ACDM Profiles
Nina Reyes
ACDM Role: Board Member
Employed role: Associate Director, Data Sciences, Safety and Medical (DSSM), Iqvia
Get to know Nina
Provide a brief summary of your education and work experience to date
After finishing the German Realschule which might be comparable to a Secondary school I trained and worked as a nurse in my hometown for three years. Then I went to Cologne to catch up on my Abitur, the high school graduation. I moved to Bonn to study computer science and biomedical informatics after. I stopped studying after my bachelor’s degree then, because I felt that I should finally start earning money being my age. During my studies, I had many different student jobs. From saleswoman at Esprit and H&M to programming jobs at Post/DHL and the Federal Ministry of Finance. After my studies, I started in a small CRO in Cologne in Clinical Data Management. Without actually knowing exactly what it CDM is, but the Hiring Manager was so excited about finding a Computer Scientist and Nurse in one person that I just got the impression, that CDM must be my place to be. This small CRO was then acquired by AptivSolutions a few years later. AptivSolutions was then taken over by ICON plc a few years later and I moved to Theorem some years later on my own wish. Theorem was then acquired by Chiltern and Chiltern a few years later by Covance. So, I have seen the DM departments of many CROs, without actually changing my office very often. At Covance I took a sneak peek out of Data Management for a year and joint the Country management team for Germany, Austria and Switzerland, as well as the leadership team of their Start Up Operations department. I realized swiftly there that I am a true Data Nerd, and I missed my people and my data badly, so I applied to a position in the CDM Management team of IQVIA and was luckily accepted. Since then, I am happily working within IQVIAs traditional CDM department in Europe.
If you were on a desert island, what three things would you take with you and why?
I would love to take my family with me, but that would be pretty mean to them. So I choose my dog, fire and a huge sharp knife. My dog so I can talk to someone without feeling totally stupid. Fire, because I’m always cold and I have to boil water. A knife, well… I need a fishing rod, a hut, wood… I think a knife is quite good. Although I have no idea and would probably cut off a finger first, accidentally. Maybe toilet paper would also be a good idea, I could then also bind the wound… Oh and antibiotics of course and disinfectants maybe? Help… I am overwhelmed…
If you were not in the job you are in, what would you do?
I would run a surf school with beach bar somewhere on the Costa de la Luz.
What is your idea of a perfect day?
A day where I can have a great new experience.
What do you do to relax / what are your hobbies?
Riding my exercise bike, interpreting songs in the shower and dancing to my favorite music in the living room
If you had a dinner party, and could invite 1 famous person, who would you invite and why?
I would love to have a beer or two with Angela Merkel. I think she has a lot of great stories and I love her humor.
What’s the best piece of advice you have ever been given?
Get out of your comfort zone and when you can’t change the direction of the wind – adjust your sails.
If a movie was made of your life who would play you?
Drew Barrymore, because she always seems just as confused as I feel.
What is your favourite food?
Pizza & Red Wine or Currywurst & Champagne.
What would the title of your autobiography be?
Wonderfully unspectacular!
What’s your favourite place of all the places you’ve travelled and why?
The world is so beautiful, it would be crazy to commit yourself.
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
F16 fighter pilot
What is your favourite song or who is your favourite band?
At the moment I love the song: “I am the Fire” by Halestorm. Otherwise, I like to listen to 3 Doors Down and Imagine Dragons now. But I think the band that has accompanied me the longest and will probably never leave me is Metallica. And I love listening to Slash play guitar since I was 11 years old or something.
If you could learn one new skill today, what would it be?
Knit socks! I’m totally untalented, but I love knitted socks and they’re pretty expensive.
Who was your role model as a child and why?
She-Ra, the Princess of Power, because she is strong, independent, fearless and yet a real princess.
What always makes you laugh?
Ricky Gervais
What is your favourite film or box set?
The Big Lebowski and Stranger Things
What do you think is the greatest invention in your lifetime?
WWW
Do you collect anything?
moments
If there were 25 hours in a day, how would you spend the extra hour?
Quality time with my family and a bit of sports.