MERIT Employee Spotlight is a series featuring team members introducing themselves, outlining their role at MERIT, and explaining why they chose to work in the clinical trials industry.
What do you do at MERIT?
I am the Product Operations Manager for MERIT. On any given day, this can mean just about anything related to EXCELSIOR, our cloud-based proprietary imaging software platform. EXCELSIOR allows immediate transfer of data directly from qualified sites to a central database for review.
What do you like about working at MERIT?
There is a lot I like about working at MERIT, including the great relationships I have with my colleagues, the variety of tasks, and the flexibility of remote work. This career path has held my curiosity and stayed intriguing throughout my seven years with MERIT.
How do you see your position/department fitting into the company as a whole?
The Product Operations and Management (POM) group solves problems, and also proactively searches for solutions before something turns into an issue. From development to configuration and implementation to bug investigations and closeouts, the POM squad helps with all study phases in and out of EXCELSIOR.
Why did you get into clinical research?
In hindsight, it was pretty clear that science, in some form, was going to play a large role in my career path. As a little kid, I wanted to be a paleontologist. A middle school assessment said that I should be a microbiologist. My independent research in college focused on fungal biology. When I was wrapping up college, I got a job as a guide. But then I broke my foot, and it’s hard to be a guide with a broken foot! So, my first position out of college ended up being in pre-clinical ophthalmology.
What do you do in your free time?
Get me outside! I love to bike, hike, ski, snowboard, raft, kayak, etc. If I’m not outside, I really enjoy cooking and reading. I reside in Golden, Colorado.
