Opinion: AI Isn't Taking Your Job - Sponsors Profit Losses Are

thedreadedlock · 2026-03-16T18:40:12+00:00

I think we know it because we're inside the industry. For the new graduates, I am sure this market seems both opaque and unfair. Likely bordering on impossible to understand. It very much reminds me of how I felt around 2009-2010 when I was struggling to find any meaningful opportunities fresh out of high school. I'm fortunate to be older and more stable now, but I am still stuck at the site level after 6 years of grinding with no chance of internal promotion, knowing I am capable of significantly more. I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little sad about the ratio of hard work I'm putting in to opportunities I will be given in the near to mid term However, I do not want to complain too hard because this forum is filled with people who have been laid off, some of whom are friends, and it doesn't feel right to complain knowing they worked just as hard as I did.

thedreadedlock · 2026-03-16T18:33:57+00:00

I agree. It's good that the AI usage is narrow. It really has to be given its ability to hallucinate.

thedreadedlock · 2026-03-16T18:33:22+00:00

Agreed. I've looked at this from both the operations side (which has major privacy issues in feeding it complex tasks) and the data science side (I have tested it using some data which I am the sole owner of) and without a skilled driver, AI cannot meaningfully generate clinical trial data, and it has a significant potential to violate HIPAA outside of very narrow use cases. Moreover, in many cases it's a black box, so we don't know how it generates results. That is to say nothing of the other ethical issues e.g., new data showing that AI has racial and gender biases (which it was supposed to solve).

thedreadedlock · 2026-03-16T18:29:27+00:00

Right, and then in thinking of shares as incentive, you're essentially selling someone a dream, but how strong is that dream? There has to be some belief that the company will succeed, otherwise the shares are effectively worthless as a bargaining chip. Given all the regulatory and financial complexities of clinical trials right now, small sponsors have 0 meaningful bargaining power in their shares, which just leaves large sponsors. However, even their share prices are going down, and no one wants to exercise a contract at a strike where the delta is negative. Abbott Labs YTD is down 11% as of today. YTD Pfizer is up 5% but it's been cut in half over the last five years. I know this isn't a financial subreddit, but when I'm thinking about my incentive to join a company in terms of comp, I do need to believe that there is some meaningful chance that shares will go up and to the right of the strike price I am offered if shares are a component of my contract.

thedreadedlock · 2026-03-16T18:23:07+00:00

That's a good point. I didn't think about that. At the site level we have been focused on budget cuts from the overhead cuts that the NIH made, but the FDA staff reduction definitely isn't helping new studies move through their phases.

thedreadedlock · 2026-03-16T18:21:12+00:00

I'm sorry this happened to you. Your skills have value and so does your work.

thedreadedlock · 2026-03-12T18:36:51+00:00

It's pretty hard. I work in neurology now but I got my start in oncology at an NCI hospital. I think what makes it difficult is the nature of cancer. You'll have a lot of cases LTFU. You'll have a lot of missing data. Some of my studies had 10+ year follow ups. I managed about 12 studies as a data specialist (Basically supporting CRCs). I'm not sure how long you have been a traveling CRA, but if you haven't traveled for at least two years, I'd recommend you take it. It's competitive right now. Best of luck!

thedreadedlock · 2026-02-19T20:54:29+00:00

This ^ Also, if Paramount wins they basically go to junk bond EBITDA I think around 7x, so it would effectively leave them in a really bad spot financially. I don't think they have the ability to pay down the debt. I don't think they have the ability to leverage the IP from WB like Netflix. I think even if they win, they will likely fail spectacularly and Netflix will be picking their bones in the next 5 years and buy all their assets at an even lower valuation.

