When Alice Chen left the train station in Philadelphia, her head was buzzing. She had just completed her final interview for a Senior Clinical Research Associate role at this slightly unorthodox location, halfway between her home in New York and the Pennsylvania town where her hiring manager was based.
Alice had already passed several phone interviews. She understood that Novocure was moving quickly and decisively to bring their innovative cancer therapy, Tumor Treating Fields (TTFields), to more patients. Our clinical trial program was a key component of this plan. Alice, eager to learn and built on her previous professional experience in clinical trial management, wanted to be a part of it.
When she joined us in 2014, one of Alice’s first tasks was supporting the EF-14 study, a global clinical trial that studied that safety and efficacy of our therapy for patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer. Alice supported the day-to-day clinical trial activities, including overseeing our external vendors, who were contracted to manage various aspects of the trial for us in the U.S. and abroad.
It was an ambitious project. Patients had to be enrolled in the trial on time, and clinical data had to be gathered and processed correctly. With drive and focus, Alice was making sure that all of this was accomplished to the highest quality standards and in accordance with the relevant regulations. She also visited our study sites in the U.S. personally.
“This work ‘on the ground’ as a Clinical Research Associate really helped me understand the day-to-day issues that can come up during a cancer trial,” Alice said. “For someone like me, who had started her career doing repetitive work on my own in the pre-clinical laboratory, this was an enjoyable change of pace.”
Encouraged by positive results in our first phase 3 clinical trials, we expanded our clinical pipeline to test our therapy in additional types of cancer. Alice began getting involved in more strategic work as a Clinical Trial Manager, such as selecting and initiating suitable hospitals for participation in our next global studies.
“At that time, we were still just three Clinical Trial Managers working under a Director in the U.S.,” Alice remembers. “We were doing trailblazing work for patients fighting some of the most aggressive forms of cancer, truly innovating to generate the scientific evidence for an additional type of cancer therapy. This was a huge motivation for me.” Since clinical trials can take many years to completion, this drive that permeated Alice and her team was crucial for our success.
The daily interactions with our investigators was particularly rewarding for Alice. “Outside of the cancers where TTFields therapy is already established, there is still a lot of education that needs to be done with investigators and site staff. Supporting them and finding potential ways to enroll more patients in our studies was exciting,” Alice said. Today, our clinical team has grown, and we have a dedicated team of Clinical Research Scientists who are building these relationships.
“I feel like working in clinical research is the best job in the world.”—Alice Chen, Associate Director, Clinical Trial Management
In 2018, we expanded our global trials to the Greater China region through a global strategic development collaboration with Zai Lab. Alice became the main point of contact for clinical operations, due to her familiarity with our processes and her language skills. When strict COVID regulations affected her work in China, the trusting relationship she had built paid off, and together, we managed to find solutions so that our trials in China could continue.
A decade after joining Novocure, Alice is now managing a portfolio of TTFields clinical studies conducted in the Greater China region as Associate Director, Clinical Trial Management.
At Novocure, together with our patients, we strive to extend survival in some of the most aggressive cancers. “Many of these patients have a limited life-expectancy. But some are persevering, being able to celebrate another birthday or another important milestone in their life with their family,” Alice said. “When I realize that my work may have contributed to that, I feel like working in clinical research is the best job in the world.”
Alice also feels grateful to work closely with her colleagues at Novocure. “They inspire me with their talent and dedication and enrich my life with their friendship,” she said. “With them by my side, I feel empowered to take on new challenges and keep moving forward for our patients.”
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