Way to go!

Nimita Limaye, VP and global head, strategic data services and medical writing at Siro Clinpharm, has been chosen as the incoming chair of the Society for Clinical Data Management (SDCM).

I read this in Outsorcing-Pharma.com. My first thought -Wow, way to go!

Couldn't help but feeling extremely happy and inspired too.

Got my reasons. First, I have met Nimita a few times, heard her speak and it is no wonder that she reached where she has.

Second, a young woman, and non-North American to be nominated thus, and on her own merits, Wow, she just broke through more than a couple of clichéd (but as always true!) bastions. And at the current moment,she is part of an Indian company!

India has more often than not been projected as a back office for clinical research and outsourcing. And very rarely represented at positions internationally where it could standup and be counted. And back home there exists something of a clique culture (which thankfully too is being outclassed by the new kids on the block!), which does not necessarily foster excellence or innovation, that to thus shine through is phenomenal.

Why is this on my blog?

Coz I am celebrating the future that is here!!!!

Careers in Clinical Research

Careers in Clinical Research

CRO is the new BPO, or call it KPO if you like to.

Contract outsourcing by any name or rather many names! Clinical Research, the new career option for the medical, paramedical, life sciences graduates and postgraduates is less about research and more about development.
So les get a few facts straight, It is not about discovering new drugs, not about exciting Eureka moments in the lab for the next best thing in prolonging life, eliminating obesity, zapping cancers, producing designer babies or reading people’ minds!
It is about running trials or collecting, entering, analyzing, reporting data on a day to day basis ,that prove/disprove that the drugs under development are safe and effective for patients.

And you do it the way the regulatory (read govt agencies) ask you to and you do it in a way that your conscience lets you sleep a night of peace.

Which basically means you follow plenty of rules and regulations all the time, (not just when someone is watching) and you learn to deal effectively with data, documents, records, paper, non-paper, some useful, some just plain fanciful!

Oh, So does everyone do this? Allopathic Doctors, Pharamacists, Life sciences people, Physiotherapists, Ayurveds, homeopaths, other graduates?

Ah,Yes! Everyone, except in different shades of green and degrees of separation.

But why am I talking about this? Because every day , my mailbox is flooded with young, bright hopefuls looking for a suitable opportunity in my small company.

What is this suitable opportunity? And what happens after the opportunity comes by?

Here lies the catch. The PGDCR diploma givers tell you that the industry is awash with opportunity, and fat salaries, and charge you a bomb for telling you that.
Being a CRA is what you dream of or its Data management companies you seek.
What they don’t tell you is that the fat salaries happen by and by, not on the first day of your first job and it does not help to jump jobs at the next 5% raise offer that comes along.. What they don’t tell you is that if you have a rock solid degree, which is in demand, you would have still got the great job without the diploma for which you took a loan. What they don’t tell you is that though you all might have done the same course and learnt the same things, the Industry will look at what professional degree you hold prior and offer you opportunities accordingly.
Which essentially means your PGDCR helps but is not the golden key that fits all doors.

But the industry excites you and you still want to be part of it. And it’s a great career you dream of. What do you do and how??
Is there more to this industry than being a CRA and what are the challenges it offers, in my next post.

Till then……

Been a while....too long

Been a while since I was here last.

Been on my mind though, that I need to get back, more for my own self than anything else. But like all things in life, it is the getting started, the first step which takes the longest, even if it is to some place you have been before.

Much water has flown under the bridge meanwhile.
The clinical Research industry in India has moved forward, backward, and also sideways. Some good, some not so good and some plain difficult to understand!

The industry is growing and has thrown open a lot of opportunities in the last decade, which many of us might not have thought possible. But sometimes we tend to forget that most of this work comes from outside, and was somewhere else yesterday and might go somewhere else tomorrow….. unless!
Unless we strengthen our strengths (What are they?) and work on our weaknesses (why? Do we have any???)

So how about sharing with me, what you think are our strengths and what you think our weaknesses? Would love to hear from you.
Meanwhile, I promise to be here more often, and ask you to drop by too.

Source Notes and CRF

Vishal has posted a very relevant and interesting question today.
He wants to know whether data generated in clinical trials can directly be recorded onto the CRF,or is it always necessary to generate Source note for everything and then transcribe data into the CRF.
I would invite you to read his very interesting and well written comment and post in your views on the topic.

I have also added a poll on this very pertinent poser in this blog and lets see what surprises it brings.
Do invite your friends in the industry to participate and make it cross sectionally relevant.
Help me create the buzz!!!

Will post about this once the poll gets over. Till then, I too am curious ..................