February!
February
Happy Birthday Bill, Sarah, Irina and Becky!
Becky in Japan!
What drew you to human factors and what drew you to Core?
Bill: I became interested in Human Factors as it seemed like a practical implementation of engineering design. After finishing my PhD I knew I wanted out of academic research but wanted to continue doing intellectually stimulating research. Consulting seemed like a logical transition and it seemed like my background in research and technology would be relatable to the usability of medical devices. Core seemed to have great employees doing interesting research so I strongly pursued working here!
Sarah: I've always been interested in health and human behavior, specifically related to chronic disease prevention and management. Core was a great fit because it combines research, behavior, and medicine into one career.
Irina: I studied emotional memory and perception as part of my undergraduate and graduate research, and conducted many interviews with people about personal events that shaped them. I am naturally quite curious and I enjoy meeting people from all backgrounds, so I wanted to continue conducting interviews and learning how people think - I can do that at Core! I also worked in hospital administration and clinical research, which gave me the opportunity to see many areas of improvement in the delivery of medical care, from processes implemented in large and small clinical practices to the design of healthcare devices and applications.
Becky: I always wanted to contribute to the healthcare field in some way, but was hesitant to go the medical school route. Core was definitely doing things related to medical devices, but I didn't quite know much about human factors at the time. After conducting my first study I was hooked.
Irina: I studied emotional memory and perception as part of my undergraduate and graduate research, and conducted many interviews with people about personal events that shaped them. I am naturally quite curious and I enjoy meeting people from all backgrounds, so I wanted to continue conducting interviews and learning how people think - I can do that at Core! I also worked in hospital administration and clinical research, which gave me the opportunity to see many areas of improvement in the delivery of medical care, from processes implemented in large and small clinical practices to the design of healthcare devices and applications.
Becky: I always wanted to contribute to the healthcare field in some way, but was hesitant to go the medical school route. Core was definitely doing things related to medical devices, but I didn't quite know much about human factors at the time. After conducting my first study I was hooked.
What is one fun fact about yourself?
Bill: When I did scientific research in London I was the bass player, band leader, and occasional singer of a cover band of scientists for about 4 years. Highlights included arranging a 7 minute instrumental medley of “Apache” and “Soul Sacrifice” (containing drum/guitar/keytar solos), performing “Barracuda” in all of its time signature-shifting glory faster than the recording, singing 3 songs in one set, playing Chilli Peppers topless, and performing bass duties with a Death Metal band of Parisian teenagers.
Bill: When I did scientific research in London I was the bass player, band leader, and occasional singer of a cover band of scientists for about 4 years. Highlights included arranging a 7 minute instrumental medley of “Apache” and “Soul Sacrifice” (containing drum/guitar/keytar solos), performing “Barracuda” in all of its time signature-shifting glory faster than the recording, singing 3 songs in one set, playing Chilli Peppers topless, and performing bass duties with a Death Metal band of Parisian teenagers.
Sarah: I love backpacking and hiking. I am working on becoming a "46er" (climbing all 46 high peaks in the Adirondack Mountains) and have climbed 26 peaks so far, some multiple times.
Irina: I once ran a relay race from Los Angeles to Las Vegas on a team of nine, with me being the only lady. It took us a little over 40 hours to cover the 340 miles and we averaged a 7:10 min/mile pace. We drove an RV and survived on Cliff bars. I got chased by a dog for around a mile at 2 am with no RV in sight, and I realized that you can't run for a long time in 90-degree weather in Death Valley.
Becky: I knew I wanted to move to Israel since I was about 12, I got to fulfill that dream 2.5 years ago.
What is your educational or professional background and how does it relate to your everyday job at Core?
Bill: I did my undergrad in Behavioral Neuroscience and then did a PhD in Neurotechnology. In my lab I was part of a team of scientists developing a novel brain machine interface for recording many neurons at the same time. I worked with a lot of different engineers over my years of lab work and I feel like this has given me a critical eye to how many different types of devices are designed and interacted with. I have a background in quantitative research and had to learn all the aspects of qualitative research on the job.
Becky: I studied bioengineering. It relates because I learned how to work hard, write in a clear but sometimes technical way, and explore new medical and biological topics quickly. I once thought that I was going to be an actual bioengineer, but after realizing how much more fun moderating is and getting to work with people I realized I'd rather just give recommendations to engineers!
What do you enjoy doing most at Core? Have you found a "specialty" or "niche" within Core?
Bill: I have been working at Core for a year so I am not sure if I have a true specialty yet. However, I enjoy moderating and protocol development a lot. I will certainly continue gaining experience in human factors study design and project management.
Sarah: I most enjoy the mix of experiences that I have a Core. I like that some days I get to Moderate and interact with real people to see products through their point of view whereas other days I'm focused on report writing or creating documents like use-related risk analyses. The variety of work keeps the day-to-day from becoming too routine.
Irina: I'm still quite new to Core, so I wouldn't say I have a specialty yet, but I've been doing lots of count checks! I enjoy interviewing the most, and am looking forward to starting to travel. I also enjoy all the food and dog-related conversations in 504.
