Workshop on clinical trials

Between September 30 and October 2, 2025, a workshop entitled Clinical Trials Workshop: 𝐻𝑜𝑤 𝑡𝑜 𝑔𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑠𝑐𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑓𝑖𝑐 𝑒𝑣𝑖𝑑𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑎𝑣𝑜𝑖𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑝𝑖𝑡𝑓𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑠: 𝑇𝑟𝑖𝑎𝑙 𝐷𝑒𝑠𝑖𝑔𝑛, 𝑆𝑡𝑢𝑑𝑦 𝐶𝑜𝑛𝑑𝑢𝑐𝑡 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐷𝑎𝑡𝑎 𝐴𝑛𝑎𝑙𝑦𝑠𝑖𝑠” was conducted at Nicolae Testemitanu State University of Medicine and Pharmacy. 

The course was held by Dr. Oana Brosteanu, general director of the Clinical Trial Centre (ZKS) at the University of Leipzig, Germany, and Dr. Dirk Hasenclever, senior biometrician at the Institute of Medical Informatics, Statistics and Epidemiology at the same university. 

The workshop participants were specialists from medical fields such as oncology, hematology, pulmonology, urology and surgical nephrology, neurology, gastroenterology, obstetrics and gynecology, social medicine and management, mental health, medical psychology and psychotherapy, rheumatology and nephrology, as well as representatives of the University Ethics Committee, clinicians and students engaged in data analysis or experimental design. 

Throughout the program, participants benefited from the expertise of the trainers and carried out interactive activities to consolidate theoretical and practical skills.

The closing session was moderated by the Vice-Rector for Research and Innovation, Associate Professor Jana Chihai, who noted that the workshop represented a valuable opportunity for participants to improve their knowledge, build collaborative relationships and contribute to the development of relevant initiatives in the field of clinical research: "The workshop addressed the conceptual, methodological, statistical, regulatory, management and practical aspects of prospective clinical trials: everything a future study coordinator should know", the vice-rector pointed out. 

The course is an adaptation of a course developed at ZKS Leipzig, based on two research projects - "Consolidation of Research Capacities in Moldovan Higher Education Institutions" within the framework of the Moldovan-German bilateral Program ProMoMo, funded by the National Agency for Research and Development, and "To implement activities that leverage the positive impact of migration on Moldova's development through improved policy evidence and better engagement of the diaspora" (DiaMed@USMF), funded by the World Health Organization. The coordinator of the projects from Nicolae Testemitanu State University of Medicine and Pharmacy is University Professor Stanislav Groppa, Head of Department of Neurology No. 2 and of the Laboratory of Neurobiology and Medical Genetics. The coordinator of the project from the University of Leipzig is Dr. Victoria Reinhardt, representative of the medical diaspora. At the end, each trainee was awarded a certificate of participation. 

The German experts' work agenda also included a fact-finding visit to the research laboratories in Leonid Cobaleanschi Teaching Building No. 1, guided by professors Mihail Todiras, head of the Health and Biomedicine Research Centre, and Olga Tagadiuc, head of the Molecular Medicine Centre, who presented the scientific facilities and opportunities for collaboration in the field of biomedical research.