Carolyn Ptak

Carolyn Ptak, PhD, studied epigenetics at University of Toronto, and is now a Genomics Program Manager and Quality Assurance Lead at the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research and specializes in Quality Management. During her academic training, she received numerous awards including the Ontario Graduate Scholarship, CIHR CGS Master’s Scholarship, University of Toronto Fellowship, and CIHR Banting and Best Canada Graduate Scholarship. In addition, Carolyn is a member in good standing with the Project Management Institute and American Society for Quality. 

Can you describe your academic and professional background? What path led you to pursue this field? 

It definitely wasn’t a straight line. I was into math and science in high school so, of course, I decided that there were only two possible career paths: surgeon and university professor (spoiler: I was incorrect). While attending Queen’s University in Kingston, I ended up in the research stream of the Life Sciences undergraduate program, where I completed a 4th year project in neuroanatomy in the lab of Dr. David Andrew. It was a great experience, and really convinced me that I wanted to stay in academic research.

I interviewed with several PIs at different institutions, but the one who really stood out was Dr. Art Petronis at the University of Toronto, who oversaw a relatively new epigenetics laboratory. Even with a Life Sciences background, I was not familiar with epigenetics, so I read as many papers as I could find and became extremely interested in the field. After 5.5 years in the Petronis lab, where I met some truly amazing people, I finished my PhD and began looking for a job.  

At this point, reality sort of punched me in the face, as I didn’t know where to find job opportunities that fit my skills and interests. I had done some lecturing and course coordination at the University of Toronto concurrently with my doctoral work, and for a while I was dead set on becoming a full-time lecturer, but the openings just weren’t there, and the ones I found did not pay well. Fortunately, I had made it known to anyone who would listen that I was looking for employment, and was recommended to the hiring team for Assurex Health (later acquired by Myriad Genetics), who were starting up a new Canadian branch. They needed an Operations Director to build their pharmacogenomics lab and, despite a severe case of imposter syndrome, I was hired (after a few months of interviews and flying to Ohio) and successfully got the operation running effectively. I also gained extensive knowledge regarding Project Management, Quality Management and lab licensing/accreditation, which would become the foundation of my current position.

After ~3 years, I had picked up a Project Management Professional (PMP) certification and started noticing that there wasn’t much room left for professional growth as Operations Director, although I still enjoyed working with many of my colleagues. I started looking for something new and, again, was hit with a depressing shortage of jobs. I sent out so many resumes and never heard back, only to realize later that my approach was flawed – if you hurl resumes at the market, you just end up getting blocked by applicant tracking software. I completely overhauled my resume and LinkedIn profile, started talking to recruiters, setting up informational interviews with professionals in interesting fields, and made sure to only apply to select positions that were closely aligned to my skills. After 3-4 months with my new strategy, I got a call from the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research (OICR) and began interviewing for Genomics Program Manager.

How did you find this particular position, and what was the hiring process like? Is there a typical structure for this in your field? 

The position appeared via an alert from LinkedIn, and the hiring process moved very quickly, i.e. I submitted an application online and was contacted to set up two interviews almost immediately. Realistically, recruitment is going to differ between companies and the speed at which it moves will be based on the need to fill a vacancy. As a hiring manager, I have standardized my process to ensure that it is unbiased and efficient, but I know this is not the case everywhere.

Can you tell us about your current responsibilities? What is a typical day or week like in your role?

This job is never boring. PMs are usually your go-to contact for a Program or Department whenever there’s a problem and no one else knows what to do. I handle everything from the budget and financial forecasting, to equipment monitoring, service contracts, project planning and cost estimation, invoicing, staffing, procurement, social event planning, reporting to the Ministry, grant applications, assisting collaborators, and facilities planning. All the aforementioned tasks were part of my original job description, at least to some extent, but I now spend approximately half of my time as the Lead for an ISO 15189-compliant Quality Management System that I built as part of our lab accreditation effort. During this shift into the Quality Assurance Lead role, I became a certified Quality Manager and an ISO 9001 Internal Auditor. Overall, no day is really typical – it’s always fast-paced and constantly changing, which is perfect for anyone who loves to adapt and solve problems.

What do you enjoy about your current job and work environment? 

