Madhuri Sangam

I attribute my success to continous learning, strong mentorship, and a deep commitment to conducting ethical, patient-centered research.

The best career advice I've received has come from my principal investigator and mentor, Dr. Anna Hohler. She always emphasizes the importance of being on time and finishing work on time. She's taught me to never procrastinate my work - I'd rather finish it on time, and then maybe later I will take some time to spend with my colleagues. She has also appreciated the way I behave with my patients, being friendly and making them feel very welcoming around me. This feedback has really shaped how I approach my work and patient interactions.

I would advise young professionals entering this field to strengthen their time management skills. As a clinical research coordinator, there are multiple studies you need to handle at once - clinical trials and research work - and you need to know how to manage your time by giving prioritization to the particular study. For example, there are few studies that are time sensitive and need immediate response or immediate follow-ups from the patients, so you need to know where to keep your time and your efforts. You also need to build up your confidence in decision making. During study startups and regulatory challenges, you need to decide what is more important to the study as a professional. I would also say that whichever position it is, and whichever salary or fees you are getting, I would like them to start their job as soon as possible, because here, experience matters a lot. If someone is very enthusiastic about knowing more about drugs or medical devices - how they are prepared, tested, their quality and efficacy, and how they are being brought into the market - I think this is the field they need to pursue in their future.

Currently, I think most of the hospitals and clinics are actually welcoming regulatory professionals. It can be either as an assistant position, or a coordinator, or an associate position. The opportunities are really there for people to get to learn more about the drugs that can be studied in humans or in animals, and then how the drug is getting into the market. This field really is perfect for someone who is very enthusiastic about knowing more about drugs or medical devices - like how they are prepared, how they are tested, their quality and efficacy, and how they are being brought into the market. Experience matters a lot in this field, so I encourage people to start as soon as possible to gain that valuable hands-on learning.

When it comes to my professional work, my top three values are prioritization, punctuality, and communication skills. As a clinical research coordinator, I need to know and prioritize my day-to-day tasks. Punctuality is essential - I make sure I'm on time and finish my work on time without procrastinating. Communication skills are also incredibly important in this field because when speaking with patients, sometimes I may think of saying something and they may understand something else, so I verify it by asking them questions again about what they understood. This ensures clear understanding and helps me create that friendly, welcoming environment that patients appreciate.