Her Story
About Dr. Sha'Kayla
I transitioned into biotech from academia after completing my PhD, where I focused on research. For the past four years, I’ve worked in clinical trials within a Biotech. During the final two years of my PhD, I realized I wanted to move closer to clinical development and have a more direct impact on patients, which ultimately led me to Clinical Operations.
I currently serve as a Clinical Trial Leader, supporting studies across three therapeutic areas. My day-to-day is dynamic, with primary responsibility for executing trials from start-up through closeout. I manage cross-functional collaboration, address escalations such as adverse events or site challenges, and ensure protocols are clearly communicated and operationalized. I partner closely with CROs, oversee patient recruitment efforts, monitor study budgets to maintain alignment, and manage vendor performance to keep trials on track and compliant.
One of my notable achievements was supporting a recent study through closeout. Despite being one of the more junior members of the team, I played a key role in driving the study to database lock, ensuring all patient data were cleaned, reconciled, and finalized. Reaching database lock allowed the team to analyze outcomes and evaluate the drug’s efficacy. I was proud to lead much of that effort independently, demonstrating strong ownership and execution early in my industry career.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Dr. Sha'Kayla
01What do you attribute your success to?
I would attribute all of my success to the fact that I'm very tenacious, and I always like to achieve more things. Every year, I'm always trying to improve to be better than I was the last time, so just never settling or being comfortable in one spot and position.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Networking, making sure that you build your network, talking to people in fields that you're interested in, and then also networking with people in fields that you might not necessarily know about, just so you can expand your knowledge and horizons.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would say maybe don't necessarily be afraid to take risks and chances. Be very bold, definitely chase leadership, and then also, always be open to learning and improving.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
I would say there are strong opportunities for leadership within my organization. In addition, the company offers rotational programs for full-time employees, which I truly value. These programs provide exposure to different departments and functions, giving me the opportunity to broaden my skill set and explore potential career paths if I choose to transition internally in the future.
As for challenges, one common theme in this industry is adapting to change. When company procedures, systems, or organizational structures evolve, it often requires pausing to learn new tools or processes. While change can be demanding, it also reinforces the importance of agility and continuous learning in a fast-paced clinical research environment.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Communication, definitely being number one, is something that I try to pride myself on professionally and in my personal life. I think that it's important for me to be a great communicator, whether that's emailing or talking, and then also being available to my team members, because I work so collaboratively. And also within my personal life, communicating with family. I don't live close to family, so just making sure that I'm checking on family and friends.
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