How do you describe your job when you meet people at a party?
I’m involved in medical research. (I once told someone I was a condom salesman as that seemed exciting and somewhat easier to explain.)
What is ‘cutting-edge’ about your work?
Many of the studies that I work on involve trying new techniques or therapies in a pediatric population. Some involve translational research where a therapy or diagnostic test has been shown to work in relatively small studies but is now being introduced into medical practice involving an entire population. One such study involves using a transcutaneous bilirubinometer to monitor serum bilirubin in newborns. Every infant born in the province of Alberta in 2009 (about 12,000 babies) is included in the study. If successful it will lower the rate of readmission to hospital due to neonatal jaundice and save the healthcare system a significant amount of money. It will also replace a stressful (for both mother and baby) ‘pin-prick’ of the baby’s heel with a completely painless and non-invasive test. Being involved in research that has such a clearly demonstrable benefit to an entire population is very rewarding
What are the biggest implications your work will/could have in the future?
Changing medical practice in the province of Alberta (as above)
Describe some of the highlights of your average day.
Sitting down with an investigator to discuss data collection requirements for a study. Training research assistants on how to collect and enter research data. Reviewing a paper prior to publication
Describe briefly how your career has progressed to date.
I Graduated with a BSC in Biology in 1983 before Working in IT for 4 years supporting financial information systems. I moved to Lloyds Bank where I developed and supported electronic payment systems. In 1997 my wife and I established a contract research consultancy providing clinical trials related services to a range of pharmaceutical and medical device companies. Initially I looked after the company’s technology requirements whilst my wife looked after the research aspects of the work. After a while I became involved in clinical data management, clinical trial monitoring and project management. In 2001 we realized my wife’s ambition and re-located to her country of birth – Canada. I worked for a Canadian CRO for a number of years before moving to the Women & Children’s Health Research Institute (WCHRI) at the University of Alberta. In my new role I manage a team of 4 that provides technology support and clinical data management services to members of WCHRI and collaborative clinical research studies across Canada
How is your job cross-disciplinary?
Academic research into women and children’s health is multidisciplinary by nature. It involves basic science, clinical science, translational research (translating research outcomes into medical practice) and qualitative research. My role specifically involves an understanding of computer technology and data management practice. I need to understand the regulatory framework in which we undertake our research and I need to have an understanding of the medical basis of our studies
How well is your job compensated? What is the starting salary for your field, and how much can this be expected to rise?
Working in academia is not always well compensated but the benefits are good (pension, healthcare, etc). We employ data entry staff for about $20 per hour (GBP 12) which is above the going rate in other industries because we expect our staff to be able to cope with the scientific content of the data. Data managers start at about $35,000 per year (GBP 20,000). In the pharmaceutical industry these salaries could well be higher. I’m not sure if the figures translate well to UK salaries.
How do you see your field developing over the next 5-10 years?
There is significant pressure on both the pharmaceutical industry and academic medical research. Industry will be required to develop new treatments faster and at lower cost. Academic and translational research will demonstrate that it can bring cost savings to public healthcare systems. Funding for academic research will be tight for the next few years and we will focus on areas where we can genuinely make a difference, improving women & children’s lives and bringing improvements to the healthcare system
What’s the most unexpected thing about your job?
Working with brilliant minds and watching the sudden leap from fact finding to diagnosis or discovery
What’s the biggest achievement of your career so far?
As strange as it may seem (and I’m not sure it counts as part of my career) scoring a try in my school’s house rugby competition and being a member of the competition winning team. I was 17 at the time. The team spirit, camaraderie, and the value of my contribution were enormous and evoke strong memories
