A Conn education leads to a satisfying career

The Sudbury, Massachusetts, native took the pre-med path at Conn, working with Pre-Health Professions Adviser Page Owen to map out her studies. Staff in the Hale Center for Career Development helped Anna strengthen her resume and make plans for after graduation. “It was really nice to have people there to talk it out with and decide how to move forward.”

Anna majored in biochemistry, minored in psychology and was a scholar in the Public Health Pathway. But some of her favorite classes at Conn were the theater-based courses “Theater of the AIDS Epidemic” and “Performing Public Health,” both taught by Professor of Theater Virginia Anderson, who is also the interim director of the Holleran Center for Community Action and Public Policy.

“Learning about public health through those courses was really interesting, as was gaining an understanding of public health as a whole,” Anna says.

“It’s so interdisciplinary and there’s so much that goes into an individual’s health. Patients have cancer, but they also have so much else going on in their lives. It’s great that those courses have led me to think about that, because it will help me with my future and to be more empathetic.”

‘Healthcare is like a team sport’

While Anna gave her all in the classroom, she also stayed on top of her own health as a member of the Women’s Track & Field and Women’s Club Soccer teams. Balancing those different priorities has proved helpful in her career, she says. 

“Being a student-athlete takes up a lot of time, and my biochemistry classes were rigorous. I think one of the most important skills I brought to being a clinical research coordinator is time management. There are so many things to do at once, and you have to be able to set a schedule and prioritize tasks without forgetting any.”

Anna says her work at Dana-Farber has helped put her future into focus. She plans to apply to medical school and hopes to continue working in Boston or another city.

At the moment, she has her eye on becoming a surgeon, an oncologist or, after shadowing one and being impressed, a surgical oncologist. She says many of the physicians at Dana-Farber have shown her the kind of doctor she wants to be.

“I really enjoy working with people and helping people, and healthcare gives you the opportunity to do that. And being an athlete throughout my life, I really like the team aspect of that, and I think healthcare is like a team sport, honestly. So all of those things came together and drew me in.”

Leaving a lasting legacy

Anna is one of six clinical research coordinators on Dana-Farber’s sarcoma team. She and her colleagues spend one or two days each week in the clinic with patients and the rest of their time on tasks like emailing with sponsors, inputting patient data and ensuring adherence to each step of the scientific studies’ crucial procedures. 

“We coordinate among sponsors, physicians and research nurses, and we are in charge of making sure everything is done per protocol,” she says.

Anna’s role also includes following individual patients throughout each study, resulting in a connection she finds rewarding.

“Every time they come in, we’ll be like, ‘OK, do they need a research blood draw? Do they need to do a questionnaire? Do they need to re-consent to this protocol?’ We’ll prep blood draw kits for them, and we’ll usually go to their visits, which I really enjoy because you get to meet the patients you’re doing all the work for.”

Clinical trials can last for years. While she’ll likely have moved on by the time most of the projects have come to fruition, Anna has helped launch some trials and is watching current studies develop in real time. Who knows—maybe this Camel will help cure cancer.

“We have a couple of studies that are doing well,” Anna shares. “We have one that started in 2022 that might be FDA approved. It’s very exciting.”