Meet Siaa Girotra, Research Assistant at The George Institute

While I was working on my master’s thesis, I got the opportunity to intern at the George Institute. I was very thrilled with the opportunity to get a closer look on how research methods translate from textbooks to the real world. During my internship, I got the chance to work on several diverse projects, which provided me with the opportunity to interact with different researchers and teams at The George Institute India.

I was given the opportunity to develop a methodology on how to measure the environmental impact of clinical trials, from scratch which I summarized to the team. This drastically improved my knowledge and later helped us define the scope for this activity. Additionally, I was involved in a scoping review on multimorbidity wherein I worked with subject experts which increased my knowledge on the subject. Every day, I got the opportunity to hone my existing skills and learn new skills such as qualitative data analysis. At The Institute, I learnt how collaborative research is, and every member brings their own strengths to the project. Learnings happen every day on the go, both vertically and horizontally. 

I was grateful for the opportunity to continue at The George Institute India and join the research team, to continue working on the projects that I was involved in during my internship. In a short duration, I have already gained exposure to the processes involved in preparing for a trial, site initiation and overall coordination with collaborators to ensure the smooth functioning of trial. My biggest learning so far has been to be prepared for all scenarios, as often things may not go as per plan. However, there is so much to learn with every experience at work and from the vibrant research community at The Institute. I am confident these will enrich my critical thinking and help me progress to an independent researcher. 

Blog written by Siaa Girotra, Research Assistant, The George Institute India.