The Department of Medicine leadership is establishing a new clinical research infrastructure. Its goals are to enhance efficiency, increase productivity, and ensure compliance and proper billing and collection of all research revenue. A new departmental Clinical Research Manager position was created to oversee clinical research operations, simplify processes, and provide support and education to investigators and study coordinators. Please join the Department in welcoming Jennifer Ayala as the newly recruited Department of Medicine Clinical Research Manager.

In her new role, Jennifer will be responsible for: (1) navigation of industry sponsored trials from initiation to completion; (2) ensuring that all research team members receive training; (3) assisting with research billing and regulatory documentation; (4) developing an educational program for investigators and coordinators; and (5) assisting with the creation of a research dashboard to assess productivity.

Jennifer is a graduate of Wesleyan University with over 12 years of clinical research experience at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore Medical Center. She began her career at Montefiore in 2007 as a Research Assistant for the Department of Family and Social Medicine managing research protocols in obesity and nutrition. She then worked as a Research Coordinator for the Department of Neurology assisting investigators with NIH funded epilepsy studies. Most recently, Jennifer served as the Education Coordinator for the Montefiore Einstein Office of Clinical Trials helping to build education and training programs for research coordinators working on industry-sponsored clinical trials. She also participated in developing centralized processes to streamline clinical research activity at the institution.

We spoke to Jennifer about her goals for advancing clinical research in the Department of Medicine and what drives her passion.

Can you describe your new role as Clinical Research Manager in the Department of Medicine?

I’ll be working closely with principal investigators, study coordinators, and division research administrators to facilitate industry-sponsored clinical trial operations. I’ll also serve as a resource to help guide study teams through trial processes and procedures at the institutional and departmental level, as well as identify opportunities for educational programming and other resources that can be useful to them.

What is your mission?

My overall goal is to ensure departmental compliance with institutional and federal guidelines, and to help investigators and study teams navigate the administrative, financial, and operational processes in order to increase efficiency and quality in their clinical trial research. I want study teams to be informed and well supported so they can continue to carry out their research activity to the highest standard.

Tell us about your first initiative?

I plan to meet with PIs and their study teams to discuss any challenges they may experience in their clinical research practice and gauge what solutions can be established to better assist them. By speaking to PIs and Study Coordinators directly, and taking stock of hurdles they are facing, we can build infrastructure that directly addresses their needs and that they find valuable.

How did you come to be interested in clinical research?

As an undergrad, I spent a lot of time learning about the intersection of race, class, gender, socioeconomic status, etc., and specifically focused on the ways in which the health of marginalized communities in urban environments is impacted by these social categories. As a Bronx native and lifelong resident, I wanted a career in healthcare that addressed the particular health disparities facing my community and others like it. One of the goals at Einstein-Montefiore is to support research that serves the surrounding community. I wanted to be part of something that examines our needs and develops health initiatives to tackle them -clinical research here does just that. Moreover, clinical trial research provides access to innovative treatments that may not have otherwise been available to this population. I feel good about helping to facilitate that.

What do you like to do outside of work?

Mostly I enjoy spending time with my family and friends. I also like cooking, bike riding, and practicing my calligraphy.

Contact Jennifer at jennifer.ayala@einstein.yu.edu