UCSD clinical research coordinators call out exploitation at work and its impact on patients & research

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On June 2, a report outlining dysfunction at UC San Diego Health's Moores Cancer Center (MCC) was published in The Cancer Letter and later followed by additional coverage from the San Diego Union-Tribune. The litany of issues that ultimately led to high-profile resignations and departures amongst top leaders at Moores Cancer Center have been well-documented, but little has been said of the impact that mistreatment of staff have had on the people doing the day-to-day work of the cancer center.

Research coordinators in the Clinical Trials Office at MCC are now speaking out about the retention crisis among frontline staff. These workers play a vital role in conducting and overseeing clinical trials and contributing to advancements in cancer prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. They say management has created an atmosphere of low morale and high turnover through rampant employee misclassification, which impacts clinical trials and the ability of staff to provide the highest quality research and patient care.

Systematic misclassification affects people's career prospects, undermines morale, damages recruitment and retention, and makes it difficult for research staff to dedicate themselves to their work while struggling to live in the San Diego area. 

"Even Dr. John Carethers, UCSD vice chancellor for health sciences, has admitted that turnover is an issue at Moores Cancer Center, but thus far nobody is talking about why this turnover is occurring. This shouldn't be complicated for them to figure out—when MCC leadership systemically exploits and disenfranchises the people actually doing the work, it leads to low morale and turnover," said Alexis Oberg, a Clinical Research Coordinator Assistant at MCC.

In October of 2022, clinical research coordinators in the Clinical Trials Office at MCC delivered a petition detailing their concerns to Dr. Joseph Califano, the director of MCC, as well as Dr. Sandip Patel, the former Director of the Clinical Trials Office. The petition was signed by over 72% of clinical research staff, with an additional 25 researchers also signing on in support. The petition made it clear that nearly all research staff at Moores Cancer Center are improperly classified by UCSD, which results in significant employee compensation and career advancement issues, which contribute to turnover and low morale.

Since the petition was delivered, 25 out of 77 research staff have left the jobs they were in. The department has refused to address staff concerns, despite repeated requests. Patients and staff deserve better.