Hello again! I'm Aaron. I'm originally from the United States, born and raised in Evansville, Indiana. I attended undergrad in my hometown at the University of Southern Indiana. There I was able to secure two internships that helped me build the skills and career I have today.Â
The first was at Astra Zeneca, one of the top 15 pharmaceutical companies in the world, researching and designing a novel flow cytometry-based assay to test an Investigational New Drug. I gained valuable communication and research skill by synthesizing my results and work into presentations to both scientific and business professionals. My second internship was with the University of Southern Mississippi's polymer science department, ranking in the USA's top three polymer science programs. I worked with PhD and other graduate students to develop drug delivery vehicles that are able to cross the blood brain barrier for gene therapeutics.
After graduating with a BSc in Biochemistry, I worked in industry as a research assistant designing a novel scale-up process at SABIC Innovative Plastics. I worked with a diverse team to scale up a reaction from the bench all the way to a pilot plant. After my 1 year contract was finished, I decided to follow a passion of mine and become a teacher. Little did I know that I would end up in South Korea and China! I gained entrepreneurial skills by starting my own English Teaching business as well as becoming a Freelance Recruiter who on-boarded new teachers to come work and teach in Asia.
I always knew that I wanted to go back to graduate school and get more involved in Clinical Research and Operations. So, after two years in Asia, I secured a job as a Clinical Research Coordinator in a lab that studies rare disease. At the same time I started my MSc degree in Neuroscience. After graduating from McGill University with a 4.0/4.0 GPA, gaining two years of experience in clinical research, database development, and natural history study design, I knew that I wanted my next chapter in life to be in industry. I started work at ICON Clinical Research in October of 2021 and I gained invaluable study start up experience which I leveraged in a new role at IQVIA Laboratories as a Project Manager.
As a central labs Project Manager, I quickly exceeding expectations managing many oncology, biomarker, and vaccine studies for a top 3 client. Over the course of 3 years I was promoted twice, eventually earning the title Global Oncology Program Lead. I successfully lead a team of ~30 Project Managers and Project Coordinators on a high profile oncology program ensuring clinical trial success through exceptional service to our client. I also work tirelessly as an Improvement Champion, spearheading company-wide process innovation initiatives across multiple departments to enhance our overall business performance.
I have long-term goals find my forever-job at a pharmaceutical company. I'm energized to help accelerate the time to market for drug development to improve patient health and quality of life.
Global Oncology Program Lead
I manage dozens of (Phases I through III) oncology studies overseeing 30 different project managers and project coordinators. My entire portfolio of budgets is +$100 million. I have lots of experience mentoring new colleagues and working closely with clients to meet ambitious goals and timelines.
On a daily basis, I present key metrics to clients and internal/external stakeholders. I've been awarded by client numerous times for outstanding service. I currently lead a Service Excellence initiative handpicked by leadership to further improve customer and partner experiences.
Study Start Up Associate
I manage 6-12 Studies (Phases I through III) working with as many as 20-50 sites to help institutions complete all necessary financial, legal, and regulatory documents needed to begin a clinical trial. I have experience with Study Start Up in both the United States and Canada.
I work with some amazingly talented colleagues who mentor and teach me lessons about the different sectors of a clinical trial. I work on a cross-functional team that strengthens my knowledge sharing, management, and communication skills.
Clinical Research Coordinator / MSc Candidate
I was responsible for two clinical research projects; a pilot study characterizing stress in parents with children affected by white matter diseases and development of a rare disease database
I gained experience designing new studies for students, coordinating ethics board approvals, recruiting patients and organizing visits, technical and grant writing, as well as negotiating contracts for data sharing and service agreements and budgets for upcoming clinical trials.
Kindergarten Teacher and Recruiter
I worked for a recruitment company, ESL Shenzhen, who recruited new teachers to come to Asia. Since uprooting your life is a tremendous feat, I helped onboard new teachers to life abroad as well as coordinated paperwork requirements for work permits and certifications for teaching. When I wasn't recruiting, I taught English and Science classes for 12-40 children.
High Performance Polymer Chemistry Technician
I worked with a team of scientists to design a scale-up trial for a brand new pilot plant process. I'm still under non-disclosure agreement, but I can tell you that SABIC has made some really cool products like bullet proof glass and other high performance polycarbonates seen in airplanes and cellphones.
I gained a lot of industry knowledge as well as practical skills in developing safe chemical reactions and maintaining Gel Permeation Chromatography and Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography instruments.
Summer Intern
I worked closely with graduate students to design a blood brain barrier delivery vehicle to aid in mRNA interference for gene therapeutics. Here I gained skills for writing formal research papers and presenting results in an academic setting. I grew to enjoy research so much that this internship inspired me to one day attend graduate school
Organic Chemistry Teaching Assistant
Every week I would teach Organic Chemistry theory as well as laboratory tutorials covering learning objectives and safety.
I was responsible for assessing student's performance through assignments, essays, and tests.
Summer Intern
I designed and coordinated flow cytometry-based assays to test platelet activation in animal test subjects.
This was a challenging project in this early stage of my career. I learned how to conduct comprehensive literature reviews as well as present my results to both scientific and business professionals.
