Noor Lansbergen went from administration to clinical programming 'I am very happy with this career switch'

When the bookshop where Lansbergen had worked since her student days went bankrupt, she started looking for work that matched her interests. 'I had studied biomedical sciences, so I started looking at jobs in this sector. That's how I joined CHDR, in the administration of the clinical research unit (Admin CRU). I enjoyed working there for nine years. It is execution-oriented work, there’s a lot of contact with other departments and you have to work accurately, which are all things that suit me. But at one point I had seen it all and started looking for a new challenge. I explored my options, visited other departments and talked to several people here at CHDR, including someone who had recently made a career switch. It was inspiring to hear her experiences. I then had a talk with our HR Director and together we agreed that I might be suitable for clinical programming.'

After a very positive conversation with the team leader of Clinical Programming, Lansbergen decided to make the switch. She did some internal training and started her new job on 1 October 2023. ‘Now I build databases. We translate the protocol, and we then create a database in Promasys, CHDR’s own clinical trial software. It basically comes down to putting the building blocks of Promasys in the right order: everything the nurses, physicians and other operational staff need to know during the study to perform the correct activities at the right time, in the right order, and to collect all the data that is needed.'

'Because of my previous experience at the Admin CRU, I am already familiar with how the organisation works. And I have a basic understanding of what such a database is for. And again, I have a lot of contact with other CHDR departments, for example to clarify protocol details. I received a very warm welcome here. I went on the departmental outing straight away, so I quickly felt at home. This department is more international, with staff from many different countries, which I also like. The working language here is English, I am still learning a lot of new things about Promasys, and I see plenty of opportunities for personal growth and new ways to contribute’.