As clinical trials become more expensive to run, well-rationalised collaboration and budgetary planning dictates are crucial, while unlocking valuable data insights with the deployment of technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) can increase a trial’s overall value and lead to improved patient participation.
To discuss these and other major themes in the clinical trials industry, Arena International’s Outsourcing in Clinical Trials (OCT) Southern California conference will return for its 14th edition in September 2026. Taking place in San Diego on 15 and 16 September, the conference will comprise of two streams, with Stream A focusing on outsourcing and clinical operations, and Stream B on AI, tech, and innovation in clinical trials.
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Getting proceedings underway on day one of Stream A, a keynote by Craig Chambliss, CEO and co-founder of Neurelis, will explore the power of clinical data and how study results can be turned into long-term strategic insights.
Chambliss will touch on topics including the benefits of post-hoc analyses in assessing additional effects of a study drug or treatment, teasing out a drug or treatment’s effects on subsets of a study’s patient population, and the best practices towards generating impactful publications post-study.
Later in Stream A, a panel discussion will focus on building smarter clinical trial budgets by better aligning planning to approval processes, with additional sessions on driving efficiency in clinical development and building flexible site liaison models to strengthen clinical trial stakeholders’ relationships.
Ndidi Rickert, senior director, GxP compliance at Kardigan Bio, will outline how cross-functional collaboration and governance models can be strengthened to keep complex clinical trials on track and inspection-ready.
Mid-morning, Stream B will kick off with a keynote from Robert Goldman, global VP of clinical operations at Contraline, focused on how biotechs can shift resource allocation into the right places to drive efficiency and ensure the responsible adoption of AI in clinical trials.
Other sessions throughout the afternoon in Stream A and B will focus on topics including how AI is finding missing patients for rescue studies and how to effectively communicate specifications with contract research organisations (CROs). Meanwhile, David Tsai, associate director, program management and clinical operations at Scribe Therapeutics, will provide insights into how innovation can be achieved within CliniOps with the use of AI.
Day two sessions include a panel discussion on responsible CRO governance, along with talks on why patients walk away from clinical trials and how to mitigate dropout rates. Additionally, other sessions will focus on ways to accelerate a study’s startup phase, and how to drive optimised cost predictability in clinical trials.
A detailed agenda for the 14th Annual Outsourcing in Clinical Trials Southern California 2026 conference can be accessed here. The conference is hosted by Arena International Events Group, a B2B events company owned by GlobalData, the parent company of Clinical Trials Arena and Pharmaceutical Technology.
Interested in attending or sponsoring OCT Southern California? Complete the form below and the Arena team will be in touch.
