Strategizing improvement within the Clinical Trials Institute

The Clinical Trials Institute was formally established in 2023 as a partnership between the School of Medicine and Public Health and UW Health to support clinical research professionals and participants as they advance discovery in the prevention, detection and treatment of disease. Bader said that her role, which she assumed in 2021, “did not come with a playbook,” but the goal was clear:  Build systems and processes that support enterprise-wide clinical research today and allow for future growth.

Bader draws on her academic training and her prior work experience in strategic, enterprise-level planning to lead change and facilitate process improvements on behalf of CTI.

How would you describe your work?

In partnership with Betsy Nugent, who is the UW Health chief clinical research officer and director of CTI, I help frame the strategic plan and create the portfolio of initiatives to achieve our goals of expanding patient-centric clinical trials, increasing participant engagement, and improving the overall experience for both internal and external stakeholders. I oversee multiple initiatives designed to align UW Health strategies with those of the School of Medicine and Public Health; standardize, streamline and optimize processes; improve internal and external customer experiences; and ensure that global quality standards and best practices are met.

What drew you to the role?

I have always been interested in medicine and the medical sciences. My father’s bout with cancer brought me to Madison, and I was humbled by, and so grateful for, the remarkable minds, hearts and talents of the medical teams and staff who took care of my father and my family. That experience underlined what was important, as well as what was missing in my career. After earning my M.S. in biotechnology from UW–Madison, I worked for several organizations including GE HealthCare, Labcorp Drug Development (Covance), and UW Health, and I experienced how one can be part of something bigger, serve patients, and improve societal health and outcomes. At CTI, I have found my career “home.” I am grateful and proud to serve in this role — it provides the best combination of medical science, research, innovation and discovery to deliver better patient care in a renowned academic health system. It embodies the Wisconsin Idea.

The Regents Award cites your effort to establish a universally applicable fee structure template for industry-sponsored clinical trials. Why was this important and how did you go about it?

It started by acknowledging that there were issues we needed to address: reduce budget shortfalls, facilitate efficient and reliable budgeting practices, and provide a consistent, quality experience for our industry sponsors. After we defined the problem, we determined the objectives and goals we wanted to achieve and developed a clearly defined scope. From there, I collaborated with the team to identify the deliverables, define our approach to achieving them and develop a detailed plan. Our team met bi-weekly for over a year to work through the plan, make decisions and review deliverables. I was fortunate to have a diverse team of thought leaders who were experts in their fields, and who actively and collaboratively engaged in the work.

What is the impact of your achievement in strategic planning and implementation?

Internally, it benefits the institution and research departments with improved research billing to consistently capture revenue and improve financial viability of studies. Operationally, it helped our fiscal and research teams streamline the budgeting and negotiation process and reduce turnaround time to get to a negotiated budget; provided a standardized, consistent mechanism for establishing study budgets with industry sponsors; and eliminated price competition among our own departments. Externally, it helped set expectations for our sponsors and provided transparency on the fees charged for study administration and conduct. We have been able to establish Master Trial Agreements with strategic industry partners and become their preferred partner for clinical trials.

How do you convince others that change is possible and even welcome?

My belief is that people want to do the right thing, want to do good work and personally succeed. I provide context and emphasize individuals’ roles in achieving strategic goals (the vision and the “why”). Managing to people’s unique strengths is important, so they are able to contribute and do their best work, and so is providing a roadmap and the means to get there. I try to carry all of this out with genuine empathy towards individual needs and concerns, and address those as part of the change process.

What do you like about your job?

At the top of the list: our leader, Betsy Nugent, who leads CTI. Betsy provides a compelling and inspiring vision, and her leadership style enables people to do their best work. I also appreciate the extraordinary people, the academic learning environment, the research, the innovation and the cultural diversity. I am motivated by working within an industry and an organization that can offer hope to many patients and families like my own, and being part of something greater that advances medicine, innovative treatments and therapies.

Aside from your work, what do you enjoy about living in Madison?

I appreciate the natural beauty, along with parks, hiking and biking trails, and I enjoy the urban amenities and local communities without the complexities and challenges found in larger metropolitan areas. I value the thriving farmers markets and co-ops, and the ability to live a balanced life. Madison is home to an outstanding university and academic health system, with a strong local economy made up of industries such as health care, technology, bioscience and public service.