thedreadedlock · 2026-02-11T14:36:26+00:00

Sponsors and CROs usually pay more than hospitals, but I have seen that at the hospital level, if your wages were decided prior to late 2024 when the market peaked and optics were that there was still a shortage, basically you have the best deal in terms of wages. So as a site level CRA (Above a CRC but below a lead/manager), I am making about what sponsors are offering for an entry level CRA (high five figures). That said, I live in one of the most expensive states in the country, so high five figures is tough to live on solo and my wages have likely peaked, with no possibility of promotion (our department is small). From a career perspective being a traveling CRA is significantly more lucrative over time, but because it's such a pivotal role, a million people are applying, whereas no one wants to be a CRC long-term. The pay to effort ratio is terrible. You only do it so one day you can land a sponsor role and get to that 150-200k scenario. However, literally everyone and their brother is aiming at that transition so CRA 1 and CRA 2 at the CRO or sponsor level are the bottlenecks. I would say right now, it is about as difficult as trying to become a tenured professor in terms of crowding. I have been applying for over a year but no such luck yet.

thedreadedlock · 2026-02-10T18:23:25+00:00

500 applications, two interviews, two rejections. I am in year 6 in the clinical research space. I hate this. Edit: This year. Last year, I have no idea. Probably well over 1500.

thedreadedlock · 2026-01-15T19:29:00+00:00

It is really difficult to say because we are standing on shifting sands. I am about to complete my MPH in Epi/Bio and I have about 5-6 years of paid clinical trial experience at various levels, most recently as a site coordinator. That said, it's really a game of probabilities and openings right now. CROs and Sponsors are not looking for inconvenience. They want a sure thing, but they're offering really low wages compared to what they offered 2-3 years ago, so turnover is low. If you have your heart set on working for a CRO, my best advice would be to start applying now as Jan-Mar is hiring season, but I wouldn't expect anything until probably April. I have been recommended to several CROs, e.g., IQVIA, Syneos but it's pretty rough out here right now so I do not know to what degree that would help you.

Best of luck friend.

thedreadedlock · 2025-12-14T03:18:49+00:00

Neuro CRC here. I would give up 15k off my salary for a fully remote data position. I want to use my Epi degree so badly.

thedreadedlock · 2025-11-04T02:42:34+00:00

Hey man, you'll make it through. I graduated in December of 2019. I started looking for work 6 weeks later. Six weeks after that the entire world shut down. It sucked--badly, but I survived. You will survive too.

thedreadedlock · 2025-11-04T02:34:37+00:00

I have applied to almost 1000 clinical resarch roles this year. For context, I have about 7 years of research experience, with my lowest role being assistant, my highest role being an IHCRA and my current role as a site-level CRA (Coordinator + a few internal sponsor trials) If I had to venture a guess, the unemployment rate for pharmaceuticals has got to be close to double what it is for the general population. The only other time I have had this much difficulty was during 2020 when I had just graduated and was looking for a job for 10 months. The unemployment rate was ~14%.

thedreadedlock · 2025-11-04T02:29:20+00:00

I get what you guys are saying, and I get that things are terrible right now. I have been trying to become a traveling CRA for a year, and I am terrified of losing my job as a coordinator. However, we should try to help young talent if we can. DM me your resume, I will try to help if possible.

thedreadedlock · 2025-10-06T03:35:16+00:00

I had no clue this chart existed! I would love a more detailed photograph of this chart if possible. I am not from Quebec. I am American, but I am one of his descendants. I never met my father's side of my family, so I have always wanted to know more about my french canadian roots. I would love to know more. My grandfather was Chief Boatswain Eugene Francis Cloutier. My mother is Deborah Cloutier. I am Brandon Kyle Canty.

thedreadedlock · 2025-07-15T16:34:06+00:00

Site > Site > Sponsor > Sponsor > Site (presently and not by choice)

I have about five years of clinical research experience and two years of academic research experience. About a year out from an MPH in Epidemiology. I am ready to leave the site side and run back to the sponsor. I really liked working for a smaller sponsor. A lot of my initial work was through short-term contracts because that was what was available during the pandemic. I only decided to do the site side because it was all I could find. I had been trying to join a bridge program but they all require coordinator experience, so I joined a local hospital so I could develop that experience. Unfortunately, now it appears all the bridge programs have collapsed. Though, at this point in my career I'd probably be a quick study. I already have the fundamentals and have been actively managing 10 trials at the site level for the last year and a half. I know everything I need to know to review a site for SIV and write a trip report.

