Over the past 14 years, Anna Carnevale, associate director of client services at Advarra, has seen her team grow from a small 15-person Canadian office to a thriving multinational organization leading the charge in ethical, efficient clinical research review.
In this conversation, Anna reflects on her journey from Mass Communications and English Literature graduate to research advocate, her role in fostering team culture, and how Advarra’s technology and people-first approach help studies run smoothly across North America.
What first sparked your connection to clinical research?
My path to research with the IRB was somewhat unexpected. I studied Mass Communications and English Literature and started my career in publishing, hoping to write for a living. When I saw a role at a company where I could assist with writing approval notices and oversee the writing of consent forms, it sounded like the perfect fit: writing with purpose. Once I joined, I quickly realized how meaningful the work truly is. Over the years, hearing stories of how research changed lives—improving health and quality of life—turned that unexpected opportunity into a passion. Fourteen years later, I’m proud to play a small part in work that helps people improve their quality of life, aids in research growth and innovation, and impacts families in a meaningful way, every day.
You’ve experienced Advarra’s evolution firsthand. What drew you to stay and grow here?
I joined when our Canadian company (IRB Services) was acquired by Chesapeake IRB, which became Advarra. We went from a dozen people to over a thousand. It was a huge shift, and it happened fairly quickly, but it was also a chance to learn and grow through every merger. With each transition, Advarra focused on maintaining culture, integrating new teams thoughtfully, valuing perspectives like our Canadian regulatory experience, and expanding research opportunities across North America. Seeing how intentional leadership was in preserving that sense of collaboration and ethics made me want to keep building my career here.
Advarra’s technology continues to evolve. How does CIRBI support your team and clients?
The CIRBI (Center for IRB Intelligence) platform is our backbone. It’s where everything connects. Every update, approval, and client interaction lives there, ensuring transparency and speed. When a rush request comes in—say a client needs approval within hours—multiple departments can coordinate instantly through CIRBI. We’ve built clear channels and workflows that let us move from submission received to Board review within the same business day, on a regular basis. Clients can also log in to CIRBI 24/7 to track status updates or download documents before patient visits with ease and independence. It’s a perfect example of how Advarra’s technology enhances our people, rather than replaces them. We lead with people first, supported by the tools that help us serve faster and better.
How do you keep Advarra’s collaborative culture thriving across such a large remote team?
Culture is everything. It’s what keeps us connected even when we’re thousands of miles apart. We talk about it constantly, from interviews to team meetings. We emphasize respect, communication, and showing up for one another. For new hires, we pair them with mentors to ensure they never feel isolated and they have a reliable and friendly “buddy” to rely on as they learn and grow their skills. We celebrate team wins, highlight collaboration, and discuss expectations openly, like responsiveness and engagement on Slack, in team meetings, and during weekly department calls. Those expectations might seem small, but they’re vital in a 90% remote environment, as they ensure team collaboration and global support for each individual working in our growing department and company. Culture isn’t something we talk about once a year. It’s something we practice every day.
Want to learn more? Check out this overview of Advarra’s review services or contact us to ask an expert a specific question.
