How does expanding those investigator roles help address workforce challenges while increasing research capacity?

[lips smack] So I will say APs, um, are, are especially vital to our program here at HonorHealth.

Um, they recognize the importance of our role and the value that we bring to the care of our patients.

Um, one of the things that we hear often about is the fact that there is going to be a, a lack and physician shortage, um, especially continuing to increase, um, in the coming years.

And so APs are really poised to, to be able to step into that role, um, and help not take the place of physicians, but work alongside our physician colleagues, um, and really, um, enable us to expand the abilities of research.

So that may be, hey, maybe a nurse practitioner like myself, um, will be going ahead, going out into the communities, helping evaluate these patients, um, [lips smack] uh, for clinical trials before sending them back, um, and really help to be able to increase our clinical trial portfolio, um, essentially having more hands on deck.

Erin, for community oncology programs that are curious about decentralized trials but unsure where to begin, what is one practical first step you would recommend?

I will say the easiest thing is start small.