Hosted by: Rutgers School of Health Professions Master’s in 
Clinical Research Management (MS CRM)
In Collaboration with NJ ACTS Workforce Development Core
“Clinical research is the heartbeat of healthcare,” said Dr. Tafuto. “The people who do this work — the coordinators, data managers, regulatory specialists, and research leaders — operate in the shadows. They hold the entire enterprise together. Days like this exist to say that out loud, and to make sure the next generation of professionals who do this work know exactly how much it matters.”
—Dr. Barbara Tafuto, Ph.D., MLIS
Clinical Trials Day 2026 Celebration
Clinical research’s largest celebratory events in New Jersey — a simultaneous, multi-institutional, multi-site celebration spanning Rutgers School of Health Professions, NJMS-University Hospital in Newark, RWJMSRobert Wood Johnson Hospital in New Brunswick, and the Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey.
The event, organized by the MS-CRM Program and NJ ACTS Workforce Development Core, brought together students, clinicians, researchers, industry professionals, and academic leaders for a full day of keynote addresses, panel discussions, poster presentations, and networking — united by a single mission: to celebrate and elevate the clinical research workforce that makes medical progress possible.
Highlights from the Event
U.S. Senator Andy Kim recorded a personal video message for the occasion marking a powerful statement of support for clinical research at a moment when federal science funding faces mounting uncertainty.
Dr. Reynold Panettieri, Vice Chancellor for Translational Medicine and Science at Rutgers University and Principal Investigator of NJ ACTS, the New Jersey Alliance for Clinical and Translational Science, whose member institutions reach nearly 7.5 million of New Jersey’s 9 million residents, delivered remarks grounding the day in its statewide translational science mission.
Dr. Jeffrey L. Carson, Provost of New Brunswick for Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences and Distinguished Professor of Medicine, delivered the keynote address at the Robert Wood Johnson site — bringing to the stage a career defined by using rigorous clinical trial design to reshape national standards of care.
Contact Us
Barbara Tafuto, Ph.D.
Interim Program Director
MS in Clinical Research Management Program
Assistant Professor Department of Health Informatics
Rutgers School of Health Professions
NJ ACTS Workforce Development Co-Lead
📧 bat82@shp.rutgers.edu
Yasheca Ebanks, M.S.
Program Manager, NJ ACTS Workforce Development Core
Program Administrator, Rutgers Health
Clinical Research Coordination Badge
Director of Internal Communications- ACTS-Translational & Integrative Engagement in Research (TIER) SIG
Association for Clinical and Translational Science ACTS- CIE
📧 yebanks@shp.rutgers.edu