Premier Value: We Work Together
I came to visit the United States from Belarus in 2004, and completely unexpectedly ended up staying. At that time, I decided that dental hygiene would provide a very hirable, clear path to employment; that decision also planted the seed for a career improving patient lives in a meaningful, personal way.
Although dental hygiene certification is a 4-year academic program, it’s an associate degree, so once I was in practice, I decided to pursue a bachelor’s degree in parallel with my clinical career (and while raising my son).
I finished my college degree just as the clinical research world was exploding, and CROs were very open to non-traditional hires. I had watched the documentary, First In Human, about clinical research studies and was intrigued, so I looked into the industry. That show and my search process reminded me I had interviewed a Premier Research employee for a college leadership class. I was impressed with her accomplishments and with the company, so I applied for an open project management position.
In my application I explained how I could transfer my existing clinical skills to this new role. In October 2021, I joined Premier as an Associate Project Manager.
I was assigned to our largest study with an immediate focus on site activation. I was onboarding sites around the US while also working with Asia-Pacific colleagues, sharing best practices for site activation. Eight months later I was fortunate to be included in the investigator meeting in Bangkok, Thailand. On the heels of that meeting, I was promoted to Clinical Lead. It was like drinking from a fire hose—but I was confident, knowing that extremely experienced people believed in me.
On the study, I had the opportunity to partner with another amazing clinical lead, and was provided with day-to-day mentorship support, which was immensely helpful to my growth. I also knew my line manager always had my back and that senior management within clinical operations fully supported me. I truly have had great mentors—both peers and leadership—supporting me every step of the way.
I think Premier is unique in providing the space for employees to apply new skill sets and to evolve quickly in their professional roles. And it’s not only fueled by an employee’s desire to try a new role; a big part of it is also recognition from leadership combined with a need on the team. The world is my oyster here; there are so many opportunities and it’s just a matter of recognizing them and being prepared to go for it. As one example, I was honored to be invited to help develop the 90-day new hire onboarding program; it was an opportunity to be a part of something outside of my day-to-day clinical role that would impact our business. And it was exciting to meet and work with Premier colleagues from many other departments and around the world.
I feel grateful that I’ve been given so many opportunities in my brief time as Premier. People have been available to guide and support me. One way I strive to pay that back is through one-on-one weekly meetings with the in-house clinical research associates (CRAs) on my team. We talk about the study, but we also discuss where they see themselves in the future and how Premier can fuel their career growth.
I have also been engaged in helping build a sense of comradery within our department. We have a chat space for our group where we connect on a personal level; we celebrate birthdays, work anniversaries, and individual achievements. We consciously promote a sense of belonging.
That is key to Premier. We have a shared responsibility to be successful in our deliverables, and also to support one another on a daily basis. It takes everyone from senior management through junior colleagues—everyone’s role is paramount to our success. We are one team.
If you are interested in working for a company where support and connection is a priority, Premier Research could be a great fit. See open positions here.