The Human Protocol

In this episode of The Human Protocol, Theodora Savlovschi-Wicks is joined by Anna Titkova MD, PhD, MBA, Country Head Ukraine and Director of International Operations at Pratia. Anna shares how building Ukraine’s first dedicated clinical research unit in March 2020 became the beginning of a much larger story about leadership, responsibility, and continuity through crisis. This is a powerful conversation about clinical research in Ukraine, patient access during conflict, and what it takes to keep trials moving when safety, stability, and certainty can no longer be assumed. We also explore the human side of trial continuity, from local decision-making and team resilience to the real people behind every protocol, data point, and patient ID. Key takeaways: 🔸 Why Anna built a clinical research business in Ukraine during the first weeks of COVID🔸 What happened to patients, sites, and trial teams in the first days of the war🔸 Why Ukraine should not be written off as a clinical research location🔸 How sponsors, CROs, and neighbouring countries supported patient continuity🔸 What extreme circumstances taught Anna about leadership, empathy, and adaptability Host:Theodora Savlovschi-WicksLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/theoswicks/ Guest:Anna Titkova MD, PhD, MBALinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anna-titkova-clinical-operations-medical-affairs/Key chapters:00:00 Introduction to Anna Titkova04:36 Building Clinical Research in Crisis07:42 Navigating War, Resilience, and Responsibility10:46 The Impact of War on Clinical Trials13:32 Why Ukraine Still Matters in Clinical Research16:40 Lessons from the International Clinical Research Community19:40 Leadership, Empathy, and Purpose Under Pressure25:33 The Future of Pratia Ukraine 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.

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 Host:Theodora Savlovschi-WicksLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/theoswicks/ Guest:Anna-Liisa PartsLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/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.

In the first episode of The Human Protocol, Theodora Savlovschi-Wicks is joined by Maria Milas, founder of CRAConnect and a leading voice within clinical research. Recorded during International Women’s Day week, this conversation goes beyond career paths and job titles to explore the reality of working in clinical trials, and the often overlooked role CRAs play in shaping patient outcomes. Maria shares her journey into the industry from a non-traditional background, what the CRA role actually looks like in practice, and why the biggest challenges in clinical research aren’t always technical, they’re human. This episode reflects the core of The Human Protocol: understanding the people behind the roles, and how their experiences ultimately shape the way trials are designed, delivered, and experienced. Key takeaways: 🔸 The CRA role isn’t just operational, it quietly sits at the centre of patient safety and data integrity🔸 You don’t need a scientific degree to succeed in clinical research but you do need adaptability and strong human skills🔸 Burnout in the industry often comes from mismatched expectations, not just workload🔸 Why peer-led communities like CRA Community are becoming essential support systems🔸 The gap between how technology is built and how it’s actually used in trials🔸 Why CRAs need more agency, and how that could reshape the industry long term Chapters: 00:00 Introduction01:10 Maria’s background and entry into clinical research05:20 Breaking into the CRA role without a traditional path09:00 What a CRA actually does day-to-day15:30 Early career challenges and expectations vs reality23:50 The reality of workload, pressure, and burnout30:40 Building CRA Community and supporting others38:20 Technology in trials: what’s working and what isn’t44:10 The future of the CRA role49:30 Final reflections Host:Theodora Savlovschi-WicksLinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/theoswicks/ Guest:Maria MilasLinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariamilas/ The Human Protocol is a podcast from Vivexa, exploring clinical conversations at the intersection of people and trials.Learn more about Vivexa Partners here: https://vivexapartners.com/ 🔔 Subscribe for more conversations on the people shaping clinical research.