Employee Focus on Emma Grant
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Name: Emma Grant
Current Title: Clinical Research Coordinator
Pronouns: she/her
Hometown: New Washington, Ohio
Degrees and Institutions Attended: I graduated from the University of Mount Union in May 2021 with my Bachelor of Science in Biology and minors in Chemistry and Neuroscience. I very recently graduated with my Master of Clinical Research from The Ohio State University in May 2024.
Years of Employment at the college: Three years
Q&A
What brought you to the college of Optometry?
When I graduated with my undergrad degree in May 2021 I was not sure what I wanted to do, but I knew I wanted a job that interacted with people on a daily basis. In my final semester I took a chemistry class where I learned about clinical research, so I applied for several clinical research coordinator/assistant jobs in here in Columbus. Dr. Jennifer Fogt hired me the day after my graduation ceremony and showed me the ways of clinical research.
Describe your typical day at work or describe your position/role.
There is never a typical day in clinical research. Our lab is involved in both adult and pediatric clinical trials, so the participants and research studies change throughout the day. My job duties as a clinical research coordinator include recruiting/scheduling participants, assisting in research study visits, Institutional Review Board (IRB) submissions, maintaining regulatory documents, and helping design protocols and run statistics for our investigator initiated trials.
I also am on the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) committee and serve as a BuckEYE Optometry magazine editor. Since my desk is at the front of the first floor of Fry Hall, I also spend my day helping lost individuals find their way around campus.
What brings you the most joy in your work?
What brings me the most joy in my work is the research participants. At any given time we typically have about 100 participants enrolled in research, so I get to meet lots of new people. I also love the team I work with and have enjoyed learning about the field of optometry.
What do you do for fun outside of work?
When I am not at work, I am usually spending time with my husband, Berry, and our two dogs, Dae and Kodi. Some of my hobbies include reading, traveling, taking ice skating lessons, and going to work out classes with friends. I also volunteer for See Brilliance, a nonprofit organization that provides Black and Latinx youth with STEAM educational opportunities on the second Saturday of each month.
What is the first item on your bucket list?
The first item on my bucket list is to go on an African Safari in Tanzania or Zambia.