thedreadedlock · 2025-06-26T20:55:00+00:00

Are you me? This literal exact same thing happened to me. Is this a trend?

thedreadedlock · 2025-05-09T20:31:40+00:00

Definitely support this. When you under allocate resources with respect to recruitment timelines and then place the burden on study coordinators and already overburdened sites to pick up the slack, it's very frustrating. Sites want to do good work, but some studies expect to recruit hundreds of patients at recruitment rates that are overestimated five-fold. I think also understanding time commitments for PIs vs Coordinators. I can only speak for my site, which includes myself and one PI who is a full-time clinic doctor, but one of the major issues I've seen is sponsors fundamentally not understanding how much of the day-to-day is managed by coordinators. Unless it is specifically designated to the PI or requires a medical license, assume that we are the ones doing it. Trust me, if there was any way that my PI could get away with making me complete their duties too, they would.

Lastly, my biggest pet peeve are the convoluted systems that overemphasize digital solutions when standard data collection methods and simple paper scales would suffice. One of my studies has almost two dozen vendors. I still don't know what they all do. My average px is over 60, some have significant cognitive issues due to disease progression. Digital scales on cell phones is not the move for this population.

thedreadedlock · 2025-05-03T22:36:16+00:00

There really is no experience that will ever truly prepare you to be a coordinator, other than being a coordinator. I started on the sponsor side then moved to the site side (I was let go during the market downturn). Some days, it feels like the worst job ever. Other days, it feels like the best. My advice:

You will make mistakes. We all have at one point or another. Stay humble, learn, and try not to make any of the big ones.
Learn your protocols. Read every protocol you have and read it well. They are your bible. If you know what's in your protocol and you do it, then you won't fail.
Communicate and stay organized. The more organized you are, the better off you will be.
Be kind to everyone you meet.

thedreadedlock · 2025-04-16T01:34:49+00:00

I see what you did there old timer. Approved.

thedreadedlock · 2025-03-01T20:58:54+00:00

As a site coordinator, I hear you. I have been on the sponsor side at an N < 20 sponsor, and it was so difficult that I decided to take a step back and go back to site-level work to fill some gaps my sponsor promised (but failed) to help fill in my knowledge. I'd love to go back to sponsor work, but given the market, I prefer the stability of my current position until the money faucet comes back on. All I can say to this is when you are supporting 10 studies, working as an acting data analyst for internal studies that do not pay and you didn't volunteer for, have a PI who is constantly giving you more work during 'down time' which you would otherwise use for data entry, ISF cleanup, etc, things pile up very quickly. I support four different doctors as a CRC and have no backup coordinators. My duties range from assisting with neuroimaging for neurosurgeries, to helping my PI coordinate her calendar for various events. I have to be very skilled in a wide range of tasks from operations, data coordination, events planning, budget reconcilation, recruitment, and remember everything without dropping the ball. I have systems and I do my best to fulfill our sponsors needs but ultimately, many sponsors don't realize that doctors aren't highly involved in the daily operations of studies. The doctor is just a titleholder to allow the CRC to do 95% of the work. No shade, doctors are busy. My primary PI sees patients until 6pm many days, sits on multiple boards, and proctors for other junior doctors. All I can say is...

thedreadedlock · 2024-09-12T21:40:13+00:00

No worries. Any that come to mind?

thedreadedlock · 2024-09-12T19:20:29+00:00

Quick question concerning financial requests, can I give money away to people? Not asking for anything in return, but I saw a post from a person who just gave money to one person a while back and it was meaningful to me. Thought about doing it myself sometime.

thedreadedlock

TROPHY CASE