Learner Profile
Beatriz Dal Santo Bonamichi

Employer

Boehringer Ingelheim

HMX Course

Drug Discovery and Development

Beatriz Dal Santo Bonamichi moved from Brazil to Germany to take on a new role as a Global Manager of Scientific Projects related to Cardio Metabolism pipeline with Boehringer Ingelheim. To better support her new career path, Beatriz enrolled in the HMX Pro Drug Discovery and Development course to aid in her transition. Beatriz shares her experience with the course and how it enabled her to become more prepared for her new position.

One year ago, I started a position in corporate, in Rhineland-Palatinate Germany to work in the pipeline environment. It was a huge change for me because I was living in Brazil prior to relocating… In my last position, I used to deal with clinical trials that were already designed with protocols, but now I’m with the team that makes decisions. My team decides how to move forward, how to build, and how we are going to consider the compounds in the pipeline. It can be a really challenging role. I had been asking my manager to help me in my development and to improve my skills to better contribute to the team. Everything was still pretty new to me so I decided that I wanted to enroll in some courses specific to my career, which is why I chose to enroll in the Drug Discovery and Development course at HMX.

I really enjoyed the course presenters talking about what is right and wrong regarding evidence generation for specifically one compound. For me, I believe it was some of the most important and impactful content. That subject was covered over two modules and discussed that when you bring a mechanism of action, you bring the science, pure science. This became even more impactful for me when the presenters brought in real world examples to solidify their points. It was a game changer for the learners to understand the real-life scenarios and understand that evidence generation isn’t always perfect.

The format of the course was important to me. The animation and storytelling voiceovers were very engaging. It felt like the presenter was talking and discussing directly with each learner. I found those videos very interesting, and they weren’t overly time-consuming. I liked that the course was set up as multiple shorter videos opposed to fewer, longer videos. I was able to keep up with the content better and remain productive.

Yes, after I finished the course in October, my company developed some projects regarding protocol design. We had to start a trial design outline, and I was able to help my colleague in charge of this task with the knowledge I gained during the course. I started to help my colleague to build these trials and outline them. If I did not take the course, I would not have been able to support them during this project because I would not have known how to be of assistance. But after taking the course I was able to apply my learning and assist with the project.

One aspect I would mention is that a crucial part in succeeding within this course is staying organized. You need to make the time to study in addition to completing the course material. I found that I was able to manage my time effectively, but I had to be really aware of how I was managing myself. I was able to still work during the course, but it did require proper time management. In order to get the most out of this course, you have to be prepared.

Yes, I’m really happy with the experience I had and I’m considering taking another course. I found that this course was important in furthering my career, but you have to take the time to study and stay dedicated. I believe that most people in fields regarding clinical trials would find this course applicable.