Isabela Balaiu

Why did you choose to study at UCL Institute of Clinical Trials & Methodology?

When I started doing my research on which University to choose, I was struck by the fact that UCL has its own institute which conducts clinical trials. From that point I knew that the lecturers will be able to provide us real insight on how clinical trials are conducted from start to finish and that the knowledge there will be invaluable.

How would you describe your distance learning experience?

Obviously, COVID-19 hit us all pretty hard. I was really looking forward to meeting new people and physically going to lectures, however, UCL made sure that there was no difference between going to lectures and remote learning. The courses were well structured, and we had plenty of resources at our disposal.

What piece of advice would you give to new students?

Work hard, but also don’t forget to have fun. It is a great course that will reward you if you choose to put the work in. Also, don’t be afraid to ask questions. Nobody is expected to know everything and you are there to learn so make your time count .

What is your current role? What’s a regular day like?

I am currently working as a Clinical Trial Assistant for ICON plc. I am assigned to two studies (phase 2). Currently I am responsible for maintaining the training of the study members up to date, performing eTMF QCs, providing weekly & monthly reports to the study team and a few other ad-hoc tasks. My day usually starts by checking my emails for anything urgent that I need to address. If it’s a Monday or Wednesday I have to send out a few reports to my PM & CTMs. Once I finish this I usually go and look at trainings and file certificates in the eTMF. Some days I also have to update specific trackers for the studies which will take me almost 1-2 hours to do. If it’s a quiet day and I don’t have many things on my calendar I will either message my PMs & CTMs to ask for tasks or I will go to my learning platform and complete a few optional pieces of training.