Jessica Younts
Regulatory Affairs Coordinator II; Cardiovascular Research Division
Question: How long have you been with HonorHealth?
Answer: 04/04/2022
Q: At what point in your early life did you decide you wanted to go into a career in research?
A: The sudden devastating loss of my stepfather to Stage 4 stomach cancer was excruciating to our family. Since then, I knew I wanted to contribute to the lives of helping others after going through an experience where I and my family members felt helpless and vulnerable. Watching his battle with terminal disease gives me the drive to contribute in some way; to improving people’s health and lives. It always gives me a deep sense of satisfaction knowing our patients are receiving top-notch medical care and attention from a highly qualified team of healthcare providers and researchers.
Q: What is a work-related accomplishment you are proud of?
A: In my previous company, I started working in clinical research in 2017 as a Research Data Coordinator and back-up Clinical Research Coordinator for the Pediatric Oncology team. When I was hired, data accuracy scores were in the low 80th percentile. I was able to raise and maintain 100% data accuracy over a period of four years, while helping to ensure our audits were deemed flawless. In early 2021, I transitioned into the Regulatory Coordinator role and proceeded to win a $10,000 award for our department opening four COG pediatric oncology clinical trials within 3 months.
I am now a Regulatory coordinator II, primarily for the Institute’s Cardiovascular Research Division. I have been fortunate to have the following mentors along the way: my manager Rachael Hultman; Joanne Saczynski, R.N.; my program manager Kevin Stone; and my co-regulatory coordinator, Jessica Ybarra.
With HonorHealth, I have successfully onboarded new hires, met and exceeded performance goals opening studies, and worked implementing innovative solutions that improved processes that have increased efficiency, such as Florence ebinders and Florence Consent. These accomplishments have impacted the business bottom line, even if there were some roadblocks on the way.
I am committed to life-long learning. Working in clinical research, I am honored to help patients access the latest therapies, contributing to medical advancements, and expanding medical knowledge. It is an honor to be a part of improving the lives of people who need medical treatment.
Q: Why is it so important to encourage younger and diverse groups to pursue a career in research?
A: The younger generations are the future, and they carry the vivacity and innovation needed for this challenging task to propel research forward. Engaging young people early on is key to building the next generation of researchers. Diversity is the basis of our society, the more diverse a population is the richer it becomes. Encouraging and mentoring the younger generation will ensure we are moving in a good direction, increasing early diagnoses, getting tailored treatments with fewer side effects, and improving patient outcomes. I would like to see manageable terminal disease more comfortable for the patients. I would like research across the globe to become more unified and everyone working together towards the same goals. Most importantly, we should work to ensure that all the knowledge we have gathered translates to our society equitably.
