February 8, 2025

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How specialized medical skills bridge the gap

How specialized medical skills bridge the gap

With a clinical background and an increasing body of research work, Sumra has shown how specialized medical skills can bridge the gap between direct patient care and research work

Not many have heard of the journey from surgical training to clinical research. Usually, it is the other way around. Still, for Bushra Sumra this transition has been quite surprising and yet highly beneficial. With a clinical background and an increasing body of research work, Sumra has shown how specialized medical skills can bridge the gap between direct patient care and research work, thus making a significant difference in furthering research on patient care.

Sumra kickstarted her medical career in 2017 motivated by the desire to be a surgeon. However, the unexpected change of career path to research opened up a new opportunity for her deploying skills. She pursued a Postgraduate Diploma in Clinical Research and Medical Writing to bridge the gap between clinical work and research. She was then selected for and completed the Harvard Medical School Postgraduate Education: Foundations in Clinical Research Course, graduating in May 2024. Due to this training, she developed a strong foundation in clinical research, medical writing, and statistical analysis, making her transition into research seamless.

Finally, she enrolled at the University of London for her Masters in Infectious Diseases 2023, an area that she deemed relevant to many of the clinical trials she now handles given the fact that most of the healthcare centers are inundated with concerns of infectious diseases.

In her current role in East Orange, New Jersey, Sumra has leveraged her clinical expertise to identify trial subjects, analyze medical histories, and navigate complex documentation with precision. This skill set, practiced through the practical years of patient care, has proven invaluable in clinical research. Her ability to understand drug mechanisms and predict their impacts on trial participants has contributed to designing effective and ethically sound studies. 

Additionally, her proficiency in data analysis tools, such as STATA, which she acquired during her training at Harvard, has allowed her to perform comprehensive analyses, reducing data processing errors by 20% and improving decision-making across projects. She also spearheaded training initiatives for new hires, demonstrating leadership and fostering a collaborative research environment.

Sumra has produced significant contributions in research that are versatile in nature. She has done phase II clinical trials for diseases like asthma, ulcerative colitis and celiac disease and is at present doing a paediatrics trial on iron deficiency anaemia. Her efforts to enhance subject identification processes have led to a 30% improvement in recruitment efficiency, while her data validation techniques have cut analysis time by 40%, boosting productivity and reducing errors.

Sumra’s transition from clinical practice to research has faced many challenges. This movement from clinical work to research entailed learning new skills in the analysis of data and report writing, a task most clinicians consider difficult. 

Further,dealing with extensive data and coordinating with clinicians and investigative personnel were also a challenge. These problems were addressed by Sumra through the creation of statistical workflows and serving as a bridge between the teams, making sure the goals of all the teams align with each other for proper functioning.

Sumra’s published work reflects the breadth of her expertise. Her research has explored some interesting topics ranging from omega fatty acids’ effects on mental healthto the relation between Autism and Ear infections. Notable studies include “The Role of Resilience in Mothers of Children with Special Needs” and a systematic review of technology-based interventions for autism spectrum disorder. 

When asked what interests her in clinical research, Sumra lists the following. She lets us know how artificial intelligence is becoming more and more integral in data analysis and predictive modeling, a development she says will increasingly influence research efficiency and precision.  ‘Research is gravitating towards personalised medicine and we can already see this phenomenon especially in Cancer treatments, slowly, this would be the case for most of the diseases’, she adds. This approach can greatly increase the possibility of context in the treatment of patients.

Her suggestions to any future clinicians are to engage in research writing early in their careers to gain a deeper understanding of evidence-based practices and for schools to promote individualized mentorship programs for medical professionals transitioning to research, ensuring knowledge transfer and skill-building.

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