Nicole Phillips Profile

Degree: B.Sc
Majors: Biology and Anthropology
Minor: Professional Writing
Year Of Graduation: 2003

Nicole Phillips is a research coordinator for an international study on hereditary breast and ovarian cancer at the Centre for Research in Women's Health—a division of Sunnybrook and Women's College Health Sciences Centre.

Some of her responsibilities include managing the database, maintaining communication with all the centres, contacting participants for follow-up interviews or mailing out the questionnaire, getting genetic testing approved and then ordering the tests, assisting on various projects and supervising work done on the project.

“The main challenges are maintaining contact with the many centres as well as balancing
everything else I have to do,” says Nicole, who found her job on the UTM Career Centre website. “The main reward is working on a project that I know will help women in the end.”

Nicole says in order to be successful as a researcher, you must have a keen eye for detail, be a quick learner, and have good organizational, communication, and problem solving skills.