Pharmaceutical Product Development LLC (PPD) announced that its clinical research associates earned recognition for excellence at the annual PharmaTimes Clinical Researcher of the Year–The Americas competition, according to a news release.

Tatiana Doldonova was awarded the gold in the “Experienced Clinical Research Associate” category, while Eleanor Houston won the top prize in the “New Clinical Research Associate” competition, officials said in the release.

The event was the culmination of a yearlong, three-part series of tests, including real-life challenges judged by industry leaders.

“This recognition affirms the exceptional caliber of the clinical research associates PPD deploys on every client study,” said Roger Newbery, senior vice president of investigator services for PPD, in the release. “Their expertise, dedication and commitment to excellence are qualities that PPD clients expect. Our employees are determined to ensure that PPD delivers performance, quality and value to clients in their endeavor to develop life-changing medicines.”

The PharmaTimes competition was created in 1999 to provide clinical research professionals an opportunity to benchmark their professional skills against their peers in a program of competency-based exercises developed through cross-industry collaboration, officials said.