An unfailing history of a fascination for medicine and how the human body works carved a clear path for Clinical Research Associate Melissa Vera’s interest to extend to helping people recover their health.
Melissa’s love of medicine carried her through college where she received her degree in General Medicine. While she was in school, Melissa’s sister worked as a Clinical Research Associate (CRA) and told tales of research that stuck with her. Melissa wanted to learn more for herself, so she added a program into her schedule that was structured to teach students the basics of clinical research like creating and conducting study protocols, applying biostatistics and pharmacology concepts, and more. However at this point in her life, Melissa’s heart held firmly onto general medicine, so she continued to pursue clinical practice.
After graduation, Melissa began working at a hospital rotating between the Urgency area, providing consults, and supporting hospital specialists. She wanted to gain well-rounded experience in clinical practice by seeing a number of different patients throughout the hospital. She met with patients, learned about how their bodies react to illnesses and worked under specialists, but over time the growth and learning opportunities rolled to a halt. The exposure to a variety of medical fields that Melissa had sought had decreased, and even though medicine was something that Melissa had been passionate about since she was a child, she had to make a tough decision. She had to move on from the hospital.
“I must confess, clinical research is much more complex than I thought…It is a whole world different from medicine.”
The stagnation in experiences in new medical fields made Melissa restless, but she was also aware that many people do not have access to medical care, and she wanted to become an active participant in changing that reality. “I had the feeling medicine was limited and not accessible to everyone, and I wanted to contribute to changing that reality lived in Mexico,” Melissa explains. She recalled her brief stint in a clinical research environment, brushed up on the stories her sister would share, and dove headfirst into clinical studies at Medpace.
Upon joining Medpace, Melissa’s expectations of diversifying her experience and working on developing treatment options were met; however, she wasn’t expecting the complexities and intricacies of clinical research that followed. With a background in general medicine and the clinical research program, Melissa thought she was well-versed in relevant concepts. “[Clinical research] is a whole different world from medicine,” she describes. At Medpace, all CRAs work through the PACE (Professionals Achieving CRA Excellence) program to learn the ins and outs of clinical research. When Melissa joined, she immediately took to studying and applying concepts such as local regulations and industry best practices. Pretty soon, her work paid off and she graduated from the program, establishing herself as a CRA.
Now a year into working on clinical trials, Melissa reflects on her past experiences as a doctor versus now as a CRA. While she doesn’t have the same level of patient interaction as a CRA as she did in a hospital, her work both directly and indirectly impacts them whether she is at their bedside or not. Melissa is aware of how her actions affect patients and those relying on life-saving medical therapies, so she continues to study and stay updated on relevant medical and research topics.
As Melissa looks toward the future of clinical research, she wants to bring awareness to clinical trials and their purpose. A common misconception is that clinical research is the same as preclinical research, she says. If more people were aware of clinical research, Melissa explains that their treatment options could open up. “They could request [that] their doctors … search for… investigation sites for them and have more alternatives,” she notes. Bringing a more robust awareness around the goals of clinical research could positively impact both patients as well as communities as a whole, including in her home country of Mexico.
“My favorite thing about clinical research is the opportunity we have to work in an area that contributes directly [to] people’s quality of life…” Melissa shares. Her passion for caring for others didn’t end when she moved from the hospital. She merely found an alternative route with clinical research that allows her to flourish in a number of different ways while still keeping her missions within view.
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