested to complete a survey. The survey is submitted and a committee convenes to provide a title that best fits the job responsibilities reported. The results are sent to the requester within 5-7 business days for the Human Resources managers to process and open the position.
Publication: Deeter C, Hannah D, Stroo M, et al. Tackling standardization in clinical research workforce hiring using competency-based job classifications. Journal of Clinical and Translational Science. 2023;7(1):e244. doi:10.1017/cts.2023.672
- Title Picker Data Dictionary - *Please note: When the data dictionary is downloaded, it needs to be saved as a CSV file in order to be uploaded into REDCap
- Title Matching Summary Report
- Title Matching Mail Merge
- Job Description Data
- Job Description Mail Merge
- Title Picker Guidance Document
The Duke WE-R team has developed a Clinical Research Professional Onboarding Toolkit that you may request to access. We are happy to share our Program Implementation Plan and Onboarding Toolkit repository of materials with other academic institutions for noncommercial and/or academic use to aid in implementing similar programming. Complete our Onboarding Toolkit Access Request Form to request access along with a consultation with the Workforce Engagement and Resilience team if needed.
© Copyright 2023. Duke University. The copyrighted materials within the Clinical Research Onboarding Toolkit is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. All other rights reserved. Developed by the Duke Office of Clinical Research (DOCR) with support from the National Center For Advancing Translational Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number UL1TR002553. This onboarding toolkit is intended for noncommercial and/or academic use only. All other uses, including for-profit licensing requests, should contact wer-jobs@duke.edu or otcquestions@duke.edu and reference "OTC File 8242" for further licensing information.
Presentations and Publications
- Van Althuis L, Taylor S, Freeman D, et al. Duke Research at Pickett: The evolution of a free-standing research site partnering with communities toward health equity advancement. Journal of Clinical and Translational Science. 2025;9(1):e12.
- Snyder DC, Gaudaur H, Marchant M, Viera L, McCubbin A, Verble W, Mendell A, Gilliam C. Enhancing the clinical research workforce: a collaborative approach with human resources. Front Pharmacol. 2024;15:1295155.
- Cranfill JR, Deeter CE, Hannah D, Snyder DC, Freel SA. Development and implementation of an on-demand competency-based onboarding program for clinical research professionals in academic medicine. Front Med. 2023;10:1249527.
- Deeter C, Hannah D, Stroo M, et al. Tackling standardization in clinical research workforce hiring using competency-based job classifications. Journal of Clinical and Translational Science. 2023;7(1):e244.
- Freel SA, Snyder DC, Bastarache K, et al. Now is the time to fix the clinical research workforce crisis. Clin Trials. 2023;20(5):457-462.
- Mullen CG, Houlihan JY, Stroo M, et al. Leveraging retooled clinical research infrastructure for Clinical Research Management System implementation at a large Academic Medical Center. Journal of Clinical and Translational Science. 2023;7(1):e127.
- Knapke JM, Jenkerson M, Tsao P, et al. Academic medical center clinical research professional workforce: Part 2 – Issues in staff onboarding and professional development. Journal of Clinical and Translational Science. 2022;6(1):e81.
- Knapke JM, Snyder DC, Carter K, et al. Issues for recruitment and retention of clinical research professionals at academic medical centers: Part 1 – collaborative conversations Un-Meeting findings. Journal of Clinical and Translational Science. 2022;6(1):e80.
- Deeter C, Hannah D, Reyes C, Mack ME, Stroo M, Freel SA, Brouwer RJN, Gaudaur HE, Doughty AL, Snyder DC. Professional development for clinical research professionals: implementation of a competency-based assessment model. J Res Adm. 2020;51(2):15-40.
- Stroo M, Asfaw K, Deeter C, et al. Impact of implementing a competency-based job framework for clinical research professionals on employee turnover. Journal of Clinical and Translational Science. 2020;4(4):331-335.
- Causey M. Duke harnesses people power to fuel stronger clinical trial performance. Association of Clinical Research Professionals. Published September 23, 2019. Accessed August 19, 2025. https://acrpnet.org/2019/09/23/duke-harnesses-people-power-to-fuel-stronger-clinical-trial-performance
- Brouwer RN, Deeter C, Hannah D, Ainsworth T, Mullen C, Hames B, Gaudaur H, McKellar T, Snyder DC. Using competencies to transform clinical research job classifications. J Res Adm. 2017;48(2):11-25.
- Brouwer RN, Hannah D, Deeter C, Hames B, Snyder DC. Recruit, train, and retain the best: the implementation of a competency-based clinical research workforce initiative. Clin Reser. 2017;31(6). doi:10.14524/CR-17-0040. Accessed August 19, 2025. https://acrpnet.org/2017/12/12/recruit-train-retain-best-implementation-competency-based-clinical-research-workforce-initiative
- Snyder DC. Professional pathways boost staff retention in clinical research settings. Association of Clinical Research Professionals. Published April 24, 2017. Accessed August 19, 2025. https://acrpnet.org/2017/04/24/professional-pathways-boost-staff-retention-clinical-research-settings
- Brouwer RN, Snyder DC. Core competencies applied: Duke University School of Medicine. Joint Task Force for Clinical Trial Competency. Published March 22, 2017. Accessed August 19, 2025. https://mrctcenter.org/clinical-trial-competency/core-competencies-applied-duke-university-school-of-medicine/
- Snyder DC, Brouwer RN, Ennis CL, Spangler LL, Ainsworth TL, Budinger S, Mullen C, Hawley J, Uhlenbrauck G, Stacy M. Retooling institutional support infrastructure for clinical research. Contemp Clin Trials. 2016;48:139-145.
- Innovators in Action: Novel Programs Addressing Workforce and Enrollment Issues
- Lessons Learned from Implementing Competency-Based Job Classifications at Two AMCs
- Professional Pathways Boost Staff Retention in Clinical Research Settings
- Competency Standards Key to Elevating Clinical Trial Profession
- Duke Attracts and Retains Top Candidates with Competency-Based Job Descriptions
- Coordinator Engagement
- Clinical Research Professionals (English and Spanish)
The Duke Office of Clinical Research is an active member of the Association of Clinical Research Professionals Partners Advancing the Clinical Research Workforce. ACRP’s Partners Advancing the Clinical Research Workforce™ is a multi-stakeholder collaborative of clinical research industry leaders who are committed to building a research-ready clinical research workforce.
“We appreciate the partnerships and perspectives gained from our participation in PACRW. We look forward to partnering with PACRW to strengthen the clinical research professional identity.” - Denise Snyder, Associate Dean for Clinical Research at Duke University’s Office of Clinical Research.