INC Research, a leading global phase I to IV clinical research organization (CRO), announced the promotion of Carol Aliyar to senior vice president, Study Start-Up.  Aliyar will be responsible for leading the company's global site engagement and study start-up efforts, including study start-up operations, site identification, site start-up and activation, ethics and regulatory submissions/approval and patient recruitment. She brings more than two decades of clinical operations experience to her new role, including broad therapeutic expertise and experience in leading large-scale global clinical development programs.

As senior vice president, Study Start-Up, Aliyar will focus on fostering strong site relationships to optimize timelines and deliver rapid study start-up for global clinical trials, establishing the foundation for successful collaboration across the duration of a study.

Developing long-lasting relationships with clinical research sites is critically important to our ability to deliver best-in-class clinical development solutions for our customers, said Alistair Macdonald, chief operating officer, INC Research. Study start-up is an essential phase in this process because it serves as the initial interaction point with sites and customers and defines the relationship for the duration of the trial. The appointment of an experienced and dynamic leader for this important function demonstrates our commitment to delivery of innovative and effective site selection and start-up strategies that provide valuable time-saving results for our customers.²

Prior to joining INC in September 2012 to lead site start-up and regulatory for Europe, Aliyar held senior management positions at global CROs and at an international biopharmaceutical company. Under her direction, INC Research's team will deliver a personalized and integrated approach that optimizes the start-up experience through strengthened collaboration and improved information exchange with our site partners.

With 48 per cent of studies failing to meet enrollment targets and more than 11 per cent unable to recruit a single patient, the industry faces many challenges today in trial execution, said  Aliyar. My team is committed to establishing partnership principles with sites to ensure they are motivated and well supported to deliver on enrollment targets, which are vital to a study¹s success. The depth of this support will showcase the strength, reliability and consistency of our proven process.