Photo: Janet Knechtel, manager of Quality Assurance and Education at LHSCRI working in her office.
February 25, 2025
Janet Knechtel is the manager of Quality Assurance and Education at London Health Sciences Centre Research Institute (LHSCRI). Starting her career in pharmaceutical research, she has worked in various research roles at LHSC over the past 33 years with a focus on optimizing patient safety in research studies and clinical trials.
“I have always had a passion for science and helping people,” explains Knechtel. “I’m grateful the two have blended together really well into a career.”
Health research is heavily regulated world-wide to optimize patient safety and data integrity. By advancing treatments and diagnostic methods through research, we help to improve standards of care and quality of life for our patients.
“When we conduct clinical trials, we often need patients to participate to help us answer our research question,” says Knechtel. “My role provides researchers and research staff with education on best practices, regulations, policies and procedures to ensure our research is conducted appropriately.”
Knechtel’s team also conducts quality assurance assessments and compliance audits to ensure rules and regulations are being followed. As part of the audit process, the Quality Assurance and Education team identifies potential risks to participants and works with researchers and their teams to mitigate, minimize, or prevent occurrences, to further optimize patient safety.
What does patient safety mean to you?
“If a patient is approached to participate in a clinical trial, we provide them with all the information they need to make an informed decision that’s right for them,” says Knechtel. “We strive to make patients feel confident and comfortable with their decision, and that includes knowing the risks.”
There are many people involved in optimizing patient safety during clinical trials. This includes:
- the ethics board who reviews the scientific validity and safety of the proposed study,
- the Quality Assurance and Education team who supports compliance and provides education to the clinicians and researchers, and
- the researchers and staff who conduct the research with their patients.
“It takes everyone at the organization working together to help make a safe environment for our research participants,” says Knechtel.
What do you find rewarding about your role?
“I love that we're helping people. I admire the depth and breadth of science that's happening at London Health Sciences Centre Research Institute,” says Knechtel. “I love that it makes an impact on patients, not only today, but for future generations.”
Teams at LHSCRI collaborate with researchers at other hospitals to facilitate research opportunities for patients. The Quality Assurance and Education team at LHSCRI shares knowledge and expertise with sites across the province and country to ensure processes remain standard. This means if a patient is in a research study at another site in a different city they can expect the same high-level care.
“It is so rewarding to see the impact research has on care options and its potential to provide a lot of hope,” explains Knechtel. “And our role is helping extend that, through collaboration across the province and really around the world.”
Patient Safety at LHSC video: