91ֿ’s College of Public Health is the only fully accredited public health college to offer an undergraduate pathway to clinical trials research, a rapidly expanding segment of the healthcare job market.
“The field is expected to grow by more than 36% in the next few years,” said Melissa Zullo, Ph.D., associate dean of the College of Public Health. “It is a growing field, and we started this program because students were showing up with an interest in working in research in hospital settings.”
Clinical trials are research studies that test the safety and effectiveness of new medical approaches for humans.
Zullo told 91ֿ Today that faculty in the college, which recently celebrated 15 years since its creation, knew they had to step up to fill this void.
The college, which is fully accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health, was one of the first in the country to offer a bachelor’s degree concentration in clinical trials research when the pathway was developed in 2016.
Zullo said the training previously offered to students did not specifically address clinical trials research jobs in hospitals or other settings, where many students were finding employment. So, the concentration was developed as a new pathway for the bachelor’s degree and to offer needed training for that career field, she said.
The clinical trials research concentration was just two years old when Andrew Wright, originally from Delaware, Ohio, elected to add the specialty to his bachelor’s degree in public health, which he earned in 2018.
Wright came to 91ֿ in 2014 for pre-med coursework, but after shadowing several physicians, he realized that being a doctor wasn’t the right career for him. Around the same time, he met Zullo, who offered some career advice.
“She kind of pointed me in the direction of clinical trials,” Wright recalled. “She was talking about how it was a new program at the time, so I figured, why not give it a shot? She later helped me to get an internship at the Cleveland Clinic.”
At the Cleveland Clinic, Wright said he got a true picture of what clinical research looks like on a day-to-day basis, and he knew he had found his niche. His internship turned into his first full-time job at the Clinic’s Taussig Cancer Institute.
“It was a very good opportunity, and I absolutely had to take my chance at it,” he said.
He left the clinic for other private sector jobs of increasing responsibility before ending up at IQVIA, a South Carolina-based contract research organization, or CRO, which is a firm that contracts with pharmaceutical companies to provide a range of services including data management, study design and overall study management. Wright works exclusively with the drug company AstraZeneca and is currently taking part in phase one research trials for developing new ovarian and lung cancer drug treatments.
Because he works remotely, Wright could reside anywhere but opted to remain in Northeast Ohio.
Wright said clinical trial research is not something that is an obvious career choice for many who are thinking about a future in the medical field. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, however, he believes the field has really come into the spotlight.
For the future, Wright is hoping to form his own site management organization, so that eventually he can run his own company.
“There’s unlimited potential,” he said.
Zullo said a master’s degree program was created in 2018 to address the shortage of experienced clinical researchers in the job market and for those already in the field seeking to advance their careers with a graduate degree.
“We had students who wanted an advanced degree in the same field, so that’s why we developed the master’s program,” Zullo explained. “Through Kent’s combined program, you can use some of your hours from the undergraduate program toward the graduate program, so you can reduce your time and make obtaining the degree more cost-effective.”
Students who receive a degree (bachelor’s or master’s) also may be able to count their coursework toward a clinical research professional certification from the Association of Clinical Research Professionals, the only non-profit organization solely dedicated to representing, supporting and advocating for clinical research professionals.
Public health graduates are finding that opportunities abound for those with clinical trials training and expertise. On the job search website Indeed.com, there are currently more than 300 jobs related to clinical trial work posted in Ohio alone.
Caroline Matyas, who earned her bachelor’s degree in public health in 2018, works at Apex Skin, a dermatology center with 14 locations throughout Northeast Ohio, where she serves as research coordinator responsible for recruiting patients, educating providers, working with the federal Food and Drug Administration and assisting with regulatory guidelines.
“Clinical trials are paramount to the medical advancement of new therapies. Clinical trials are a critical piece of medical professionals’ ability to prescribe medications to patients,” Matyas said. “The ability to participate in a clinical trial may offer patients an alternative treatment when approved treatments are not available. This can aid patients in feeling empowered about their health.”
Matyas discovered her passion for clinical trials by chance.
“I found public health when I was a nursing major and added a class about clinical trials. I found it so stimulating and interesting that I ended up switching majors as I knew this would be more fulfilling for me,” she recalled. “I would encourage any student who is interested in science but unsure of their path to take some public health courses.”
At the Apex Clinical Research Center, studies are ongoing relating to a wide range of dermatological conditions, including atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, acne, urticaria and alopecia. Matyas is responsible for recruiting research subjects, collaborating with sponsors and contract research organizations, collecting source data, identifying and reporting side effects and protocol deviations, and assisting sub-investigators with trial conduct.
“My public health degree from 91ֿ set me up perfectly to be a research coordinator. I was completely prepared with a full understanding of what would be expected of me,” she said.
At a previous job at the Cleveland Clinic, Matyas prepared submissions relating to stem cell research and conducted investigations for new drug trials.
“Now in my role with Apex, I have the opportunity to work in all 14 of our offices in northeast Ohio, and I can see the results of extensive clinical trial research in real-time,” she said.
Zullo said these public health graduates go on to work on clinical trials or observational studies at hospitals, or work for research organizations, both small and large, conducting drug trials or other clinical research trials.
“It’s a great pathway for students who want to work in health research,” she said.
There are hundreds of job openings in Ohio, particularly Northeast Ohio, for students to find employment after graduation, Zullo noted.
Zullo said there are about 50 undergraduate students pursuing the clinical trials researcher concentration bachelor’s degree and another 50 pursuing a master’s degree in clinical epidemiology.
Since its inception in 2016, more than 150 students have graduated with a bachelor’s degree concentration in clinical trials research. More than 100 others have received a master’s degree in clinical epidemiology since that pathway was developed in 2018.
Matyas credits Zullo, who served as her academic advisor, for mentoring her during her time at 91ֿ.
“Professor Zullo was my academic advisor and was very open about possibilities within the field of public health. I felt very reassured about my decision to pursue a career in public health,” she said.
In addition, Matyas said the faculty also encouraged her critical thinking and showed their passion for the field of public health.
In 2019, Matyas earned the Certified Clinical Research Professional certificate through the Society for Clinical Research Associates, and she is considering going back to complete her original nursing degree to advance into the career of clinical research nurse coordinator.
“Public health reaches through medical care to policy management through our government agencies,” Matyas said, “And the possibilities are endless for a career if you have a background in public health.”