How patient focus drives clinical trial results: the intersection of sponsor, CRO, site, and patient

Kathleen Kane has worked in clinical research for 14 years. Throughout her career, she has held roles as a clinical research coordinator, regulatory specialist, project manager, monitor, and clinical operations manager. Kathleen is currently the Senior Manager of Clinical Operations within CIBMTR CRO Services at Be The Match. Kathleen is also involved in the Association of Clinical Research Professionals (ACRP) and is the current president of the ACRP Upper Midwest Chapter.

Kassandra Nealon is an accomplished Clinical Research Associate II at Be The Match, a nonprofit that facilitates bone marrow transplants and cellular therapies. With prior experience as a Clinical Research Coordinator, Kassandra has established herself as a respected professional and has played a vital role in the onboarding, training and mentoring of new CRAs. Her contributions extend beyond her organization, as she has published a children’s book, “Bye, Bye, Bad Blood” which aims to explain Leukemia in a light-hearted manner that children and their families will understand. She has also made significant contributions to the research community by publishing in esteemed medical journals, such as PRS and Scientific Reports, and by presenting at acclaimed national conferences, including the Academic Surgical Congress and the ACS’s Clinical Congress.

Brandi Bratrude is a Program Manager in Stem Cell Transplant at Boston Children's Hospital/Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. With 16 years of clinical research experience, she's worked with many clinical and research teams across the US, Canada and the Caribbean running studies including an investigator-initiated trial that lead to FDA approval of the first ever drug for Graft-versus-Host-Disease prophylaxis in patients undergoing stem cell transplant. Brandi enjoys the creativity and collaboration involved in running successful clinical trials and finds purpose in the important work of providing options for patients.

Dr Auletta is American Board of Pediatrics (ABP)-certified in pediatrics, pediatric hematology/oncology and pediatric infectious diseases. In addition to his clinical experience in caring for hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT) patients and immunocompromised patients, Dr Auletta’s research efforts include transplant immunology, infectious complications, supportive care, and immune-directed cellular therapies.

Prior to joining the National Marrow Donor Program® (NMDP)/Be The Match®, Dr Auletta was a physician at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and served as program director for both the Blood and Marrow Transplant Program and Host Defense Program—overseeing operations and strategic planning for both programs. He has previously served as Co-Chair for the CIBMTR® (Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research®) Infection and Immune Reconstitution Working Committee (INWC) and member of the NMDP IRB.

Today, Dr Auletta continues to serve as an adjunct professor of Clinical Pediatrics at The Ohio State University College of Medicine, and he is Chair for the Supportive Care Strategy Group of the Pediatric Transplantation & Cellular Therapy Consortium (PTCTC).

Dr Auletta completed his internship and residency in Pediatrics and his fellowships in both Pediatric Hematology-Oncology and Pediatric Infectious Diseases at University Hospitals and Case Medical Center/Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital. He earned his Doctor of Medicine from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and his Bachelor of Arts from Northwestern University.