Josh Leiva is a dedicated Clinical Research Professional with excellent technical, analytical, and communication skills demonstrated by 10 years of experience. He has a sound mix of experience from Medical, Clinical Research to Pharmaceutical and Nutraceuticals. Josh can work with minimal training and could help you accomplish your company’s goals, short-term and long-term.
Josh Leiva has dedicated his life to clinical research and made a significant impact on testosterone, osteoporosis, and cholesterol trial projects. He’s taken part in innovative therapies for patients and improved the quality of many people’s lives by putting them in these trials. Many of those patients were underprivileged and had difficulty paying for treatment. Josh qualified them for therapeutic trials and compensated them for their time while providing free care. He did a lot of wonderful things without seeking praise from others.
Josh obtained an Associate of Science in Premed from Edison State College in Fort Myers, Florida, in 2011-2013 before going on to study a Bachelor of Science in Biology at Miami Dade College. He is HIPPA and OSHA certified, as well as CITI certified and NIH Phlebotomy Certified. Josh Leiva has significant research expertise, including full Trial oversight experience, and excellent strategic planning capabilities to get work done on time. His extensive clinical background makes him the ideal collaborator.
As Senior Clinical Research Coordinator for Integral Rheumatology & Immunology Specialist / Research & Development, he was responsible for organizing and preparing regulatory documentation to start new Trials. He also led pre-screening and recruitment campaigns to identify qualifying patients within the practice’s population.
Josh has chosen to devote his abilities to being a champion for prisoners and children who have been abused. He enjoys music and has agreed to serve as a multi-instrument Music Director at church, in addition to having expertise in biology. He is a wonderful supporter of charity who regularly sends money to his father in Belize, a missionary constructing a church and other institutions for the community.
How did you get started in this business?
I have devoted my life to Clinical Research. I have strived for years to make a difference in testosterone, osteoporosis, and cholesterol trial projects. Participating in new treatments for patients and wanting to bring a change to the quality of life of people by putting them in trials compelled me to establish an institution of my own. I have started JL Labs as a place of hope for many underprivileged patients who cannot afford to pay for their treatment. JL Labs aims to qualify such patients for trial studies and pay them for participating, plus giving them free treatment.
When working for other people, you have to consider their preferences as well but with JL Labs, I can render my services to advocate for prisoners and children who have suffered from abuse. I want to become the voice of this neglected and unheard section of the community. I understand the trauma and pain of these children and prisoners who have suffered from abuse and I have founded JL Labs to fight their case and bring a positive change in their life and the community.
How do you make money?
For a clinical research startup, you have got to have a lot of things going for you before you can start making money. JL Labs has some study leads, some doctors, and a good pool of study participants to recruit to make it a profitable company. Hiring a study coordinator is optional. My confidence and comfort in doing the study coordinating work, make JL Labs profit more. There are basically two ways we make money. In the first option, we just carry out one study. All we need is one inpatient clinical trial with enough days of inpatient stay, a minimum of 10 inpatient days are enough. Where we make our money in these studies is not in the study procedures but the bed days. So we negotiate a deal with a hospital or with a nursing home or with some kind of clinic like a sleep lab that can accommodate overnight stay. Surgery centers are also another way to go about it, there are so many different options. We negotiate a rate with them, preferably a monthly rate and this is where having a lot of patients to enroll comes in handy. In one year, we can generate at least a million dollars if we enroll an average number of study participants in that study, meaning 10.
When we don’t want to do inpatient studies, we have option 2. For that, we take 10 outpatient clinical trials with each one paying at least $10,000 for every completed subject. And we complete a patient anywhere from 4 weeks to 12 weeks although we can push it out to be as long as 6 months.
How long did it take for you to become profitable?
It took around a year to become profitable as we started to work on the business model I just shared with you. It’s the most optimal time any clinical research startup can attain profitability.
When you were starting out, was there ever a time you doubted it would work? If so, how did you handle that?
No! I had years of experience and a well-thought-out roadmap on how to go about things, and I was pretty confident that JL Labs will work as per my business plan.
