Alicia Kearns

Current Position: Lead Site Engagement Associate at Translational Drug Development (TD2)

A 2013 graduate of Spring-Ford Senior High School in Royersford, Pa., Alicia Kearns discovered GMercyU through her career counselor. At the time, Alicia was interested in pursuing a degree in nursing, so her counselor recommended GMercyU for its reputation in healthcare education. She was drawn to the accelerated program which would allow her to gain hands-on experience from the start.

Soon after beginning her educational journey, Alicia realized that nursing was not the right profession.

“As I started clinical rotations during my first year, I was able to quickly realize it was not the right fit for me. I did find that I really enjoyed my Anatomy & Physiology courses, and that led me to the decision to transfer into the Biology program,” Alicia said.

Experience as a Biology Student

“I cannot say enough great things about the Biology program at Gwynedd Mercy University. I felt incredibly supported by the professors during my time at GMercyU, and I never felt like a number,” Alicia said. “The small class sizes allowed for more individualized instruction, and the associated labs provided me with the skillset I needed to succeeded as a bench scientist.”

Alicia greatly appreciated Dr. Michelle McEliece who served as her academic advisor, noting that her door was always open, whether she had questions about a course or about future aspirations.

For two summers, Alicia completed research with Dr. Stacey Lettini focused on the relationship between parasitic infection and the accumulation of melanomacrophage centers in sunfish livers. Alicia’s goal was to identify the impact of parasitic infection on the quantity of melanomacrophage centers in sunfish livers. During the process, Alicia learned several new skills, including the dissection of fish, fixation of collected tissues using paraffin embedding, microtome sectioning of tissue blocks, and staining of slides.

“The experience of putting on waders and collecting sunfish with nets from streams in the Wissahickon watershed is one that I remember fondly,” Alicia said. “I enjoyed my time in both the field and in the lab. I left the two summer research sessions far more confident in my ability to act independently in a laboratory setting.”

Post-Graduation

Alicia graduated from GMercyU in 2018 and soon worked for contract research organizations (CROs) in pharmaceuticals as a bench scientist. She worked at Eurofins where she performed cell-based immunofluorescence assays and ELISAs for several years.

“I loved being in the lab, but due to some health issues, I had to pivot to something which involved more desk work. This is when I transitioned to clinical research,” Alicia said.

She started working at ICON, formerly PRA Health Sciences, as a Clinical Trial Associate before moving up to a Site Management Associate.

Currently, Alicia is serving as a Lead Site Engagement Associate with Translational Drug Development (TD2), a contract research organization (CRO) specializing in oncology research. In her role, she acts as a start-up lead and works with clinical trial sponsors to activate clinical trial research sites. From drafting budgets to reviewing regulatory documentation, Alicia’s job is to ensure research sites are open and enrolling patients in a timely manner.