3 DCT, Hybrid &Centralised TrialsrdWorld Congress 2027 Europe

3rd DCT, Hybrid & Centralised Clinical Trials World Congress 2027 Europe

Where Innovation, Collaboration and Human‐Centred Design Meet to Transform Clinical Research

Millennium Hotel and Conference Centre Gloucester London, UK

Thursday 25th - Friday 26th February 2027

KEY INDUSTRY EXPERT SPEAKERS

Khadija Rantell

Senior Statistical Assessor

MHRA

Khadija Rantell

Senior Statistical Assessor

Khadija Rantell is a Lead Senior Statistical Assessor at the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) in the UK, where she has been working since 2013. Khadija has a wide experience in the critical appraisal of study design and data to support marketing authorisation applications, as well as the provision of scientific advice to companies. As part of her role at the MHRA, she also reviews clinical trial applications submitted for approval. Khadija received her PhD from Sheffield University in the UK and has worked several years in academia prior to joining the MHRA. She is a member of the ICH E20 Expert Working Group and the SISAQOL-IMI Consortium.

Mats Thoring

DCT Advisor, Pharmaceuticals Division

Bayer AB

Mats Thoring

DCT Advisor, Pharmaceuticals Division

Mats has worked in clinical research for more than 30 years. He spent 16 years leading Bayer’s clinical trial organisation in Scandinavia and has extensive experience in the planning and implementation of decentralized clinical trial (DCT) solutions. Mats has worked with decentralized approaches across a broad range of clinical studies and continues to support their practical application worldwide. He leads the working group responsible for developing the Swedish Knowledge Base for Decentralized Clinical Trials, an initiative aimed at capturing and sharing practical experience from the use of DCT elements in clinical research. In his current role, he supports Bayer study teams globally in the design and execution of decentralized and digital clinical trials.

Karina Morley

Global Head Research Innovation & Strategic Alliances BPM

AstraZeneca

Karina Morley

Global Head Research Innovation & Strategic Alliances BPM

Lewis Millen

Head of Clinical Innovation & Digital Solutions

UCB

Lewis Millen

Head of Clinical Innovation & Digital Solutions

Lewis is Head of Clinical Innovation & Digital Solutions at UCB. He has nearly three decades of experience in clinical development across pharma, biotech and CRO. He and his team bring meaningful innovation, including decentralised and hybrid approaches, into UCB's clinical programmes. The aim: to reduce complexity and burden for patients, caregivers and sites whilst improving study delivery and outcomes.

Kayuri Odedra

Associate Director, Patient Inclusion, EMEA Region

Abbvie

Kayuri Odedra

Associate Director, Patient Inclusion, EMEA Region

Kayuri brings over 20 years of broad cross-functional experience spanning research and development and commercials functions including regulatory affairs, patient experience and patient advocacy. With more than eight years dedicated specifically to patient engagement, she has built a distinguished reputation for elevating authentic patient voices and co-creating solutions that drive meaningful improvements in health outcomes. Currently serving as Associate Director, Patient Inclusion at AbbVie for the Europe, Middle East, Africa and Russia (EMEA) region, she leverages regional expertise to build a more inclusive and scalable clinical research ecosystem. In this role, she drives greater trial representation, stronger stakeholder alignment, and more inclusive research practices across a diverse and complex geography.

Lorna Allen

Community Engagement and Involvement Lead

Cystic Fibrosis Trust

Lorna Allen

Community Engagement and Involvement Lead

Lorna has been leading the Community Engagement and Involvement workstream at the CF Trust since November 2016, which has evolved from a reactive service to meet both organisational and industry demand, to becoming proactive and influential, ensuring the lived expertise of the CF community informs investment and strategic decision making from the outset. The CF community are living through a seismic shift in how the condition is defined, managed, treated and understood. CF is no longer a respiratory condition with co-morbidities, nor a predominantly paediatric condition. It is best described as a multiple long-term condition, with numbers of adults living with CF exceeding the number of children. Their expertise of living with chronic health alongside education, work, family and social lives exemplifies how the demands of health management and vigilance can influence innovative trial design that supports recruitment and practical participation. Lorna is also a CF mum to her daughter who is now 28.

