What is your role and what does your work focus on?
In my role as a Research Support Assistant at the South Australian Neurological Tumour Bank (SANTB), I’m responsible for collecting valuable brain tumour samples. These samples, obtained with patient consent, are carefully retrieved from operating theatres at FMC and RAH. We then deidentify and deliver them directly to our researchers or store them in our biobank until they’re needed. Researchers approach us for specific tumour types, and we provide them with samples and relevant clinical data for tumour research. A tumour that might have been discarded is now contributing to vital research aimed at better understanding these conditions and, hopefully, finding a cure.
Where did you work before joining CMPH?
Prior to joining CMPH, my career has taken me to various settings, but I hadn’t worked at Flinders Uni before. I’ve worked in a diagnostic cytogenetics laboratory, spent a substantial amount of time in an epilepsy research group, investigating the genetic causes of epilepsy. I’ve also been involved in testing single cells from IVF embryos to check their chromosome numbers before implantation. More recently, I was a part of the research support team at the University of Adelaide supporting the researchers in the clinical trials facility.
What journey brought you to this point in your career?
I love science and working in a lab, I was always jealous of the researchers doing lab work while I was in the research support role so it was time for me to get back into the lab. This current role offers a fantastic blend of lab work, data management, and the administrative tasks necessary to keep a biobank operating smoothly.
What is something you love most about your work?
Knowing that our efforts today in assisting researchers access these specialised samples might one day make a difference in the lives of people with brain tumours.
How do you like to relax or spend your spare time?
I spend a lot of my time watching my kids play sports, particularly football. As they become more independent, I am spending more time gardening, reading, and enjoying company with a glass of wine and a cheese board. I love heading up the river with family and friends and I have also started trying out pickleball, we shall see if this sport sticks!