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Meet Sheryl: Principal Regulatory Affairs Consultant, Regulatory Strategy
"What I really enjoy and excites me about my role is feeling that I'm making a difference, both to the clients and ultimately to patients."
Sheryl, Principal Regulatory Affairs Consultant in Regulatory Strategy, talks about the best piece of career advice she has received, what her day-to-day looks like within her role and how she keeps the patient as the heart of everything she does.
Please introduce yourself and your role at Parexel.
Hi, my name is Sheryl Perry. I joined Parexel over 6 years ago after working for 15 years in Pharma. I currently serve at as a Principal Regulatory Affairs Consultant within our Regulatory Strategy team specializing in clinical pharmacology. This is a diverse role not restricted by therapeutic area or geography which enables me to provide regulatory support to a wide range of clients.
How does a day in your job look like and what are your core responsibilities?
No two days are the same, which is one of the reasons I really enjoy working for Parexel. There are a wide range of projects covering different therapeutic areas. My core responsibilities as a Subject Matter Expert (SME) include but are not limited to providing regulatory support to projects, project leadership, and the mentoring junior staff.
When did you join, and why did you choose, Parexel?
I joined Parexel back in 2016. While looking for a new opportunity I was encouraged by a former colleague, who had recently interviewed with Parexel, to apply for one of the open positions. So I did, and the rest is history!!
You must be self-motivated, organized and driven, and of course you must have an expertise in a relevant area. Also, the ability to make and sustain relationships within and outside the organization is very important.
Can you name a time in your career that was rewarding?
Contributing to the submission of a NDA and MAA, for a product I had worked on from first-in-human, which had to be filed simultaneously in the US and EU. Knowing that the product is providing therapeutic benefit to many is rewarding.
What excites you most about the work you do?
What I really enjoy and excites me about my role is feeling that I'm making a difference, both to the clients and ultimately to patients. Another aspect of my position that I enjoy is mentoring. Here at Parexel mentoring is taken very seriously. Staff are encouraged to have mentor and/or to mentor and this ultimately helps with career transition and progression.
How has Parexel supported your career development since you joined?
Parexel provided support and trainings around how to operate in a consultancy role which was important since I was coming from an Industry culture. I also feel that provision of mentorship, both formal and informal, has been invaluable and critical to my career progression here. I found other SME's/Luminaries within the company to be accessible and willing provide support and advice.
What was the best piece of advice you received in your career?
My mother always encouraged me to never give up and to see things through. I think that this is really important advice because work and private life can get very busy and challenging, however remembering that these periods of life are bound to come and too will pass helps.
How do you keep the patient at the heart of everything you do?
It is important to have a patient first mindset because the patient is usually the end user of the product and so it is critical to think about who is going to be taking the therapy.
How do you achieve a positive work life balance?
Having interests outside of work is very important. The key is to have these interests time-tabled into your busy schedule. For myself, I schedule exercise classes I can attend either online ‘in person’ or as ‘playback’ if it's not possible to attend.
What do you enjoy when you’re not at work?
I enjoy spending time with my family. My primary aged son is really keen on trains and pizza. One of our favourite things to do is to take a day trip by train to the nearby town then have pizza for lunch.
What habit or behavior or belief have you recently acquired and why is it now in your everyday life?
Recently I've started getting up much earlier, and it has made a huge difference! Quieter time to plough through emails and arrange the tasks for the day.
What is something most people don't know about you?
For the past 15 years or so, I've been involved in church sponsored community health promotions. These promotions are staffed by volunteer nurses, doctors counsellors and interested parties and are provided free to the public who are generally very appreciative.
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