How a Cancer Research Network Keeps Researchers at 1,000+ Institutions Trained, Certified, and Trial-Ready

With 20,000 learners across more than 1,000 hospitals, universities, and cancer centers, and no direct employment relationship, reaching the right learners was no small task. Here’s how a publicly funded clinical trials network made ExpertusONE its system of record and put training one click away for every researcher.

At a glance

• The Organization: A publicly funded cancer research network running multi-site clinical trials with researchers at more than 1,000 institutions in the U.S. and internationally.
• The Challenge: Keep over 20,000 researchers certified on current protocols and regulations, with no HR system, no single chain of command, and some of the busiest learners in healthcare.
• The Solution: The network used ExpertusONE as its system of record for training, certification, and recertification, with single sign-on, role-based learning paths, and built-in tools that bring training straight to learners.
• The Results: ExpertusONE creates network member accounts automatically at first sign-in, aligning researchers with role-specific learning paths and one-click access to training.

The Challenge

Training a workforce you don’t employ

Picture a research coordinator at a community cancer center. Her site just got approval to open a new clinical trial. Before her team can enroll a single patient, every investigator, nurse, and coordinator on the study has to be trained on the protocol. Now picture that same moment at hundreds of sites, all opening the same trial.

The real challenge becomes when the network must prove that every person, at every site, is trained on the current version.

Most organizations train their own employees. This network’s members work for more than 1,000 independent hospitals, universities, and cancer centers. There’s no HR feed to tell the LMS who joined, and no manager to make sure training gets done. And with requirements constantly evolving, there are many factors to consider:

• The roles differ. Physicians, nurse oncologists, clinical research associates, statisticians, scientists, pharmacists, and patient advocates each need different training.
• The protocols change. When a protocol or regulation is revised, everyone already enrolled has to move to the new version.
• The regulators are watching. Researchers must stay compliant with FDA, OHRP, and clinical trial requirements.
• The certifications expire. Certifications and recertifications have to be tracked across a distributed network.
• Two distinct audiences need access. Network members and learners from an affiliated nonprofit foundation require separate ways to access training.
• Learners have limited time. Oncologists and research nurses won’t browse a course catalog between patients.

In clinical research, a gap in any of these can compromise trial integrity, regulatory standing, and, ultimately, patient safety.

The network didn’t have a content problem. It had a reach problem.

The Solution

The network made ExpertusONE its system of record for member training, certification tracking, recertification management, and professional education. The approach was simple: make the right training easy to reach, and make compliance automatic.

Let the login do the onboarding

Network members sign in through the research community’s existing single sign-on identity system, and ExpertusONE creates their account on the spot. No forms, no waiting on an administrator, no user lists for 1,000+ institutions. Foundation learners use a separate native login, keeping the two audiences distinct inside one platform.

Match training to each role

Dynamic learner groups organize researchers by investigator type, department, and professional role. Each group receives the learning paths, certifications, and recertification programs relevant to its members.

Learners can self-enroll in eligible programs, while the network retains control over which activities count toward certification.

Bring the training to the learner

Instead of waiting for busy clinicians to find the catalog, the network brings training to them. Email campaigns send personalized invitations to targeted groups, dynamic shareable links put training on websites and partner portals, and direct content launch takes a learner from that email or link straight into the right course in one click.

Combine training formats in one system

The network delivers eLearning, virtual classrooms, and instructor-led training through the same platform, with Microsoft Teams powering virtual sessions.

Assessments, surveys, completion rules, and certificates help the network maintain a consistent record of training regardless of the delivery format.

Update the protocol once

When a course changes, content versioning and learning path enrollment transfer help administrators move enrolled learners to the updated version without rebuilding the entire program.

Additionally, when learners encounter problems, administrators can use impersonation to see the experience from the learner’s perspective and troubleshoot more effectively.

The Results

Today, the network trains, certifies, and recertifies researchers across 1,000+ institutions from a single system of record.

Before and after

The platform gives the network a more centralized approach to training across a highly distributed research community.

• The network can support consistent training standards. Researchers across its institutions can access the appropriate protocol and training materials.
• The platform supports compliance documentation. Assessments, completion rules, and certificates help document training activity.
• The network can centralize certification management. Certification and recertification records are managed across the network.
• Automated onboarding reduces manual account creation. Network member accounts are created automatically at first sign-in.
• Learners have more direct access to training. Email campaigns, shareable links, and direct course launch make it easier to get started.

Are you training people you don’t employ?

If two or more of these sound familiar, your learners are probably spending more time finding training than taking it.

• Your learners work for many different organizations.
• You don’t have an HR feed for most of the people you train.
• Someone on your team creates learner accounts by hand.
• Different roles need different certifications.
• Course updates mean re-enrolling learners manually.
• You rely on learners finding courses in your catalog on their own.

Key Takeaways

FAQs

See it for yourself

Every network is different. Bring us yours: your members, your roles, your certifications.