Dita Chamoun, PhD
Contract Researcher
In her experience as a Clinical Research Coordinator, Dita has been involved with the conceptualization of studies on orthopedics, opioid use in pain management, and spinal cord injury. In 2018, she earned her PhD at the University of Guelph specializing in clinical nutrition.
*The views and opinions expressed in this profile are those of the professional and do not necessarily reflect the official policies of their employer.
Tell us how graduate school influenced your career path
I earned an MSc and a PhD with a focus on human clinical trials and I, fortunately, landed my current position right after school. Research hospitals are often affiliated with universities.
At the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, we would frequently collaborate with professors at the University of Ottawa, so there’s a bit of an academic feel. With these affiliations, there are lots of overlapping connections which is very helpful for students looking to work in a research hospital.
In fact, academic connections played a big role in landing my position.
Lastly, I was fortunate to have had a wealth of clinical trial experience from graduate school; this was a nice line to be able to put on a resume.
What does a typical day as a Clinical Research Coordinator look like?
A day might be difficult to describe but here are some things that might take place during a typical week. There is a lot of variety because there are usually numerous studies taking place at once across numerous human health and pharma-related disciplines.
One study we’re working on is an orthopedic study where we’re tracking everyone that comes to the emergency room with a hip fracture. I would spend my week completing everything from patient study visits, meetings with health practitioners to writing grants and manuscripts.
It’s great to assist on a clinical trial in any way you can. Whether it’s through scheduling, entering data or research ethics, you’ll be able to add that ‘clinical research’ line on your resume which is very important.
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What is the biggest challenge and reward of working as a Clinical Research Coordinator?
This might differ between hospitals but a big challenge is working with really busy surgeons. As a clinical research coordinator, your job is to push research forward.
However, the surgeon’s primary job is patient care, not designing and running clinical trials. Some surgeons will have a big interest in research whereas others might not have a deep interest in research.
It’s a balancing act because there are milestones and deadlines that need to be met in the back of your mind.
However, it’s also a really cool position because you’re constantly developing solutions to the pertinent questions of healthcare research.
What other advice can you give graduate students who would like to pursue careers in this industry but are shy about networking?
First of all, clinical research professionals can empathize because we’ve all been there before. There’s an understanding that networking is a part of the job search process and we all want to help each other out.
If your PI introduces you to a clinical research professional, be sure to mention your PI’s name to make that connection. In fact, using this connection will help you stand out from dozens of other graduate students hoping to network with the same individual.
The tone in your messaging is key and it can be helpful to look this over. It’s important to not come off as brash or entitled and be sure to mention specifically what you would like to learn from the professional
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