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Speech at CLINICAL RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM

MR HAWAZI DAIPI, SENIOR PARLIAMENT SECRETARY FOR MANPOWER AND HEALTH, NANYANG POLYTECHNIC

Skills, training and development

Mr Chan Lee Mun, Principal & CEO, Nanyang Polytechnic

Mr Chan Heng Kee, Chief Executive, Singapore Workforce Development Agency

Ms Nancy Tan, Director, Human Resource & Talent Development, MOH Holdings and Chairperson of the WSQ Clinical Research Endorsement Committee

Ladies and Gentlemen

  1. Good Morning. I am happy to join you at this inaugural Clinical Research Symposium. It is good to see the industry gathered together to discuss key issues and share ideas. I’m very pleased to note the many distinguished speakers who will be sharing their experience on diverse topics related to Clinical Research including Professor N Sreeharan from the University of Surrey and Dr Philip Lake from Covance.
  2. Today, there are at least nine major global drug firms testing a few hundred drugs and vaccines in Singapore, for illnesses ranging from heart disease and gastro-intestinal disorders to diabetes and cancer. Some of these companies include Merck, GlaxoSmithKline, Sanofi Aventis, Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Lilly, Abbott, Novartis and Johnson & Johnson. This critical base of companies, together with our research institutes, has propelled Singapore’s progress in translational and clinical research.
  3. According to the Health Sciences Authority (HSA), about 130 new clinical research projects were initiated in the first six months this year. This is on top of the 500 active projects still on-going. Looking ahead, we can expect the number of clinical research projects to continue to increase.
  4. Today, we have an estimated pool of 400 clinical research personnel and contract staff to undertake clinical research activity. We need to deepen this pool of skilled manpower. To attract talent to enter and to stay in this growing area, we also need to create a more attractive career proposition. Today, I am pleased to announce two new manpower initiatives championed by a new consortium of industry stakeholders, together with the Nanyang Polytechnic and the Singapore Workforce Development Agency (WDA).

    WSQ Clinical Research Co-ordinators and WSQ Clinical Research Associates
  5. First, Nanyang Polytechnic and WDA will work closely with industry players to launch a series of Workforce Skills Qualification, or WSQ, certification courses in Clinical Research. Clinical research is a critical phase for pharmaceutical companies to ascertain that the drugs they are developing are effective, safe and can be made available to the public. We are all familiar with scientists and researchers who conduct the actual research and experiments to develop the drugs. But some of us may not know that each clinical research project also requires a dedicated team of skilled supporting personnel. There are two distinct groups of clinical research personnel who play critical roles - namely clinical research co-ordinators and clinical research associates.
  6. Clinical research co-ordinators assist the researchers in their conduct and implementation of clinical research projects. This includes recruiting and screening patients, retrieving data from medical records and electronic data entry, drawing and centrifuging blood samples, following up with patients and performing procedures according to study protocols.
  7. Clinical research associates, on the other hand, perform monitoring activities in accordance with Standard Operating Procedures, which include investigator/site selection as well as management and co-ordination of site related activities.
  8. The new Clinical Research WSQ Certified training courses will cover skills areas such as research methodology and ethics, good clinical practices guidelines, data collection in clinical trials and processing of laboratory results, some of which are currently transmitted informally through work experience today. The courses will help train mid-career professionals or fresh graduates of life sciences, pharmacy or nursing, for the roles of clinical research co-ordinators and clinical research associates. An existing clinical research worker can also upgrade his or her skills through the five levels of courses to progress within the industry, beginning with a Certified Clinical Research Co-ordinator and progressing to a WSQ Certified Clinical Research Manager.
  9. Nanyang Polytechnic will roll out the first course in the series by October 2010. We aim to train more than 150 new entrants over the next five years and also upgrade the skills of the current workforce.

    Formation of Clinical Research Consortium
  10. The relevance and effectiveness of these training programmes can only be ascertained and verified by industry. The current training modules in all programmes are tailored according to the Industry’s needs and preference. Therefore the support of the industry is crucial for the success of the initiative. I am, therefore, also pleased to announce that the industry has come together to form a Clinical Research Consortium to cohesively look into building the manpower capability needed to support clinical trial activities.
  11. The Consortium will identify training gaps, set training standards that reflect industry best practices and provide advice on suitable training programmes. To develop a career progression pathway of the clinical research personnel. It will work closely with the Ministry of Health’s Research Staff Career and Development Taskforce, which is responsible for charting the career and development of all healthcare professionals in Singapore.
  12. MOH Holdings (MOHH) has gone to great lengths to bring the key players together, facilitate discussions and forge consensus. Anchored by the health care clusters of Singapore, the Consortium also comprises all major players in the industry taking on different key roles. They include:

    (a) MOHH, the Singapore Clinical Research Institute (SCRI) and HSA to advise on policy matters;

    (b) Clinical research organisations and biopharma industry players to provide inputs on training needs and programmes; and

    (c) Education and training partners such as Nanyang Polytechnic and the National University of Singapore Academy of GxP1 Excellence (NUSAGE).
  13. The Consortium will advance industry knowledge and practice through industry forums and networking sessions, conferences, overseas immersion programmes and scholarships. Today's symposium effectively kick-starts the work of the Consortium.

    Conclusion
  14. I am confident that the upcoming Clinical Research WSQ Certification programmes will be a good stepping stone for those looking at a career in Clinical Research. I am equally heartened by the determination of the industry to provide a solid platform for Clinical Research development and growth through the new Clinical Research Consortium.
  15. I hope that this symposium will promote a good discussion and sharing of ideas and best practices on Clinical Research and will become an essential fixture in the Clinical Research landscape.
  16. I wish each and every one of you a fruitful learning journey. Thank you. 
    1 GxP is a term for quality assurance in the pharmaceutical industry