Robert Mitchell-Thain

CEO

PBC Foundation

Robert Mitchell-Thain

CEO

Coming Soon

Rasmus Hjorth

Head of Communication

James Lind Care

Rasmus Hjorth

Head of Communication

Rasmus Hjorth has several years of experience working with engaging patients in clinical research as Head of Communication in the patient recruitment company, James Lind Care. His work experience centers around how to engage patients in clinical trials which includes working with developing services and communication that increases the awareness and interest about clinical research among patients. He also has years of experience developing advertisement- and information material for recruiting patients to clinical trials, resulting in engaging thousands of patients in several clinical trials. Rasmus holds a Masters degree in communication and besides his job as Head of Communication in James Lind Care he is also a member of the board in the Danish Lung Patient Association.

Van Zyl Engelbrecht

Head of Country Operations / Decentralised Clinical Trials & Innovation / Rare Diseases / Regulatory Affairs

Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc

Van Zyl Engelbrecht

Head of Country Operations / Decentralised Clinical Trials & Innovation / Rare Diseases / Regulatory Affairs

Coming Soon

Mats Sundgren

Senior Industry Scientific Director & Co-founder

European Institute, i~HD

Mats Sundgren

Senior Industry Scientific Director & Co-founder

Mats Sundgren, PhD, MSc, is Senior Industry Scientific Director and co-founder of the European Institute for Innovation through Health Data (i~HD). He brings over 37 years of pharmaceutical industry experience spanning drug discovery and development, clinical science, health data, and artificial intelligence. During 12 years as global lead for Electronic Health Record integration at AstraZeneca, he advanced the use of routinely collected healthcare data in clinical research. Through the i~HD eSource Scale-up Task Force, he brings together hospitals, sponsors and technology providers to develop practical guidance and standardised evidence supporting EHR-to-EDC adoption. Mats is also co-founder of CLAIR, the Conference of Leadership for AI in Research, which explores how leadership, critical thinking and organisational capabilities must evolve alongside AI. He chairs the IMIT Research Foundation (Institute for Management of Innovation and Technology) and serves on the board of the Center for Health Governance at the University of Gothenburg. He holds advisory roles with IgniteData, IOMED and ZS Associates. His work includes more than 80 publications, books and patents across life sciences, economics and social sciences, connecting technological innovation with organisational change and practical implementation.

Najy Alsayed

Global Therapeutic Area Head

A. Menarini Pharma

Najy Alsayed

Global Therapeutic Area Head

A recognized global pharmaceutical and biotechnology leader with over 25 years of track records of experience and expertise spanning drug development, BD&L and lifecycle management, medical affairs, market access, and commercialization. He led strategic functions at global, regional, and national levels across major therapeutic areas including infectious diseases & vaccines, oncology, and rare diseases, cardiovascular, CNS and in metabolic disorders. Awarded for building and leading high-performing international cross-functional teams in support of several blockbuster products launches, contributing to shaping industry best practices across pharma and biotech innovation. He is a reviewer in top international medical journals, a keynote speaker and primary author of a number of international publications Prior joining Pharma, he practiced for over 7 years as clinician in internal medicine & nephrology and as a researcher in CV & lipid metabolism in Paris, France and at the NIH in Bethesda, USA.

Senior Representative

Available Shortly

Biotech

Senior Representative

Available Shortly

Dr Andrew Fairbairn

General Practitioner

Oxford University Primary Care Clinical Trials Unit

Dr Andrew Fairbairn

General Practitioner

Dr Fairbairn is a General Practitioner who supports the team at Oxford University Primary Care Clinical Trials Unit in implementing clinical trials. He is also an NIHR General Practice Commercial Research Fellow, working to expand capacity for commercial research in out-of-hospital settings and increase participation among primary care practices."

Lucy Cureton

Senior Trial Manager

Primary Care Clinical Trials Unit at the University of Oxford

Lucy Cureton

Senior Trial Manager

Lucy is a Senior Trial Manager within the Primary Care Clinical Trials Unit at the University of Oxford. With extensive experience gained through her work on COVID-19 trials, she joined Primary Care primarily to oversee the running of PANORAMIC — an adaptive platform trial to identify treatments for COVID-19 by evaluating new antiviral therapies in the community. The trial recruited nearly 30,000 participants using innovative methods in a pandemic setting - results are currently being published. With nearly 20 years’ experience in clinical trials, Lucy has worked across various CTUs, primarily on multicentre CTIMPs across a range of disciplines. In her role as Senior Trial Manager, she oversees multiple studies and contributes to the running of the Unit. A recent achievement includes establishing a CTIMP recruitment centre within a branch of a high-street pharmacy, a first-of its kind initiative in Primary Care. Additionally, Lucy serves as an advisor for the NIHR Research Support Service, providing expertise on trial methodology, decentralised trials, NHS costing and UK regulations. Alongside her regular work, Lucy also acts as the CTU representative on the Department’s Athena Swan committee, is a proud LGBTQ+ ally, and an active part of the University’s Neurodiversity & Disability network.

