Melissa Purves is a Scientific Team Lead at Prime Global. Here she talks about the variety in her role, the people she works with, and how rewarding she finds being a line manager!
Tell us about your career so far and how you came into this role at Prime Global.
After my degree, I completed my PhD in microbial ecology at the University of Manchester. My research focused on the gut microbiota and factors that determine its composition. (If you’re interested, here’s the publication).
This all seems very random, but the gut microbiota is super important. It plays a role in so many things that you wouldn’t even think about; how you metabolise medicines (and therefore how effective they are), controlling digestion, interplay with immunity, and so many other aspects!
After this, I went on to complete a Post Doc at the University of Liverpool, examining the role of E. coli in colorectal cancer. At this point, I had enough of academia and realised I wanted to do something different, something more people-focused. I had a friend in medcomms and the rest is history! I spent seven years as a Medical Writer and then Senior Medical Writer at a large agency, but after the birth of my second child, I wanted a new challenge – that’s where Prime Global came in. I joined as an Editorial Manager and have progressed to Scientific Team Lead. I’ve worked across a number of different client accounts and collaborated with teams across the group.
What do you enjoy most about your role?
First and foremost, the people. I am lucky enough to work with some amazing people – they make coming to work enjoyable and rewarding. I also love the variety of my work, and the fact that I get to be involved in cutting-edge science without having to work in a lab.
Describe your typical workday – if such a thing exists!
There is so much variety to my job!. No two days are the same. Days often start off with me going through my inbox to see what has come in overnight, or over the weekend. The rest of my day could be spent reviewing work, writing content, meeting with clients and team members, briefing…the list goes on! There is no typical day for me!
What does success mean to you?
Being happy and fulfilled in my role, being valued by my team and the company.
What is your biggest professional achievement?
I love being a line manager, I find it really rewarding to see my line reports progress and grow in their careers. Prime Global has a great training package with lots of resources line managers can access. So for me, my greatest achievement is helping others get to where they want to be.
What do you enjoy outside of work?
Walking my goofball of a dog – I live in the Peak District so there are loads of gorgeous walks on our doorstep. I also love doing things with my family – whether that’s walking, going to the cinema, days out etc. I also enjoy going to my boxing gym – I get some ‘me time’ and get to get rid of the day’s stresses in a positive way! I also try to indulge in my guilty pleasure when I can – binge watching American TV shows, or any sort of docu-series on Netflix!
If you would like to work in healthcare communications or are looking for a new role, we have several roles available as part of our growth plan – visit our our careers page now!
Click here to read our interview with Idaira Rodriguez Santana, Senior Health Economist
