Building Better Clinical Tech for CRAs with Anna-Liisa Parts
In the second episode of The Human Protocol, Theodora Savlovschi-Wicks is joined by Anna-Liisa Parts, COO and Co-Founder of Menken Trials. Anna-Liisa shares her path from genetic engineering into clinical operations, her years as a CRA and clinical lead, and the workload pressures that pushed her to build rather than wait for the system to change. What follows is a grounded conversation about what clinical tech gets right, what it still gets wrong, and why tools built without real operational context rarely solve the problems they promise to fix. We talk about essential document management, adoption, integration, burnout, and the gap between software built for procurement and software built for the people who actually use it. We also explore a more human question: what if automation gave CRAs back time to think, connect, and build better relationships with sites? Key takeaways 🔸 Why Menken Trials started with essential documents and repetitive CRA workload 🔸 Why clinical tech needs real end-user input, not just technical ambition 🔸 What burnout looks like in CRA roles, and why it feels different from management 🔸 Why automation should create more space for human interaction, not less 🔸 Why networking early matters for anyone trying to enter clinical research Key chapters: 02:10 Anna-Liisa's Journey in Clinical Trials 06:08 The Birth of Menken Trials 07:00 Addressing Document Management in Clinical Trials 10:10 Improving Adoption Rates Through Experience 12:40 The Importance of User-Centric Design 17:54 The Role of Networking in Career Development 23:51 Future Plans for Menken Trials 27:46 Automating to Enhance Human Interaction 29:34 Advice for New Graduates in the Industry Host: Theodora Savlovschi-Wicks LinkedIn: / theoswicks Guest: Anna-Liisa Parts LinkedIn: / annaliisaparts The Human Protocol is a podcast from Vivexa, exploring clinical conversations at the intersection of people and trials. 🔔 Subscribe for more conversations on the people shaping clinical research. #TheHumanProtocol #ClinicalResearch #ClinicalTrials #ClinicalOperations #CRAs #ClinicalResearchAssociate #ClinicalTech #HealthTech #DrugDevelopment #SiteManagement #ClinicalInnovation #LifeSciences #TrialTechnology #ClinicalCareers #BurnoutInClinicalResearch
