In Conversation with Dr Ann Church: Lessons in Leadership

At VCTC, we’re proud to be surrounded by individuals whose passion and experience shape the future of clinical research.

In this edition of In Conversation With..., we speak to Dr Ann Church , our Director of Global Operations, whose remarkable career in pharmaceutical development and clinical research spans over two decades.

From early ambitions in forensic pathology to leading global teams and embracing patient-centric innovations, Ann shares insights from her journey, lessons in leadership, and what excites her most about the future of trials.

🔹 You’ve had an impressive career in clinical research and pharmaceutical development. What first sparked your interest in this field, and how has that passion evolved over time?

As a child, I always envisaged myself working as a forensic pathologist, but that evolved into an interest in clinical research as I completed my degree in Biomedical Technology and PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences. Seeing new medicines and treatments through their development journey to become medicines to treat or cure people has been really interesting and enjoyable over the years.

My journey in pharmaceutical development started in the pre-clinical area, and that sparked my interest further to move into clinical research. I was given the opportunity to make that switch 25 years ago and completed a further postgraduate diploma in clinical research offered by the Institute of Clinical Research, and have never looked back since then.

🔹 Looking back at your career, are there any particular roles or experiences that shaped the way you approach leadership today?

I was very lucky in my first clinical research role to be working for a small company where I was able to be part of the whole clinical study, from writing the protocol and ICF, to designing the case report form, submitting the regulatory authority applications through to then monitoring the study, analysing the data and writing the report. This gave me great insight into all aspects of running a clinical study and gave me the foundations to move into project management.

With all the different departments, vendors and suppliers involved in clinical studies of today, communication and collaboration are vitally important to ensuring the successful delivery of a trial. My approach to leadership is built around listening to our customers' needs, connecting with our internal teams and experts to support decisions, and solving problems as they arise.

🔹 With your expertise in project and team management, what do you think makes a clinical trial run smoothly? Are there any lessons you've learned that stand out?

The key for me is ensuring that everyone understands their role in delivering the trial, but also understands the “what’s next” so that they are aware of what is impacted if there is a delay for any reason. A good Gantt chart, communication plan and effective team meetings with great discussions, clear objectives and actions are key to ensuring that everyone is aware of the current priorities to progress the trial on time and on budget.

Having worked in a very busy phase 1 unit with both manufacturing and clinical activities on the same site, it highlighted how much a 1-2 day delay in the manufacture and release of product could derail clinical dosing, resulting in additional effort to reschedule staff, volunteers and vendors. I think when these activities are performed by separate companies/vendors that the understanding of the impact on the downstream activities isn’t there.

Working now with a largely virtual team across several sites exemplifies the importance and effectiveness of great planning and communication across all the different stakeholders in our trials.

🔹 The clinical trial landscape is evolving rapidly, with new technologies and patient-centric approaches reshaping how research is conducted. What developments are you most excited about right now?

I’m really pleased to see patient-centric approaches being used to take the trial to the patient through the use of pop-up trial sites, virtual visits and digital tools to enable remote data collection that allows trials to be more accessible to patients and allows patients to fit the trial around their busy lives. I see technology advancing more of the coming years to make it even easier for patients and sites to be able to run clinical studies.

We are also seeing the increasing use of artificial intelligence in the clinical and pharmaceutical development areas to speed up the processes in those areas.

🔹 As Director of Global Operations at VCTC, what aspects of your role do you enjoy the most, and what advice would you offer to those aspiring to enter this field?

I really enjoy the diversity of the role, which makes every day different. I would encourage anyone to always “have a go” and be willing to learn from and listen to the team around you. Also, never be afraid to ask questions or ask for help, as that is the only way to learn and make improvements.

Dr Ann Church’s reflections are a powerful reminder of how curiosity, adaptability, and collaboration lie at the heart of impactful clinical research.

Her leadership at VCTC continues to drive forward-thinking approaches that keep both patients and progress at the centre.

We hope her story inspires those already in the industry - and those looking to join - to stay open to learning, embrace change, and never underestimate the value of asking questions.