What is working on a clinical drug trial like?
“This is such a specific field. There is a lot of paperwork and all of it is amazingly precise. It’s not the kind of work everyone would like. There are extremely specific protocols we have to follow.” Who participates in your drug trials? “The majority of people are local. It takes a certain personality to not know what you’re on, and to do the frequent visits. Being in a drug trial is a big commitment. Sometimes people have to keep a diary, or sometimes they have to phone in their information to a computer (database).” How did you get into this field? “After I got a degree in psychology from Regis College in 1973, I went to work for a chief of medicine, Dr. John Calabro, who was a pediatric rheumatologist. Back then, aspirin was the only drug approved for children with (juvenile) arthritis. Early on, we did studies for Motrin and Napricin. I would type the forms, and when the nurses were out, I learned to do some of the ‘techie’ things. Like EKGs (electrocardiograms) — I didn’t have
