In clinical trials, trust isn’t a soft skill it’s the foundation of everything. But trust doesn’t just happen between patients and sponsors.

It begins with the teams who run the trials. Without strong leadership, mentorship, and ongoing training, operational cracks erode not only team confidence but also trial credibility.

In this episode, Melody Keel sits down with Cornelia Baumgartner, founder of Cetacea Clinical, to explore how mentorship, professional development, and team culture shape trust across rare disease, early-phase, and lean biotech environments. With over two decades of experience, from study nurse to strategist, Cornelia shares how clinical ops leaders can build resilient teams, embed trust at every layer, and position trials for success.

What you’ll learn:
• Why trust starts with leaders who mentor, train, and invest in their teams
• How ongoing professional development strengthens trial quality and culture
• The risks of misaligned outsourcing and the need for empowered internal teams
• The connection between mentorship, operational readiness, and regulatory trust
• Practical steps for sponsors to embed credibility without unnecessary complexity

Welcome to Beyond the Protocol—where authentic conversations about clinical research happen.

Hosted by Melody Keel, bringing together diverse professionals from across the industry to share insights and experiences about what it really takes to deliver successful clinical trials.

This isn't about perfect processes—it's about real people sharing real solutions.

Let's go beyond the protocol.

That's all for today's episode of Beyond the Protocol—where we explore what it truly takes to deliver successful clinical trials.

If you found value in today's conversation, please subscribe, share with your network, and leave a review.

Have experiences or insights to share? Reach out and be part of the conversation.

Join us next week as we continue to discover what lies beyond the protocol.

You can catch it on :

📺 LinkedIn Live

📺 YouTube ▶️https://www.youtube.com/@BeyondTheProtocol

🎧 Spotify ▶️https://open.spotify.com/show/5tJlyePbEkmXLEPzSPtBcK?si=d209a257a8224056

🎧 Apple Podcasts ▶️https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/beyond-the-protocol/id1798238612

🎧 Deezer ▶️https://dzr.page.link/Wy8E6rSXR7NpR15W7

🎧 Podcast address ▶️https://beyondtheprotocol.buzzsprout.com/

This Podcast is Sponsored by The Research Associate Group, Inc.

What if your training programs didn’t just meet compliance—but built your next generation of leaders?

In this episode, Melody Keel sits down with Celeste Brantolino, Senior Director at Exela Pharma Sciences and a 2025 Top 10 OnCon Learning & Development Professional, to explore how pharma and clinical organizations can transform training into a powerful leadership pipeline.

Drawing from her success leading scalable development programs and integrating AI-powered learning across operations, Celeste shares how smart L&D strategy drives real business impact.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How competency-based training can drive measurable promotion and performance outcomes
• What it takes to scale leadership development in GMP-regulated, cross-functional environments
• How immersive tech (AI/VR) is transforming onboarding and clinical readiness
• Why tying learning to culture, feedback loops, and operational systems is key to long-term success

If you're navigating high turnover, readiness gaps, or building internal talent pipelines, this conversation delivers the blueprint clinical ops leaders have been looking for.

Welcome to Beyond the Protocol—where authentic conversations about clinical research happen.

Hosted by Melody Keel, bringing together diverse professionals from across the industry to share insights and experiences about what it really takes to deliver successful clinical trials.

This isn't about perfect processes—it's about real people sharing real solutions.

Let's go beyond the protocol.

That's all for today's episode of Beyond the Protocol—where we explore what it truly takes to deliver successful clinical trials.

If you found value in today's conversation, please subscribe, share with your network, and leave a review.

Have experiences or insights to share? Reach out and be part of the conversation.

Join us next week as we continue to discover what lies beyond the protocol.

You can catch it on :

📺 LinkedIn Live

📺 YouTube ▶️https://www.youtube.com/@BeyondTheProtocol

🎧 Spotify ▶️https://open.spotify.com/show/5tJlyePbEkmXLEPzSPtBcK?si=d209a257a8224056

🎧 Apple Podcasts ▶️https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/beyond-the-protocol/id1798238612

🎧 Deezer ▶️https://dzr.page.link/Wy8E6rSXR7NpR15W7

🎧 Podcast address ▶️https://beyondtheprotocol.buzzsprout.com/

This Podcast is Sponsored by The Research Associate Group, Inc.

Building Representation Into the Trial

Clinical research can’t scale without inclusive leadership.

In this episode, Melody sits down With Danielle S. Mitchell founder of Black Women in Clinical Research (BWICR).

we go into the operational impact of building leadership that reflects the communities trials serve.

We explore how representation isn’t just a DEI initiative, it’s a business-critical lever for retention, execution, and trust across trial ecosystems.

• Why lack of representation drives burnout, turnover, and underperformance
• How BWICR and Noir Research Collective are shifting the clinical leadership pipeline
• The link between visibility, mentorship, and promotability in trial teams
• Why inclusive infrastructure is essential for long-term retention and quality
• What clinical ops leaders must unlearn to create equitable, high-performing teams

This episode is for everyone who believes that building diverse, inclusive leadership isn’t just the right thing, it’s what makes clinical research work better for all of us.

Welcome to Beyond the Protocol—where authentic conversations about clinical research happen.

Hosted by Melody Keel, bringing together diverse professionals from across the industry to share insights and experiences about what it really takes to deliver successful clinical trials.

This isn't about perfect processes—it's about real people sharing real solutions.

Let's go beyond the protocol.

That's all for today's episode of Beyond the Protocol—where we explore what it truly takes to deliver successful clinical trials.

If you found value in today's conversation, please subscribe, share with your network, and leave a review.

Have experiences or insights to share? Reach out and be part of the conversation.

Join us next week as we continue to discover what lies beyond the protocol.

You can catch it on :

📺 LinkedIn Live

📺 YouTube ▶️https://www.youtube.com/@BeyondTheProtocol

🎧 Spotify ▶️https://open.spotify.com/show/5tJlyePbEkmXLEPzSPtBcK?si=d209a257a8224056

🎧 Apple Podcasts ▶️https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/beyond-the-protocol/id1798238612

🎧 Deezer ▶️https://dzr.page.link/Wy8E6rSXR7NpR15W7

🎧 Podcast address ▶️https://beyondtheprotocol.buzzsprout.com/

This Podcast is Sponsored by The Research Associate Group, Inc.