Research Participants, the building blocks of innovation...

My first introduction to clinical research was responding to a campus newspaper advertisement for a Clinical Research Coordinator at California Retina Consultants, at the time, a local private ophthalmology practice.  As an undergraduate in Chemistry, I thought an interview would at least provide insight into the patient-side of bunsen burners, lab coats, and fume hoods.  While my daily responsibilities included leadership and organization between regulatory entities (IRBs, CROs, healthcare providers), physicians, medical staff, and clinical participants (which contributed to doubling the number of ophthalmologic clinical trials at the practice), managing a growing research arm of the faster growing practice has continued to impact my professional development across the spectrum of human interaction.  

During my undergraduate years, I worked with the aging population losing their independence along with their eyesight.  In graduate school, I worked with patients and their families coping with a cancer diagnosis. As a postdoc researcher and lab manager, I worked with persons who have undergone a lower extremity amputation.  These extended years in human clinical research have provide me with a sliver of insight upon which empathy is built.  Without clinical trials and research participants, the public would never benefit from innovation.