We were delighted to speak with one of our longest-serving colleagues recently. We asked her what her day-to-day looked like and what she enjoyed most about her work.
Please tell us your name and role at Simbec-Orion. How long have you worked for the company?
My name is Deborah Evans, I’m Clinic Manager at the Phase I Unit in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales. I joined Simbec-Orion over 40 years ago, on March 1st, 1983.
Do you have the same role as you did when you started? How has your career grown since you joined?
I’ve had several roles over the years. When I first joined, I was a separating lab technician within the clinic and from there, moved on to become a Study Officer. I also spent five years working in what we now call Enrolment Services, previously called the recruitment department. In 1993 I returned to the clinic, where eventually my role was to support the Clinic Manger as a Clinic Co-ordinator. I was also Quality Control Officer for seven years and from there I went back to being a Clinic Co-ordinator before I was offered the role of Clinic Manager in 2012. Having worked in varying roles within the company, it has given me a better understanding of the issues my colleagues can sometimes face. It helps me to offer support and hopefully help them find solutions.
What does your job involve on a daily basis?
I’m still very hands-on because that’s how we work, we are an incredibly close team. I occasionally help with ward procedures or sample processing in our clinic laboratory, but the majority of my day involves general oversight of the running of the CPU, budgeting, scheduling, and ensuring processes are completed to the highest standard to guarantee we retain our Phase 1 Accreditation. I don’t want to be a manager that is distant from the day-to-day work, and I think it’s good for the junior staff to see that I’m happy to jump in and support the team in a practical way. The clinic is a great training ground and many of my former staff have moved on to other roles within Simbec-Orion, such as enrolment services, the labs, project management, and Clinical Ops. Having background experience in the clinic gives them greater insight when they move into their new roles and get involved in the different aspects of running studies.
What do you most enjoy about your job?
I love working in the clinic, the team are a fantastic group of people. I also enjoy meeting the volunteers. Many of them do 2 or 3 studies a year and you get to know them really well. To me, the fact they do want to come back and take part in further trials proves that we are providing them the best experience possible which is evident in the volunteer feedback we receive.
Why do you think the work we/you do is important?
The people are so important to me. When people ask me what I do, I get very passionate about telling them. I know we are almost at the beginning of the clinical development process, but what we do is so important. I’m very proud of our company, our staff, and the role we play in improving people’s lives, especially when the new drug is for something that you are aware of or has touched your family. Although I started my career in Simbec Research, I love the fact that we also have the clinical development team, and as a bigger organisation, as Simbec-Orion, we can see it through from start to finish. I think that’s amazing and I’m very, very proud of the part I play in that.