The students of the two graduating classes currently studying the Master's Degree in research, development and Medication Innovation (MIDI) of the School of Pharmacy and Nutrition participated last week in the event "MIDI Conecta", an activity that brings together professionals from the latest graduating classes to discuss their experiences when facing the world of work.

In this 6th edition Cristina García (MIDI'24), Violeta Balbás (MIDI'25), Elena Hernando (MIDI'27) and Elena Zaragozá (MIDI'29) participated. Although this meeting has traditionally been held at the Campus of the University of Navarra in Madrid, given the current status , it was held in Pamplona although with a mixed format, face-to-face and online. 

Cristina García studied Biochemistry at the University and it was clear to her that she liked research, but she was also curious about other areas of the pharmaceutical industry. Now, after working in different areas of CIMA and in more and less large pharmaceutical companies, she is clear about what to do in the face of job uncertainty: "If anyone is undecided when they finish Master's Degree, they should not be overwhelmed. I have gone through different challenges that in the end have led me to where I am now and where I never imagined I would work", confesses the manager of the downstream development department of VIVEbiotech. "And in this whole process, I have benefited a lot from the support of Career Services at the University".

Elena Hernando works in Regulatory Affairs at Faes Farma. In her department they are in charge of submitting drug dossiers in countries with high regulation, as well as paying attention to all manufacturing and batch variations to bring them in line with the legislation. " Wealso give feedback and support of the dossiers that are being created in the department of development of the business", he explains. About his experience, he recommends not being afraid to bet on something attractive but in which one has no experience. "You always learn by doing, and companies also provide the necessary training to end up doing what you like the most". 

research "The Master's Degree provided me with what I was looking for at the time: it gave me a global vision of the preclinical, clinical and commercialization of a drug in the industry," confesses Violeta Balbás. Although it was not in her plans, she stayed at the University to do her doctoral thesis at the department de Tecnología y Chemistry Farmacéuticas, where she had done her TFM. She has now spent nine months as Medical Scientific Liaison at Eli Lilly and Company. "My role is completely reactive: among other things, I am in constant communication with the experts at department medical and I am in charge of updating them on the latest scientific information," she explains.

Elena Zaragozá is the Clinical Study Coordinator at the Clínica Universidad de Navarra. Eleven months ago she was in the same classrooms, so her experience was very interesting, especially in terms of starting out in the working world. "I decided to do the Master's Degree because it did not close the door of the research, at the same time that it opened me to the pharmaceutical industry. I liked the idea of being close to the patient and seeing how our work improves their quality of life," she confesses. "Thanks to Master's Degree I discovered the world of clinical trials and I had like the enlightenment to say 'here I see myself,' because it had everything I was looking for and also fit with my profile".