ZAFEIRIA GLARIS
RESEARCH ASSISTANT
Division:
Distal Extremities
Site:
Vancouver – St. Paul’s Hospital
How long have you worked in the Department/UBC?
I started working in the Department/UBC in January 2016.
Can you summarize what you do in the Department?
I am a research assistant for Hand and Upper Extremity in the Division of Distal Extremities located at St. Paul’s Hospital. We are running over a dozen research projects, including a wrist pain database, a complex elbow database, and a drug trial part that is part of a multisite trial based in Calgary. My work is multidisciplinary as it involves interacting with patients/study participants in the clinic along with collecting, managing, and analyzing data. I manage all regulatory aspects of our research projects making sure we comply with ethics and confidentiality policies. I assist with research proposals and with the technical aspect of setting up our projects on specific online or offline platforms. I also assist with manuscripts and abstract submissions and sometimes submit and present abstracts at conferences. It’s basically a position that has two arms: a clinical aspect and an office/desk aspect.
What is your favorite thing about working in the Department?
Being part of a fantastic multidisciplinary team that involves the department’s staff as well as hospital staff and interacting with patients are my favourite things about working in the Department. I have learned a lot about upper extremity conditions and seeing how much our patients improve throughout their journey. Seeing how our research is improving care is something that I appreciate and gives me joy.
What is one interesting fact about you that people may not know?
This is a tough one to answer. Most people don’t know that I was once a patient in our department and had not one but three hand surgeries done by one of our group’s surgeons. It was an interesting experience and lets me connect better with my study participants. I also know how things work from the inside and as a patient as well, so it made my work a bit easier and more fun.
What kinds of hobbies and interests do you have outside of work?
I love biking, photography, swimming, snorkelling, hiking, travelling, and of course cats!