Bernadette Mundy

Senior Clinical Research Nurse

University of Oxford Primary Care Clinical Trials Unit

Bernadette Mundy

Senior Clinical Research Nurse

Bernadette is the Senior Clinical Research Nurse at the University of Oxford Primary Care Clinical Trials Unit. Since joining the unit in 2017 she hassupported the delivery of a diverse portfolio of national and international Phase II to Phase IV clinical trials, including both CTIMP and non-CTIMP studies across a broad range of disease areas. Her experience spans face-to-face, hybrid, and decentralised research delivery across GP practices, care homes, community pharmacies, maternity outpatient services, and participants' homes. This diverse background has enabled her to work effectively with multidisciplinary teams and develop extensive expertise in supporting complex multi-site studies, delivering high-quality research across a wide range of healthcare settings and patient populations. Alongside study delivery, Bernadette has contributed to service improvement initiatives, workforce development, and the implementation of innovative approaches that enhance study quality, operational efficiency, participant experience, and access to research opportunities. Her work across community and primary care settings has provided a strong understanding of both the opportunities and challenges associated with inclusive, patient-centred research delivery. She is passionate about improving patient care through high-quality, accessible research. Her interests include developing research-active healthcare teams, reducing barriers to participation for underserved communities, and advancing innovative approaches that bring research closer to patients, improve accessibility, and support more equitable participation in clinical studies.

Emma Harper

Project Manager

Primary Care Clinical Trials Unit, University of Oxford

Emma Harper

Project Manager

Emma is a Project Manager at the Primary Care Clinical Trials Unit at the University of Oxford. She has 15 years’ experience in academic clinical research administration, with extensive experience supporting the delivery of international clinical trials in primary care settings. More recently, her work has focused on the delivery of decentralised clinical trials.

Dr Emily Bongard

Head of Operations, Primary Care Clinical Trials Unit

University of Oxford

Dr Emily Bongard

Head of Operations, Primary Care Clinical Trials Unit

Dr Emily Bongard is Head of Operations at the Primary Care Clinical Trials Unit, University of Oxford, where she leads operational strategy, resource planning, and the delivery of a diverse portfolio of clinical trials. With more than 25 years of experience in clinical research and infectious diseases, including over a decade in trial management, she has led national and international studies spanning multiple disease areas, trial phases, and innovative designs, including adaptive, platform, and community-based trials. Dr Bongard has played a key leadership role in several high-profile studies, including the PRINCIPLE adaptive platform trial and large-scale European antimicrobial resistance and diagnostics programmes. Her work focuses on developing risk-adapted, pragmatic, patient-centred approaches to trial delivery, with particular expertise in international primary care research and decentralised trial methods. She chairs the Oxford University CTU Operational Group, contributes to national trial management training through the UK Trial Managers Network, and teaches Clinical Trial Management on the University of Oxford's MSc in Evidence-Based Health Care programme. She holds degrees from the University of Exeter, UCL, and Cardiff University.

Dr Mona Koshkouei

Head of GMP Operations, PC-CTU

University of Oxford

Dr Mona Koshkouei

Head of GMP Operations, PC-CTU

Dr. Mona Koshkouei is a UK registered pharmacist, having completed their pharmacy degree at the University of Manchester and DPhil at the University of Oxford. Their career has been defined by a commitment to strengthening the safety, integrity, and digital maturity of healthcare systems. With specialist expertise in clinical governance, pharmacy ethics and practice, and digital implementation, Dr. Koshkouei’s work spans clinical service design, academic leadership, and health policy. With over 15 years practice in a wide range of clinical settings, they have led the development of healthcare services and clinical training frameworks that support high quality, digitally enabled clinical practice. As the Principal Pharmacist and Head of Good Manufacturing Practice Operations in the Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences Clinical Trials Unit at the University of Oxford, they provide senior pharmacy leadership across multiple clinical trials and research programmes.