October 2, 2024 – The Society for Clinical Research Sites (SCRS) is honored to announce the 2024 recipients of the SCRS Eagle Award: Merck —known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, as the sponsor recipient and Parexel as the CRO recipient.
Since 2009, the SCRS Eagle Award has been a tribute to exceptional partnerships forged between sites and the CROs and sponsors they work with every day. Sponsored by Advarra, the award honors sponsors and CROs showcasing exceptional leadership, professionalism, integrity, passion, and commitment to advancing clinical research through collaboration with research sites.
Clinical research sites globally voted for sponsor and CRO partners that consistently provide reasonable budgets for all clinical trial costs, negotiate equitable contract language, execute prompt payments, incorporate site input on protocol design and study execution, and provide responsive communication, among other criteria. The sponsor and CRO recipients were chosen according to the total number of votes cast by the global site community.
Merck team accepting the 2024 Eagle Award
Andy Lee, Senior Vice President and Head, Global Clinical Trial Operations at Merck, shared, “Clinical research is a collaborative effort and one that can only be achieved with dedicated sites and staff that continuously strive for excellence. This teamwork allows us to achieve our societal goals, bringing new therapies and hope to patients around the world. Together, we ensure that ‘No Patient Is Left Behind.’ So, thank you to all the patients, sites, staff, IRBs, partners, nurses, CRAs and so many others who diligently work to meet our collective goals.”
Parexel team accepting the 2024 Eagle Award
“We are incredibly honored and grateful to have been chosen as the CRO recipient of the SCRS Eagle Award for the second consecutive year,” said Teri Karcher, PhD, Chief Drug Development Officer and Executive Vice President, Head of Launch Excellence, Parexel. “At Parexel, we believe that empowering and supporting our site partners is crucial to advancing clinical research and improving patient lives. This recognition reflects our commitment to excellence as a preferred partner for sites and inspires us to further refine our site-focused approach in trials.”
“Consistent listening and feeling heard were anecdotes from many of this year’s SCRS Eagle Award voters. With 2,400 sites globally participating in the voting process, SCRS is pleased to present this year’s Eagle Award to Merck as the sponsor recipient and to Parexel as the CRO recipient,” added Sean Soth, Senior Vice President of Strategy and Partnerships at SCRS. “’Partner for progress, innovate for impact’ is the theme for this year’s Summit and provides a backdrop for the work ahead. SCRS members are focused on the correlation between site success and study outcomes and will continue to collaborate with industry to build best practices together. The Eagle Award celebrates those collaborations. Special thanks to every site working hard for patients across the globe and congratulations to Merck and Parexel on earning back-to-back Eagle Awards.”
The awards were presented at the 2024 SCRS Global Site Solutions Summit Eagle Award Gala & Awards Dinner sponsored by Advarra. Learn more about the Global Site Solutions Summit and Eagle Award at sitesolutionssummit.com.
About the Society for Clinical Research Sites (SCRS)
The Society for Clinical Research Sites (SCRS) is the leading advocacy organization dedicated to unifying the voice of the global clinical research site community. Representing more than 11,000 research sites in 54 countries, SCRS facilitates industry collaborations and conversations dedicated to site-focused advocacy, education, mentorship, and connection. SCRS is an active and influential champion for sites in industry initiatives to ensure that the perspective of sites is heard and valued. Learn more and get involved at myscrs.org. Our voice. Our community. Your success.
