On 22nd December 2015, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed February 11th annually the 'International Day of Women and Girls in Science'. The adoption of the resolution was watched by women in science from around the world and sponsored by more than 65 countries. This historic moment signals the global community's interest in transforming our world through achieving gender parity in educational opportunities and scientific participation.

This year Perth Blood Institute (PBI) would like to introduce Shruti Patel, one of our clinical trials coordinators. Shruti completed her bachelor’s degree in Pharmacy in 2013 at the Gujarat Technological University in Ahmedabad. After roles in clinical research at the Ratandeep Multispecialty Hospital and clinical and statistical analyst positions, Shruti joined PBI in September 2021.

Shruti is an experienced analytical clinical research professional, skilled in managing, extracting, and examining all aspects of clinical trial management, protocol, and participant relationship. Bringing this expertise to PBI, she has worked on more than 6 clinical trials during her short time with us so far:

Tell us about yourself, your role, and your career so far.

Upon completion of my degree, I had the curiosity and drive for researching the effect of drugs from design to their pharmacological effect. This led me to the field of clinical drug studies. I started as a clinical trial coordinator and since then, I have enjoyed taking up challenges in various clinical studies involving psychotic drugs at an early stage of my career and now completing haemotology clinical studies.

What is the most rewarding part of your role?

My core passion is to help patients with my knowledge of drugs. I feel immense joy when the studies that we conduct have a great impact on the patient’s life. I am happy to be able to help a patient (albeit in a small way) find alternative/better solutions for the treatment of a disease. That is the most rewarding part of the job.

“Feeling as though you are contributing to the greater good and making a difference.” Shruti

Can you tell us about your career highlights?

After finishing my degree and getting registered as a pharmacist, I got my first research study in the clinical research field as a clinical research coordinator with Ratandeep Multispecialty Hospital. While undertaking various clinical research studies, I professionally developed further with the following career highlights.

• Clinical SAS Programmer - SAS Certified Specialist: Base Programming Using SAS 9.4
• ARCS (Association of Regulatory and Clinical Scientists) Australia Certificate I – GCP Training for investigational sites & sponsor representatives E6 (R2)
• ARCS Certificate in Coordinating Clinical Research More Effectively at Site

What attracted you to PBI?

The core values of the institute made me feel welcome - CARE.

•             Compassion, Commitment, Collaboration,
•             Accessibility, Agile,
•             Respect, Responsiveness,
•             Excellence, Ethical, Evidence-based engagement.

These are the values that define me – my personality. Hence it was an easy decision on my end. Furthermore, to this, when I joined the team, I felt the words in action.

Is oncology an area of interest?

I believe the most challenging part of clinical trials is oncology studies. With prior experience in psychotic drug studies, I can confidently say oncology is the field that interests me more and I want to see myself grow and develop my career.

What have been your experiences while working at PBI?

PBI is an amazing place to work, and I am grateful for the opportunities this organisation has given me over the 16 months. Coming with some previous experience I have been able to gain even more insight into how clinical studies are conducted and the impact they have on the pharmaceutical industry. The challenges have been exciting because each trial is different and each patient population has different needs. Because of that exposure, I continue to learn so much. So here I am!

What does the future hold for you?

I see myself as an integral part of the PBI team conducting the clinical studies, as well as taking up any future challenges that come my way to further develop my research skill.

Your view on the importance of women in science.

In my opinion, a woman plays a key role in the socioeconomic development of society.

“Empowering women in the field of science can also contribute to the health and social development of families, communities, and countries.” Shruti