{"id":7523,"date":"2021-03-26T12:22:30","date_gmt":"2021-03-26T12:22:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/?p=7523"},"modified":"2021-03-26T12:28:08","modified_gmt":"2021-03-26T12:28:08","slug":"pursuing-positive-change","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/2021\/03\/26\/pursuing-positive-change\/","title":{"rendered":"Pursuing Positive Change"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Eleni Kaisis completed her PhD at Reading in early 2021, and jumped straight into helping the global fight against the pandemic \u2013 joining a COVID-19 test and trace laboratory.<\/span><\/p>\n

Eleni, who completed her thesis in Alzheimer\u2019s disease research at Reading\u2019s School of Pharmacy<\/a> during the pandemic, has recently started working at an NHS test and trace Lighthouse Laboratory in Bracknell.<\/p>\n

Eleni tells CONNECTED why she applied for this role: \u201cI saw the job advertised within the School of Pharmacy at the University. Because it is really challenging to get a job right now, I thought this would be a good way to get my foot in the door of a laboratory setting.<\/p>\n

\"\"\u201cAlthough this role doesn\u2019t pertain specifically to my research in Alzheimer\u2019s disease, it requires many of the same skills and techniques I learnt during my studies. I know that getting your foot in the door is an important first step in a career; once you\u2019re in the field it is a lot easier to move between clinical roles as you gain experience and build your network.\u201d<\/p>\n

Eleni tells us more about the work she is doing at the test and trace laboratory: \u201cAfter a virtual interview, I was offered a diagnostics role because I had gained some PCR [Polymerase Chain Reaction] experience through my studies, and the technique they use to analyse test samples is the same, just with more cutting-edge equipment. I now prepare, analyse and record data, handle COVID-19 samples and diagnose people.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cIt\u2019s very exciting to be part of the UK\u2019s largest testing network. The fact that this role is also providing me with the clinical and diagnostic experience to kick-start my career is an added bonus to the important work that we\u2019re doing.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Following her passion<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Although Eleni is pleased to be helping in the global fight against COVID-19, her motivation to study and work within the field of science goes back much further.<\/p>\n

Eleni explained:<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cLike many other people, I have had a loved one suffer from Alzheimer\u2019s disease. This motivated me to pursue science \u2013 specifically research in Alzheimer\u2019s disease \u2013 through my studies and to follow a career in this area. I want to better understand the disease and to help in the development of novel therapies.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u201cThe reputation of the School of Pharmacy is what attracted me to Reading. I have had a positive experience studying here, supported by supervisors who have pushed me to gain as much experience as possible through laboratory work, assisting in the teaching of laboratory practical\u2019s, attending and presenting conferences, and helping me with my career aspirations.\u201d<\/p>\n

Like many other students, Eleni found herself in the difficult situation of completing her studies during the pandemic.<\/p>\n

She said: \u201cI found that Reading was very supportive and did whatever they could to reduce the disruption of my studies. I was also fortunate enough to have finished my practical laboratory research prior to the outbreak of COVID-19.\u201d<\/p>\n

Eleni has always been inspired by a desire to bring about positive change, which can clearly be seen through her decision to study science and to join the global fight against COVID-19.<\/p>\n

She said of her plans for the future:<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cI consider it a privilege to be part of a team that is helping to fight the pandemic, and I am enjoying my current role at the Lighthouse Laboratory.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u201cMy future aspirations are to continue my career within the biomedical field, and to be part of a team that could bring about positive change to patients\u2019 lives.\u201d<\/p>\n

Discover how other members of the University of Reading community<\/a> are fighting the pandemic on the frontline.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Eleni Kaisis completed her PhD at Reading in early 2021, and jumped straight into helping the global fight against the pandemic \u2013 joining a COVID-19 test and trace laboratory. Eleni, who completed her thesis in Alzheimer\u2019s disease research at Reading\u2019s School of Pharmacy during the pandemic, has recently started working at an NHS test and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":170,"featured_media":5510,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false},"categories":[3],"tags":[54,85,28,34,89,103],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nPursuing Positive Change - Connected<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Eleni Kaisis completed her PhD at Reading in early 2021, and jumped straight into helping the global fight against the pandemic.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/2021\/03\/26\/pursuing-positive-change\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Pursuing Positive Change - 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