Alhan Oraha Professional Profile

Name: Alhan Oraha

Position: Masters Research Student (done recently)

Field: Pharmacology

What is your Educational Background? (i.e. Degree, Diploma, Certificate, etc.)?

• Master of Science in Pharmacology (University of Toronto) (project thesis in neuropsychopharmacology)
• Honours Bachelor of Science (Pharmacology specialist, Near and Middle Eastern Civilization Minor) (University of Toronto)

Are there any Special Certifications/Licenses Required? If so, please describe them?

What are the Day-to-Day Responsibilities in your Position?

As a research student, I was responsible for project design, logistics, and execution. This involved intensive literature search not only in my area of interest, but also in any small detail related to the project. Formulating hypotheses and theories and designing projects need high level of attention to details and vast knowledge of the field. Basically, this comes from a lot of reading, more reading, and more reading. I was also responsible for conducting the experiments and analysing the data using appropriate statistical tests to determine significance of results. Then, the long-awaited conclusion is drawn. The answer to the one question you initially started with will generate many new questions giving rise to more experiments.

What is the Work Environment for an Entry Level Position? (i.e. Clientele type, Working Space, etc.)?

It depends on what you want to work with. Entry-level positions include Research associate, research assistant, research coordinator, or pharmacologist. You could be dealing with patients if you work in the clinical field. You can choose to work in pharmaceutical sales if you don’t like the 9-5 office job. You can also start in regulatory affairs positions.

What is the Highest Position you can reach in this Field and Describe its Work Environment?

With a PhD degree, you can be a professor if you choose to venture academically. You can be a scientist (principle investigator) with your own laboratory and your own projects. You also can advance in the pharmaceutical industry to preside on companies.

What is the Most Valuable Thing you have learned in your Career?

Never be satisfied with the answers you have. Always question everything. The answers you have might not be the real answers after all. Be ambitious and don’t let obstacles hold you back. Remember, “only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly” (Robert F. Kennedy) and that “our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall” (Confucius). Don’t be disappointed if you put so much work into a project that fails. You have gained valuable skills and more knowledge in the process. The challenge of uncovering the mysteries of science is the thrilling attraction in research world.