In the before-times prior to the pandemic, I really loved the physical space at OICR, which is clean, accessible, spacious and modern. I’ve been working from home for the last several months, so I’m missing the environment and my coworkers, but I also deeply appreciate that I am able to work remotely. As I mentioned in the previous question, the work does not become repetitive, and I can see a clear path for advancement as our lab increases its scope. I can also directly connect the work I do to measurable clinical advancements, and feel proud that I am contributing something valuable to science and healthcare. 

What are some of the challenging aspects of your job? Is there anything you wish you had known about your job or industry before joining?

I did quite a bit of research prior to joining OICR, so there weren’t any major surprises. We’re a non-profit organization, and that status comes with a few financial limitations and reporting requirements, but they are all manageable. Navigating the pandemic is definitely a challenge I could have done without!

Do you have any professional plans for the future? What are some future career paths that could open up for someone in your position, 5-10 years down the road?

My role at OICR is constantly evolving, so I may very well still be here in 10 years, but operating at a higher level. The Quality Management System that I have developed has become quite popular with collaborators and other departments within OICR, so the potential for an institute-wide QMS is there. In that case, a new Program Manager may be hired, and I would move to full-time Quality Assurance Lead for a much larger, more complex system.

What’s changing in your industry? Are there any future trends we should be aware of?

In genomics, the technology changes in a heartbeat. We budget to replace our major sequencing equipment every ~5 years to avoid obsolescence, and this will always be a consideration. Obviously, we need to stay on top of emerging technology to offer the most advanced solutions to our collaborators, but in terms of Quality, everything must be thoroughly validated and documented. Whole genomes and transcriptomes will be popular well into the future, but the associated cost and time will continue to decrease, making them more accessible for general use. There has also been a trend towards cell-free DNA (cfDNA) or sorted cells as an input material, and a lot of interest in enrichment strategies that examine the epigenetic profile of a sample (ATAC, MeDIP), so I think these methods will develop further and become more routine. The field of immuno-oncology is extremely promising, and I suspect we’ll see an increase in those projects over the next several years. For my Program, the ultimate goal is to translate these research approaches into clinical applications that will become part of normal patient assessment, and will significantly improve cancer diagnosis/treatment.

What activities, internships, or organizations would you recommend someone get involved with to help them break into this field?

The Project Management Professional (PMP) certification is frequently (but not always) required for this type of job. I thought it looked a bit useless at first, but was encouraged to obtain it by other PMs, and then immediately noticed how often it is listed as “mandatory” by employers. Obtaining the Certified Manager of Quality and Organizational Excellence (CMQ/OE) certification from the American Society of Quality is also a great way to join the Quality Management community, and ASQ offers a lot of support, as well as access to training material. Other than that, I recommend looking for opportunities to manage large projects, such as multi-experiment studies in the lab, course development for a university, or even as part of volunteer work. Just get used to being a central decision-maker and being responsible for schedule and budget, but also try to develop your interpersonal skills and become comfortable leading a team.

Is it common for people in your field to have a scientific/academic background (i.e. have PhDs)? Can you think of any advantages or disadvantages someone with a PhD might experience while pursuing or working in your field?

It depends on what you consider to be “my field.” If we’re talking about cancer research and genomics, then yes, most people will have at least a BSc in a relevant discipline and, as you increase the responsibility and complexity associated with a job, an MSc, PhD or other specific certification may be a hard requirement. If we’re talking about the broader field of Program Management, the requirements are a lot more flexible. I know many PMs who work in hospitals and universities without a scientific background, and this is possible because the fundamentals of managing projects/programs are mostly independent of the subject matter. That said, having relevant experience will usually set you apart and bestow an advantage when you interview for these competitive positions, especially the more senior ones.

Do you have any final words of advice for those navigating these career questions? Is there anything you would have done differently given what you know now? 

I wish I had known how drastically the job market had changed, and how difficult it would be to find something decent when I was an undergrad or grad student. Before that point, I had worked in a grocery store and on a truck assembly line, and I got both of those jobs by physically showing up somewhere with a resume – that is obviously not how things are done anymore, but you don’t think about this when you’re in the vacuum of academia. I had also been told by older scientists that recruiters would contact me before I finished my PhD, and that never happened either, since the market is saturated with talented scientists and companies don’t need to spend time scouting. It was a depressing revelation, and the truth is that students need to start thinking about their careers today, while they are still completing their degrees. Network, use your university’s resources, learn about the various career paths that are available, and always present yourself in a friendly, professional manner, because you never know who will remember you. And I’m not saying this with a manipulative connotation – present the honest, best version of yourself, and you will be memorable.