LaTisha Weaver is a Clinical Budget and Contract Negotiator with a game plan
Author: Katherine Cornish
Looking forward in life, she’s started her own consulting business to support contract negotiation needs for clinical research with the goal to complete an ongoing nursing degree and become a clinical site owner in the near future. In her current role, she works with clinical trial sites such as hospitals and universities as a clinical trial is getting started to make sure that all parties agree on the details in the clinical trial agreements or “CTAs” that guide the trial site in their operation of the trial procedures. She also makes sure that all parties have the current protocol, the correct budget templates, and other key trial documents such as a letter of intent or a letter of indemnity.
Like many people in their current positions, LaTisha moved in to her analyst role after life threw her a 180. As a parent, she had been laid off from her previous role and was able to get a new position with a central laboratory organization that provides lab services for clinical trials. “I was really good with Excel and numbers so I dove in,” she says. “I was able to get an understanding of what a clinical trial is after being there for a little while.” Over time, LaTisha had the opportunity to work with more and more clinical trial documents and to continue expanding her understanding of all of the processes that happen behind-the-scenes to make a clinical trial work. “The work orders for budgeting, the CTA for the scope of work… it was very intriguing,” shares LaTisha. After gaining oncology experience at Wilmot Cancer Center and Tufts Medical Center, she decided to take a big leap into building herself a foundation for a new future role as a site owner by becoming a licensed practical nurse (LPN).
“You suffer through imposter syndrome and you have to learn to stop fighting with yourself and actually trust yourself and your instinct,”
While juggling her new responsibilities, she’s found strength and support in clinical research advocacy and through her wonderful colleagues at Black Women In Clinical Research. “You suffer through imposter syndrome and you have to learn to stop fighting with yourself and actually trust yourself and your instinct,” says LaTisha. “I don’t need the nursing degree [to become a site owner], but I fight daily to be able to sit at tables with highly distinguished professionals, people having their PhDs and physicians. Whether it’s traditional or not traditional, I sit at the table with them.”
When asked about the drive to switch roles, LaTisha talks about wanting to make more of an impact and her passion for community engagement and education. “I want to first educate you on what’s going on. I want you to further understand the [condition] that you have and that you have options, options that other people haven’t already told you about… how a clinical trial may work for you,” she shares. She hones in on the importance of providing education to people in the communities – education about health conditions and about treatment options, not just about current trial opportunities. Empowering the community to feel confident in their understanding of their health condition and their options is important. Empowering someone to make informed decisions about their healthcare is what LaTisha aims for, and hopefully some of those decisions involve clinical trials. “People might have a feeling of not being heard,” she says, “I want to hear everything…. I want them to feel comfortable. I want them to know that we are here and that every voice will be heard.” Highlighting the need to get information into the community, “at the end of the day, it’s all about changing lives,” she says, “there are patients that can benefit from these studies.”
LaTisha brings her clinical trial knowledge and healthcare understanding with her and shares it wherever she goes. As an active advocate engaged in her church community, she talks about supporting her fellow parishioners through their healthcare needs: “being a member in the church who has gone to doctor visits with people or being that church sister that they call when they want to talk because a physician didn’t have proper bedside manner or because they’re not understanding what their drug or treatment is,” she shares. Advocating for clinical research is a balance of taking in the concerns of the community, empowering others through education, and amplifying this process wherever possible. Transitioning into a site owner role will be an effective way to continue bringing this brand of active, engaged support into the community on an even greater level.