In May 2005, I was one of the first two interns from the Université de Montréal to join ICON for a 6-month period internship in order to complete a Master of Science degree. During this period, I met some exceptional people who cared about my training, but most importantly they cared about me as a person. At the end of my internship, I was offered an El CRA position that I could not decline, and have since been promoted to a Senior CRA role.

Prior to joining ICON in November 2005, I had no experience in the industry. I spent seven years practicing medicine as a General Practitioner in Kinshasa, before undertaking the Master of Science degree in Drug Development at Université de Montréal.

As a Senior CRA, my role has myriad of functions. I identify, select, initiate and close-out appropriate investigational sites for clinical studies, along with monitoring sites in order to ensure that studies are carried out according to the appropriate study protocol, regulations and principles. I’m also involved in areas of study management and staff training, as well as contributing to ICON systems and procedures reviews as appropriate.

During my time at ICON, I’ve met some extraordinary people. The ICON culture cares about people first, supporting them and allowing them to reach their goals. Employees here focus on monitoring trials with the highest standards by adhering to protocols, ICH-GCP guidelines and regulations, while always prioritising patient safety and the quality of study data. People who are professional, knowledgeable and keen to seek career opportunities do well at ICON.

The best thing about my job is every time I can contribute in achieving ICON’s mission - to help accelerate the development of drugs that save lives and improve the quality of life.