Get to know: Rachel Lesser

Date: October 23, 2026

We caught up with Rachel Lesser, member of the ACDM Hot Topic Committee, to learn more about them. Read their answers, including a top tip for data management, below.

• Name: Rachel Lesser
• Job Title: Director, Team Lead, External Data Quality Management
• Organisation: Genmab
• Role at ACDM: Hot Topic Committee Member

Provide a brief summary of your education and work experience to date

• • I graduated from the University of Rochester with a degree in Psychology and began my career as an entry-level data reviewer at a small CRO owned by a friend of the family. Over the next 15 years, I built my experience in clinical data management at that CRO and INC Research/Syneos before joining the External Data Acquisition team at BMS. In July 2024, I joined Genmab as Director and Team Lead for the External Data Quality Management team.

If you were on a desert island, what three things would you take with you and why?

• • Besides my family, I’d bring a water bottle with a built-in filter, sunglasses, and my Kindle. I’d turn it into an impromptu beach vacation! My son, however, suggested I leave the family behind so we wouldn’t have to compete for resources. Clearly, he’s taking the survival aspect more seriously than I am.

If you were not in the job you are in, what would you do?

• • Veterinarian or zookeeper; anything with animals.

• If you had a dinner party, and could invite 1 famous person, who would you invite and why?

• • Brandon Graham, retired Philadelphia Eagles defensive end. I’m a lifelong Eagles fan, and when I met him at a public event, he came across as warm and down-to-earth. I think he’d have some great stories to share and would be fun to spend an evening with.

What’s the best piece of advice you have ever been given?

• • Don’t wait until you’re ready. Start before you feel ready.

If you could learn one new skill today, what would it be?

• • Managing financial investments. I have a solid foundation for retirement planning, but I’d love to deepen my understanding so I can take a more active, informed role in investment decisions.

Rachel’s Top Tip for Clinical Data Managers:

Keep external data front of mind throughout the entire study lifecycle:

• Startup: Ensure the eCRF captures the information needed for reconciliation without capturing duplicate data unnecessarily.  Define sufficient checks to confirm external data is clean and complete (and matches format of transfer specifications).
• Conduct: Stay current with external data cleaning and reconciliation, and monitor metrics to identify issues early.
• Lock: Build sample shipment and analysis timelines into database lock planning, and confirm all required external data is received, clean, and complete before locking the database.

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