Should I Work for a Contract Research Organization? – 124

Interview with Dr. Michelle Bailey

This week, I bring you my conversation with a former academic pediatrician who now works as senior medical director for a contract research organization, or CRO.

Dr. Michelle Bailey knew she wanted to be a pediatrician since she was 12 years old. She received her medical degree from State University of New York (SUNY) Downstate Health Sciences University and completed her pediatrics residency at Duke University Medical Center. She trained in the Integrative Medicine Fellowship through the University of Arizona, and served on the faculty of Duke University School of Medicine for 18 years.

Michelle worked in a demanding academic setting for many years. Then a medical scare helped her realize she needed a change. Now, she works full time as a medical director for a contract research organization, and part time as a career development coach for physicians.

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What Do You Want?

Michelle worked as an academic pediatrician for over 20 years, when she began to experience symptoms of burnout. One day she developed chest pain and sought medical care at the insistence of a colleague.

She had not suffered a cardiac event. But she took the episode as an indication that she needed to make a change in her career. She needed more balance and less stress.

She realized that she had reached a point where she was neglecting her health for the sake of her career. So, she began asking herself questions to determine what she wanted for herself at that stage of her life.

A friend of hers had recently transitioned from clinical practice to a pharma job at a contract research organization. Michelle knew nothing about the CRO world. But she was willing to learn. When the opportunity presented itself, it turned out to be a perfect fit.

Working for a CRO

CROs are companies that pharmaceutical, biotech and device companies hire to run their clinical trials. As a medical director, Dr. Bailey collaborates with a multidisciplinary team to bring new drugs to market.

She presents at bid defense meetings. These are similar to sales meetings where she shares her expertise to try to win contracts for her company. She also reviews safety narratives developed by pharmacovigilance teams to ensure they make sense.

Michelle enjoys her role at the contract research organization. Many CRO medical directors have training in internal medicine or family medicine. But Michelle says not to rule yourself out based on your specialty. She has been quite successful with her pediatric background.

According to Michelle, physicians have advantages in this industry simply based on their experience working with patients and families. However, there are other skills that can be valuable if you want to work for a CRO:

• leadership skills,
• teaching experience,
• research background,
• understanding the clinical drug development process, or
• experience working on an investigational review board (IRB) or ethics committee.

There are several roles for physicians at a contract research organization. If not qualified as a medical director, a physician could also pursue:

• a medical monitoring role,
• work as a safety physician within a pharmacovigilance department, or
• a clinical research associate job providing onsite monitoring.