Profiles

Louise Hanby, Clinical Data Co-ordinator, ICON Clinical Research

22 Jun 2023, 13:19

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Degree subject Pharmacology
Job title Clinical Data Co-ordinator
Employer ICON Clinical Research

I'm responsible for reviewing the quality of data during clinical trials. It's a fast-paced atmosphere and I love the buzz of working in a team on the studies.

On the medical side, I use my pharmaceutical background to check medical information. On the technical side, I work with the databases where we store the trial results. This can be challenging as it involves working with our database administrators to programme the necessary checks into the system: for example, spotting when an abnormal blood pressure reading is entered. The job also has an administrative element, creating spreadsheets and reports.

I usually spend the morning reviewing the medical information sent to us the night before. After that the job varies: I could be programming database checks, writing operating procedures, in training, or in a meeting with sponsors – the pharmaceutical companies that contract us. We are expected to take on responsibility fairly quickly: I have already been given the job of training a team from India.

I found out about my employer by talking to people in my year who were already working here. The job appealed because I really enjoy working with medical terminology. I didn't want a lab job so I was pleased to find an office-based role where I could use my degree. However, there are different departments here so if I wanted to work in a lab, or go into another area such as business development or clinical, I could transfer.

Job hunting tips

There are many factors to consider when choosing an employer, but career development has to come first. Your first job is all about getting experience under your belt, so my advice would be just to relax and explore the different avenues that are available.

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