Becky: I love meetings. I love collaborating and sharing ideas. I also really love meeting with clients early on and getting to see new products. I think that's when I have my aha moments that I'm lucky and happy to be doing what I'm doing: when I'm at a new client's office and they're just teaching me how to use a surgical robot, or new patient monitoring device, or whatever new technology is being developed, and it is just so cool to be a part of that.
What is the worst (or best?) design you have ever seen and why? (Does not have to be medical related)
Bill: I can’t seem to figure out how to change the clock on my Mazda3. Probably not the worst design I’ve ever seen but it’s frustrating. Check out reddit.com/r/CrappyDesign for a thorough source of awful designs.
Irina: Apartments in NYC... Imagine not being able to go to the bathroom and open the fridge at the same time because of space restrictions when you live with three other roommates... fun times in my early twenties.
Becky: Anything that is translucent plastic. Impossible to see, ends up down the drain. All sippy cups, baby bottles, breast pump parts should be made in colors. Would make so many tired moms (and dads) less frustrated with looking for little pieces of clear plastic that are drowning somewhere in a bowl of old breakfast cereal and milk in the kitchen sink.
Irina: I once ran a relay race from Los Angeles to Las Vegas on a team of nine, with me being the only lady. It took us a little over 40 hours to cover the 340 miles and we averaged a 7:10 min/mile pace. We drove an RV and survived on Cliff bars. I got chased by a dog for around a mile at 2 am with no RV in sight, and I realized that you can't run for a long time in 90-degree weather in Death Valley.
Becky: I knew I wanted to move to Israel since I was about 12, I got to fulfill that dream 2.5 years ago.
What is your educational or professional background and how does it relate to your everyday job at Core?
Bill: I did my undergrad in Behavioral Neuroscience and then did a PhD in Neurotechnology. In my lab I was part of a team of scientists developing a novel brain machine interface for recording many neurons at the same time. I worked with a lot of different engineers over my years of lab work and I feel like this has given me a critical eye to how many different types of devices are designed and interacted with. I have a background in quantitative research and had to learn all the aspects of qualitative research on the job.
Sarah: I have a Bachelors and Masters degree in Kinesiology and a Doctorate in Epidemiology as well as completed a Postdoc in behavioral and cancer epidemiology. My educational background has given me expertise in anatomy and physiology and research methodology. Professionally, I have managed many multi-disciplinary teams for a number of social and behavioral epidemiology research projects. My past experiences with qualitative research, project management, and health outcomes research has given me the knowledge and skills to design and conduct studies as well as critically analyze data.
Irina: I double-majored in neuroscience and literature, and then did a research master's in cognitive psychology. My undergrad research was on brain mechanisms involved in emotional processing in PTSD, and my graduate research was on factors that influence people's confidence in their emotional memory. I love interviewing people and learning their perspectives.
Irina: I double-majored in neuroscience and literature, and then did a research master's in cognitive psychology. My undergrad research was on brain mechanisms involved in emotional processing in PTSD, and my graduate research was on factors that influence people's confidence in their emotional memory. I love interviewing people and learning their perspectives.
Becky: I studied bioengineering. It relates because I learned how to work hard, write in a clear but sometimes technical way, and explore new medical and biological topics quickly. I once thought that I was going to be an actual bioengineer, but after realizing how much more fun moderating is and getting to work with people I realized I'd rather just give recommendations to engineers!
What do you enjoy doing most at Core? Have you found a "specialty" or "niche" within Core?
Bill: I have been working at Core for a year so I am not sure if I have a true specialty yet. However, I enjoy moderating and protocol development a lot. I will certainly continue gaining experience in human factors study design and project management.
Sarah: I most enjoy the mix of experiences that I have a Core. I like that some days I get to Moderate and interact with real people to see products through their point of view whereas other days I'm focused on report writing or creating documents like use-related risk analyses. The variety of work keeps the day-to-day from becoming too routine.
Irina: I'm still quite new to Core, so I wouldn't say I have a specialty yet, but I've been doing lots of count checks! I enjoy interviewing the most, and am looking forward to starting to travel. I also enjoy all the food and dog-related conversations in 504.
Becky: I love meetings. I love collaborating and sharing ideas. I also really love meeting with clients early on and getting to see new products. I think that's when I have my aha moments that I'm lucky and happy to be doing what I'm doing: when I'm at a new client's office and they're just teaching me how to use a surgical robot, or new patient monitoring device, or whatever new technology is being developed, and it is just so cool to be a part of that.
What is the worst (or best?) design you have ever seen and why? (Does not have to be medical related)
Bill: I can’t seem to figure out how to change the clock on my Mazda3. Probably not the worst design I’ve ever seen but it’s frustrating. Check out reddit.com/r/CrappyDesign for a thorough source of awful designs.
Irina: Apartments in NYC... Imagine not being able to go to the bathroom and open the fridge at the same time because of space restrictions when you live with three other roommates... fun times in my early twenties.
Becky: Anything that is translucent plastic. Impossible to see, ends up down the drain. All sippy cups, baby bottles, breast pump parts should be made in colors. Would make so many tired moms (and dads) less frustrated with looking for little pieces of clear plastic that are drowning somewhere in a bowl of old breakfast cereal and milk in the kitchen sink.