Name: Kathy Spiegel (she/her)
PhD: Pharmacology, Cornell University Medical College, 1984
What was your main area of research?
For my PhD, I studied opioid receptors and the different receptors responsible for analgesia vs respiratory depression and hormonal effects. For my postdoc, I studied the effect of neuronal microenvironment on gene expression, primarily using primary neuronal tissue culture.
What is your current job?
I am retired and currently running a very small farm in Manchester, Michigan.
Before retiring, I was a writer. In the last writing job I had, I was responsible for all regulatory clinical documents for several project teams. I wrote some and oversaw the outsourcing of others.
I very much enjoyed the teamwork involved in pharmaceutical clinical research.
How did you find this position? What were the career steps you took to get to where you are now?
I found my last position through personal connections (after almost 30 years in the industry).
PhD graduate ➡️ postdoctoral fellow ➡️ Sr scientist in pharma ➡️ regulatory writer ➡️ clinical scientist ➡️ consultant (writing and clinical research) ➡️ regulatory writer (full time employee) ➡️ retired
Why did you decide to not pursue a career in academia?
At the time I left my postdoc, I was receiving good ratings on grants but the grants were not being funded. It was a difficult decision at the time, but one I am glad I made.
What advice do you have for someone getting their PhD and looking to pursue a career outside of academia?
If you want a job doing essentially what you have done for your PhD, apply for lots.
If you are looking for a job doing something different (eg, medical writing), look for a company that is willing to train you and also join the appropriate association(s).
And finally, network, network, network.