In Part 3 of this three-part conversation, Liam and Ted wrap up their discussion with Robert Goldman, Vice President and Global Head of Clinical Operations at Contraline, on a question that lands in every ClinOps inbox: is “AI-powered” innovation or marketing? Robert explains why a dashboard from eight years ago isn’t new just because it has an AI label, how to test a vendor’s pitch, and why AI should support clinical judgment, not replace it. He also asks the question he puts to every AI vendor: if the hours saved are real, why aren’t drugs reaching patients faster?

It’s the same demand for evidence Robert brings to feasibility estimates and site selection in Parts 1 and 2 of the series. Listen to all parts of the conversation to see how it runs from the first plan to the latest technology.

In Part 2 of this three-part conversation, Liam and Ted continue their discussion with Robert Goldman, Vice President and Global Head of Clinical Operations at Contraline, to talk about why feasibility so often fails to predict what happens next.

Robert explains why historical benchmarks mean little for a study that has never been done, and what he would use instead: measurable assumptions, early performance indicators, and intervention points agreed in advance. Ted raises the feasibility question he has never seen on a questionnaire, and Robert explains why sites are afraid to answer it honestly. They discuss why sponsors budget for backup sites, why the fastest responders aren’t always the best, and how sponsors can build real relationships with sites before the selection process begins.

Join us in Part 3 of the conversation as Robert gives his take on AI in clinical operations.

In Part 1 of this three-part conversation, Liam and Ted sit down with Robert Goldman, Vice President and Global Head of Clinical Operations at Contraline, who brings nearly 20 years of clinical research experience spanning CRO roles and sponsor-side clinical operations, to talk about why the industry rewards optimism in planning and demands realism in execution.

Robert shares how a detour through Caribbean medical school led him into clinical research by accident, and what he has learned about how lean biotech teams succeed: knowing what to build, what to outsource, and what good looks like. Together they look at why feasibility estimates stay unrealistic when everyone is incentivized to present the best case, and why optimism is not an enrollment plan.

Robert leaves listeners with the question he would ask instead of “how many patients can you enroll?”: show me the evidence for your estimate, and tell me what happens when you’re wrong.