How did you get your first clinical trial?
I found it on ClinicalTrials.gov. It is a searchable registry and results database of federally and privately supported clinical trials conducted in the United States and around the world. This website gives information about a trial’s purpose, who may participate, locations, and phone numbers for more details. The first clinical trials I conducted in JL Labs were cholesterol trials and they were successful with credible results which helped us build the reputation of JL Labs as a reliable Clinical Research Startup.
What is one marketing strategy (other than referrals) that you’re using that works really well to generate new business?
Two marketing techniques have helped JL Labs a lot to generate new business.
Robust Digital Marketing Campaigns
Digital marketing campaigns have been at the forefront of our clinical trial marketing plan and focus on social media, paid search, and native advertising spending. One overarching benefit of digital patient recruitment that we have witnessed is the ability to reach patients wherever they are online. We tried researching Facebook groups, where patient communities often discuss their experiences living with a given condition. We checked out Quora to see what kinds of questions our audience is asking, or we dug deep into Reddit to better understand potentially niche topics that might interest our patient community. Doing this kind of research informs our creative materials, which makes our campaigns robust and helps us find the right patients. We also use social media ad platforms to target specific interests related to our study’s inclusion criteria.
Building A Comprehensive Partner Network
We appreciate the importance of having trustworthy partners while running digital marketing campaigns. With the industry focused on patient centricity, the patient voice has become increasingly involved in the planning and execution of medical research. We realize the need for strong partnerships connecting patients with our research opportunities — or making it easier to take part. We have built relationships with advocacy groups who work with our target patient population and can bode well for crafting marketing messages that resonate and for selecting appropriate channels for distribution.
What is the toughest decision you’ve had to make in the last few months?
I was again offered the position of Senior Clinical Research Coordinator at Integral Rheumatology & Immunology Specialist / Research & Development lately and it was indeed a very attractive and worthy post but I had to refuse it because I wanted to focus on JL Labs and make it something bigger. It was a hard decision but I don’t regret it.
What do you think it is that makes you successful?
My organization and observation are what make me successful as a clinical researcher. My strong organizational skills to plan detailed trials, creating schedules, and tracking patients have always helped me a lot professionally. It has also helped me implement budgets and meet all project deadlines.
Strong observation skills are another plus that always helped me succeed. I examine patients carefully during screening and trials. I notice changes and track relevant data way better than my counterparts.
What has been your most satisfying moment in business?
I have devoted my life to Clinical Research and luckily I have made an enormous difference in testosterone, osteoporosis, and cholesterol trial projects. I have participated in new treatments for patients and have changed the quality of life of many by putting them in these trials. Many of those patients were underprivileged and couldn’t afford to pay for their treatment. Still, I qualified them for trial studies and actually paid them for participating, plus giving them free treatment. Helping people through my work is the most satisfying feeling for me.
What does the future hold for your business? What are you most excited about?
I have now decided to render my services to advocate for prisoners and children who suffered from abuse. I want to become the voice of the section of the community which is unheard of and neglected for ages. I understand the trauma and pain of these children and prisoners who suffer from abuse and want to fight their cases.
What business books have inspired you?
Munro’s Statistical Methods for Health Care Research by Stacey Plichta Kellar and Elizabeth A Kelvin. This book provides students with a solid foundation for understanding specific statistical techniques and data analysis. It is a well-organized book having clear text discussions. It is a great learning tool to help students overcome the complexities and fully comprehend the concepts of this often intimidating area of study.
What advice would you give to your younger self?
Make a to-do list regularly! It is one of the most important pieces of advice I would give my younger self or any entrepreneur, researcher, or scientist. A To-do list increases your productivity in everything you plan to do. Taking a few minutes at the end of each day to plan for the following day and specifying the highest priority tasks make things streamlined. Similarly, at the end of each day, reviewing your accomplishments and adjusting your plans for the following day accordingly works wonders. This approach gives the most productive start to each day and ensures you are on track to meet your goals.
Are you willing to be a mentor? If so, how should someone contact you?
People genuinely interested to know about clinical research can contact me on LinkedIn.