Lora Black is Executive Director of Clinical Research at Sanford Research. In this role, Lora has oversight for enterprise-wide clinical research strategy and operations across the Sanford footprint, to include international cancer research collaborations. She has been a nurse for nearly 20 years, starting at the bedside in medical oncology. Lora transitioned to the Clinical Research Department 16 years ago as a Clinical Research Coordinator in oncology and has subsequently transitioned to work in nearly every role within Clinical Research during her tenure. Lora is Co-Director for the Clinical Research Resources and Facilities Core for the DaCCoTA Clinical Translational Research grant and was recently awarded a multi-million-dollar grant by the National Institute of Health to study "long-haul COVID", further contributing to the care of future patients through the understanding of a new disease process. She has become recognized nationally by the American Society of Clinical Oncology as a leader in oncology clinical trials, serving on multiple national committees. She obtained a bachelor's degree in Business Administration from the University of Sioux Falls and master's degree in Public Health Creighton University. Lora is an Oncology Certified Nurse and a Certified Clinical Research Professional. She also serves as Assistant Professor at the USD Sanford School of Medicine where she engages with medical students through the biomedical ethics curriculum.