Despite recognition from academic medical centers and pharmaceutical sponsors, the Clinical Research Professionals career field has struggled with limited public awareness and inconsistent expectations around education, experience and advancement. Emerging efforts to professionalize the workforce, including standardized competencies and formal training programs and certifications, have helped bring greater clarity and cohesion to career development while reducing historical barriers to entry.

Building on earlier career-mapping work, a new “Airport Concourse Model” reframes clinical research careers as a connected network of pathways spanning academic research sites, pharmaceutical and biotech companies, CROs, commercial IRBs and technology solution vendors. Rather than presenting careers as linear ladders, the model emphasizes intentional movement, flexibility and transferable skills shaped by education, experience, mentoring and individual interests. By illustrating diverse roles and real-world career journeys, the framework encourages professionals to navigate the field with purpose and confidence, helping transform clinical research into a career that is deliberately chosen rather than accidentally entered.

Congratulations to Dr. Jessica Fritter and all the co-authors and contributors on the publication. This work represents a meaningful and timely contribution to the clinical research and translational science community, offering clarity, vision and practical guidance for professionals navigating an increasingly complex field.