Biggest Challenges Faced by a Staff Research Associate III at UCLA Health
Ivan's biggest challenge as a SRA III at UCLA Health is the lab's long history (since before 2015), resulting in difficulties "isolating these things" and locating samples due to past turnover and lost information. This requires significant effort to track down and rectify past issues while preventing future occurrences.
Overcoming Challenges, Problem-Solving, Biobanking, Data Management, UCLA Health
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Ivan Perez Garcilazo
SRA III
UCLA Health
UCLA, UCLA Extension
UC Irvine, M.S. Pharmacology
Biology & Related Sciences
Biotechnology & Pharmaceutical, Healthcare, Medical & Wellness
Research and Development (R&D)
First Generation College Student
Video Highlights
1. Legacy systems and data organization require significant time to find and isolate information, impacting efficiency.
2. High staff turnover throughout the years resulted in knowledge gaps and inconsistencies in processes and documentation.
3. The challenge highlights the importance of robust data management systems and comprehensive documentation in research laboratories for efficient workflow and knowledge transfer.
Transcript
What is your biggest challenge in your current role?
The biggest challenge is that our lab is a longstanding one, around since 2002, maybe even before. Dr. Rebus has been at UCLA for a while.
When dealing with things that predate 2015, it takes time to find and isolate them. This also applies to biobanking, where we have to locate specific samples.
Other than that, the lab is quite good at getting the job done and staying organized. However, due to turnover over the years, things can get lost. It's up to the current team to figure out what's going on and ensure it doesn't happen again. That's been our biggest challenge.