Nico Pryma (microbiology and statistics)
Fifth-year microbiology and statistics student Nico Pryma (he/him) has a career in medicine in his sights. He recently spent a co-op work term as a clinical trials research assistant with the BC Cancer Agency in Vancouver—a position that will continue in a full-time capacity when he graduates this April.
Creating a road map for clinic trials
Nico was responsible for evaluating how clinical trials across different tumour sites and oncology disciplines were started in order to develop a road map of the startup process. The road map he helped build is now being used to inform the implementation of prospective real-time trackers for study startups.
"I was excited to do work that I knew had practical implications beyond a co-op project and would be helpful for staff and patients in future trials," says Nico.
Gaining certification
Coming out of high school, Nico had a strong interest in life sciences and mathematics and wanted to pursue a medical career post-undergrad. Microbiology allowed him to explore the "small" niche in biology, while statistics provided him with a background in processing the data associated with samples.
“Then this co-op role allowed me to complete courses and gain certifications in Biomedical Ethics, Good Clinical Practice, Responsible Conduct of Research and Drugs For Clinical Trials Involving Human Subjects,” says Nico.
The value of co-op
"I cannot recommend co-op enough—It was such a great way to step into the working environment with professionals and experts in the field. It was an amazing way to begin my career with experiential training and graduate with job offer."