The pursuit of higher education leads many to part ways with their current job, but what about returning to their former employer in a new role? Associate Clinical Trial Manager (aCTM) Danielle Stiene was a Project Coordinator when she left Medpace to join her PhD program. When she returned, she stepped into the aCTM role and created a career path to foster her passions.
Clinical Research is Calling
The summer after she graduated college with her degree in Cellular Biology, Danielle returned home seeking a job in her field. As a Cincinnati native, she was familiar with Medpace, so when the Project Coordinator role appeared in her search, she jumped at the chance. “This way I could work and still use my scientific background,” Danielle explains.
This role was Danielle’s introduction into the clinical research industry. Here, she worked on a variety of studies with people across the organization. “[This] gave me exposure to the way different types of trials are run,” Danielle says. She developed a passion for clinical research during this time, and in just under a year, Danielle wanted to nurture this budding interest and decided to get her PhD. She left Medpace for graduate school to earn her PhD in Pathobiology and Molecular Medicine.
Incoming aCTM
While Danielle was in graduate school, two paths appeared before her: pursue academic research or join industry research. She knew she wanted to return back to clinical research, so after successfully defending her dissertation, she moved on from academia. As Danielle weighed options of Contract Research Organizations (CROs), she considered her time at Medpace. “I already knew about Medpace and the work that is done,” Danielle says. “It was [right] in the industry that I was I was looking to take my degree.”
After graduate school, Danielle had six years academic research experience under her belt. However, she didn’t yet have clinical research experience. She’d had exposure to the industry as a Project Coordinator, but she lacked experience most CROs require of applicants. Upon joining Medpace, Danielle discovered Medpace’s Associate Clinical Trial Manager career path. The aCTM track is designed to give a well-rounded introduction to clinical research to those without experience in the industry. Targeted specifically for PhD candidates and new graduates, this program coaches aCTMs through an accelerated course to prepare them to transition into the Clinical Trial Manager (CTM) role.
Even though Danielle had previous experience at Medpace, the aCTM role allowed her to get her foot in the door on the research side of the industry. “The aCTM role was perfect since it was designed for recent graduates with little to no industry experience,” Danielle shares.
Set Up for Success
While Danielle is still learning the ropes, her experience at Medpace as an aCTM mirrors that of her time as a Project Coordinator. “I am still green in the role, but everyone I have worked with has been great and I have enjoyed it thus far,” she describes. Finding the right fit at an employer she was familiar with was key in solidifying her future within clinical research. “Knowing the positive experience that I had both while working and when I had decided to leave that gave me the confidence to apply for a job after finishing my degree,” Danielle says.
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