July 16, 2026 @ 11:00am ET
Artificial intelligence is no longer a distant promise for clinical research — it’s already reshaping how sites manage source documentation, regulatory compliance, finance, and more. But with a flood of tools, vendors, and hype competing for attention, sites need a clear framework for navigating it all: what should your team build or configure on your own, what should you expect from the platforms you already use, and where do purpose-built AI solutions offer a genuine leap forward?
In this webinar, CRIO Chief Innovation Officer Mike Wenger will be joined by a panel of clinical site operators who are actively implementing AI across their organizations. Together, they’ll cut through the noise and share a practical, vendor-agnostic framework for evaluating AI opportunities — drawing on real examples from eSource, document review, regulatory compliance, and financial operations. Whether you’re just getting started or looking to accelerate your AI strategy, you’ll walk away with concrete guidance you can put to work immediately.
Join us for an honest conversation about what’s working, what’s overhyped, and how forward-looking sites are using AI not just to work faster, but to raise the bar on quality and compliance across every trial they run.
Key learning objectives:
- Identify which AI use cases are best suited for self-implementation versus what to expect from existing technology vendors versus purpose-built AI solutions — and apply a practical framework for making that distinction at your own site or network
- Recognize the highest-impact areas where AI is delivering measurable results in clinical research operations today, including source documentation, regulatory compliance, and financial workflows
- Evaluate AI tools and vendor capabilities with confidence, knowing what questions to ask, what red flags to watch for, and what “good” looks like as AI features become standard across the clinical trial technology stack
Speakers:
Mike Wenger – Chief Innovation Officer, CRIO
Mike Wenger joined CRIO as Chief Innovation Officer in 2025, bringing nearly two decades of experience building solutions that improve patient engagement, streamline clinical trial operations, and enhance site efficiency. As founder of VersaTrial (acquired by Florence Healthcare), co-creator of TrialScope Connect (now Citeline Connect), and a technology strategist at the Michael J. Fox Foundation, Mike has pioneered innovative solutions that remove friction from research. At CRIO, he’s harnessing AI to eliminate administrative burdens so site teams can focus on what matters most—their patients—while advancing CRIO’s mission to reimagine clinical trials.
Aneesh Vaze – Managing Director, Clinical Research Philadelphia
Aneesh Vaze is the Managing Director of Clinical Research Philadelphia (CRP), one of the region’s most experienced dedicated clinical research sites. Since 1996, CRP has completed more than 500 clinical trials across a wide range of therapeutic areas, with a strong focus on expanding patient access, improving diversity, and running studies efficiently.Before joining CRP, Aneesh was a Principal at Herspiegel Consulting, where he advised pharmaceutical and biotech companies on regulatory strategy, market access, and product launches across oncology, rare disease, and specialty therapies. That experience gives him a strong understanding of what sponsors need from sites—and how to deliver consistently. Aneesh is passionate about building practical, scalable research operations that make it easier for patients to participate in clinical trials and help bring new therapies to market faster.
Nick Spittal – Chief Operating Officer, Velocity Clinical Research
Nick Spittal is COO of Velocity Clinical Research, the largest global organization of fully-owned professional clinical research sites and founding member of the Association for Multisite Research Corporations. With over two decades in roles spanning clinical development, operations, and commercial responsibilities, Nick is a self-described “intrepreneur” applying innovative approaches and purposeful org design to fulfill Velocity’s vision of making clinical research accessible to all. Nick’s team is leading sites to deliver fastest startup, predictable enrollment, top participant engagement scores, and the highest quality data at scale for clinical Sponsors. He is a change champion and thought-leader for use of technology, artificial intelligence, and automation in research sites.
Sam Stein – CEO, ALSA Research
Sam brings a career’s worth of technology enabled growth experience to ALSA Research, where he oversees commercial strategy, sponsor engagement, and the digital patient recruitment engine that powers our multi site network. Before joining ALSA as a second generation partner in 2024 and taking over as CEO in 2026, Sam spent more than 15 years scaling software companies that sit squarely in the life sciences R&D continuum.
He most recently served as Senior Vice President of Marketing at DNAnexus, helping global pharma and academic groups adopt the Precision Health Data Cloud to manage and analyze multiomic and clinical trial data. Earlier, Sam served as Head of Americas and APAC at ArisGlobal, guiding the adoption of its LifeSphere drug development platform by hundreds of customers across the Americas, Europe, and Asia Pacific. Previously, he also managed the Life Sciences vertical at Exela Technologies, where he introduced digital workflow solutions to Fortune 500 life science clients.
Sam holds an MBA from UCLA Anderson and a B.A. in History with a minor in Corporate Strategy from Vanderbilt University.