Clinical Research is the process of the systematic evaluation, in human participants, of the safety, efficacy, effectiveness, and value of “health care and medicinal products” new drugs, devices, diagnostics, and treatment regimens intended for human use, to maintain and advance human health. The global Clinical research industry today is evolving rapidly to adapt to advancing science, medicine, technology, and ethics. The Covid 19 situation has contributed to further accelerating this evolution. In the years ahead, India too, can a play a significant positive role in the Clinical Research arena, both global and local, even as it leverages the potential CR opportunity and caters to the CR needs. St. Xavier’s College is an autonomous educational institution, which strives to shape men and women who will build a more just and humane world. Envisioning to be an academic community dedicated to the holistic education of future leaders who will demonstrate innovation in their professional competencies, integration in their personal lives, and inclusion in their social contribution, the college strives for an intellectual endeavor that focuses on critical and creative thinking, with the aim of social transformation.

Being an Autonomous Institute, St. Xavier’s College has a fair amount of academic liberty and flexibility towards the design and delivery of clinical research courses. The Clinical Research Course, hosted by the St Xavier’s Department of Life Science and Biochemi

stry, was initiated in 2007 as a Certificate Course and converted soon thereafter to a Diploma Course in 2008. St. Xavier’s quality of services is facilitated through a 3-pronged approach which includes Selection: A judiciously screened and selected student cohort each year Design: A carefully designed curriculum, practical course content, and sound post course support; and Delivery: A knowledgeable, experienced, faculty delivering with commitment and passion. “Our course has six (06) Modules both foundational, and subject oriented, including a hands-on Clinical Data Management Module introduced in 2013. There is also a soft skills module to ready the students for life and work in the real world. Till date, 279 students have completed this CR Course from St. Xavier’s College(Certificate 14 and Diploma 265) and the average placement rate of the students has been over 80%” states Shehnaz Vakharia, Course Director, St. Xavier’s College.

Many students of St. Xavier’s College are currently successfully fulfilling their responsibilities, with reputed organizations, in the areas of Clinical Research Operations, Management, Compliance, and Allied areas. “We would like to take this opportunity to name a few of our students. Some of the names include Varun Nair has been working as a Medical Quality and Compliance officer in Pfizer India, Aarti Kaale has been working with Novartis as a Clinical Project Manager (Regional), Shetal Lotia is positioned as Local Trial Manager of Global Clinical Operations with Johnson & Johnson, and many more,” shares Dr. Seema Das, Course Co-ordinator St. Xavier’s College. She further adds, “A further testament to the efficiency and success of this course is that students who like to teach are also inclined to come back as faculty once they have established themselves in the clinical research industry after obtaining their diploma in clinical research. Even our two long-serving Course Managers Dr. Rahul Sohoni, and Kshiteej Sode were both students of this course.”

The success of our students in their journey of life is gratifying reward and recognition for this course, this institution, and all those associated with it

St. Xavier’s College has recently celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2019 (Made of Xavier’s) and is looking to scale greater heights in the years ahead. Taking a step ahead in terms of technology, since the last 2 years, the college has been delivering the entire course on a virtual platform (through Zoom), and for conducting the course evaluation, this year, St. Xavier’s College has begun to use a new platform, ‘classmarker’. “We thrive on the learning and future success of our student community, even as we align with the larger goals of St. Xavier’s college. The success of our students in their journey of life is gratifying reward and recognition for this course, this institution, and all those associated with it. In the larger scheme of things, we are after all ‘Made of Xavier’s’”, concludes Dr. Aamir Shaikh, Course Director, St. Xavier’s College.