1. Home
  2. Insights
  3. Blog
  4. My clinical research story – Jeslyne Margrette Isaac

My clinical research story – Jeslyne Margrette Isaac

Like every young person, I yearned to go out and make my mark in the world. I had a Pharmacy degree and was working as an assistant pharmacist in one of the top hospitals of Asia. I had big dreams of doing my masters abroad and becoming a clinical pharmacist. They came crashing down when my parents told me they didn’t want to send me abroad.

I got married and moved to the city and started working for a few months only to give it up when I found out I was pregnant. Though I was happy to be a mother, there was a void in my heart. I wanted to pursue a career. I grew restless over the years and took refuge in reading. I read other books and also my pharmacy books. I used to thumb through the Comprehensive Pharmacy Review by Lippincott and wished to clear licensure exams. But that remained just that, a wish. My second kid was born and I kind of settled into the role of an urban housewife. I did volunteer work, some content editing and taught Sunday school to keep myself busy.

I kept poking around to see if I could do something to upgrade myself. I had a liking for psychiatry and enrolled for a master’s program in counselling through distance education. Distance mode was fine with me as I had to take care of my kids. The course books were a good read and I understood why people behave the way they do. Personality assessments through tests were fun as me and my classmates went on a journey of self- discovery. That done, I enrolled for a masters in Pharmacology. Reading up on postgraduate pharmacy topics opened up a whole new world of fields worth exploring.

After a career break for over a decade, I found work in a hospital as a pharmacy and drugstores in-charge and worked in quality and safety upgradation. Sitting in the department surrounded by racks and refrigerators with all kinds of medicines, surgical stuff and implants, I used to wonder about the number of new drugs coming in to treat different diseases. A urologist narrated how a patient wanted a new drug for joint pain and got a prescription for Etodolac. Patients were looking for new remedies and therapies. The needs were plenty and research was trying to keep up with it.

I was eager to learn and signed up for another course, this time in drug safety and regulatory affairs. The world of clinical research opened up as I took module after module online. I started looking for jobs in the field, but the odds were stacked against me as I had no prior experience in clinical research. I clung to hope. No company was willing to take me in. Friends were sympathetic but it was obvious that entry into new careers was next to impossible at my age. I chanced upon the ICON plc website and liked the company profile. I applied and waited – nothing happened.

Not willing to drown in disappointment, I continued to prepare and apply for other suitable jobs. The COVID-19 pandemic was raging across the land and we were under lockdown. A few months later, ICON contacted me. After clearing the interviews, I joined the company as a clinical data coordinator – my dreams did come true! I was thrilled to bits and thanked the Good Lord for the turn of events.

After the onboarding, my joy quickly evaporated when I realized I knew next to nothing about data management. I’m grateful to my colleagues who patiently taught me the various aspects of the job and encouraged me onward.

I log off at the end of the day with a smile, even on difficult days. Another day, something new learned. I enjoy my journey into this new world of clinical research. Mine was a transition from medicine to molecule; from dealing with drugs and devices waiting to be prescribed for a patient, to the world of researching drugs for patients. I’m glad I didn’t give up.

Closing with a poem by Robert Frost:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

If Frost wouldn’t mind, I’d pen another line in here…ICON made all the difference.

In this section

Connect with us