Ep 2.27: 31 Years of Clinical Trials, Here's What Ted Trafford Knows for Sure

In this special episode, we mark Ted Trafford's 31st year in clinical trials with a candid reflection on what three decades in this industry actually teaches you.It started with a LinkedIn post Ted wrote where is says that after 31 years, he said he'd learned nothing. Listen in to hear what he meant by this. Liam and Ted go on to discuss the more experience you accumulate, the more you realise how much you still don't know. Liam frames this through the circle of competence: as your knowledge grows, so does your awareness of everything sitting outside it. Thirty-one years in, Ted feels that more than ever, and both hosts agree that the willingness to say "I don't know, can you explain that to me" is what separates people who keep growing from people who stop.The conversation also turns to recruitment, where Ted has been quietly building a list of every factor that affects clinical trial enrollment. One item on that list stands out: story. Most sponsors, Ted argues, don't have a compelling narrative around their molecule or their trial, and that gap costs them more than they realise. Liam connects this to something much older than clinical research. Humans have always been moved by story before they're moved by data.This episode is a grounded, honest conversation about what it means to spend a career in this industry, and still be learning.