My scientific background is in psychology, and I have years of clinical research experience. I have always been driven by the desire to explore new fields and make a difference through opportunities that I’ve created for myself. During the interview process with Signant Health, I became fascinated by what we do and all the interesting people I could learn from. I now get to share my journey here with amazing people, who have a wealth of knowledge to share.
I started in clinical psychology, followed by a niche of experimental psychology and clinical research in the field of ophthalmology. This experience gave me a solid understanding of research mechanisms and taught me about the clinical trial environment and regulations. I continue to build upon this knowledge and apply it when delivering genuinely useful suggestions for strengthening solutions, such as identifying details and areas for improvement.
To serve our customers well, you must also understand them. It’s not just a matter of products. In psychology, you get to know who you are dealing with, as well as their needs and preferences. The other side of it relates to materials and attention to detail. Research at any stage requires understanding every detail in all the materials and thinking proactively about how you can make them better. While conducting research, you learn how and when to pay attention to the details that impact the interests of your patients.
I have experienced the complexity of building electronic solutions and have an eye for the features that are needed, the risks, and the pros and cons of each decision that is made in order to develop the best solutions for a specific clinical trial. When it comes to patients, I have worked with a variety of ages and am familiar with the different needs of each age group. Through this prior experience, I’ve learned many lessons that now help me advise on trials’ supportive solutions and offer scientific insight, deal with regulatory organizations, and disseminate trial results.
Outside of CNS, there are so many areas we work on to learn about. I haven’t developed a preference for any one therapeutic area because I don’t think I should, and I enjoy continued learning.
We should expand on our understanding of indications rather than limit our attention or focus. To do so, we must quickly gather information and accumulate knowledge. I start from the basics by running searches online or browsing my library of scientific papers to get the general framework. If it relates to scales, I refer to eCOA databases. So, I really haven’t developed a preference and there are good reasons not to.
I’m very proud to have the opportunity to work on our Digital Health Sciences team. Everyone is highly knowledgeable and diligent. Each team member has their own daily tasks, but we maintain a productive team identity. The role involves constant contact with the tech solutions team, product management, solutions architects, and other specialists within Signant. We work together on thought leadership projects, sponsor-specific questions, and more.
On top of the many projects that we advise on daily, we are about to finalize an eDiary for a specific indication. There is currently no product on the market that lets you collect data on this indication in a flawless way. Signant proactively and efficiently worked with a world-leading consortium on this, and we are almost ready to release the exciting result and add it to Signant’s portfolio.
There’s a huge variety of work and I am never bored. There’s always something else to do – most of the time, you must figure out how to prioritize it all. Being at Signant is also in-line with my goals of working in the health industry to make an impact on everyone’s lives. It is challenging, exciting, and stimulating to be here on a day-to-day basis.
Tight timelines, and the workload can be uneven and unpredictable. Even if you like the work, you face challenges of finding the right materials and contacting the right people at the right time. But I consider these to be positive motivational challenges.
Family and work take up most of my time. When I do have extra time, I enjoy nature and outdoor activities, or playing sports like tennis. My new hobby these last five months has been parkour – I used to be in gymnastics. I also volunteer for the NHS and charity organizations, so my Sundays are sometimes dedicated to that.
Short term, I look forward to supporting new projects and strengthening my knowledge of Signant products. I’ve been somewhat involved in telemedicine, so I’d like to explore more of that. I’d also be keen to continue collaborating with consortiums and taking part in working groups and review boards to become more involved with industry leaders.
Want to meet our in-house experts? Interested in having Manuela’s invaluable expertise on one of your upcoming studies? Contact us today.