The International Centre for Training in Clinical Research (ICTCR) has named Dr Mary Francis as its new Executive Director cum Dean. Dr. Mary Francis is a Rashtriya Udyog Ratna Awardee and one of the youngest woman entrepreneurs in the field of Clinical Research.

ICTCR, an institute which offers training in clinical research for its students even as they do their diploma programmes, is set to benefit from Dr Mary Francis' foresight and keen interest in the academic aspects of Clinical Research.

Dr. Francis has an overall experience of more than 17 years in the field of clinical research industry. She has successfully achieved NABL accreditation, including EMEA and Turkish approvals under her leadership for various organizations.

Dr. Francis, holds a Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry from Bombay University, had already worked as Lead Assessor by the Government of India National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration (NABL) by auditing various types of Laboratories in India.

``Teaching is my passion. I have been teaching clinical research for many years in many institutes, hence it is thrilling to lead an institute like ICTCR. Among the many strengths of ICTCR is that it is an institute that has successfully introduced training in its course curriculum, which is proving to be a boon not just to the students, but also to the clinical research industry. ICTCR students are being picked up by the industry, even during the course of their training period,'' said Mary Francis.

``Clinical Research as an academic study, is still in its infancy in India. It would be challenging to help it evolve into a full fledged scientific stream with its own subjects, dynamics and rigours in research. I am pleased to be a part of this revolution,'' she added.