MNCCTN Partner Staff Spotlight: Karin Bohline
While MNCCTN is based at the University of Minnesota and led by the Masonic Cancer Center, MNCCTN's research is conducted at sites throughout Greater Minnesota. These sites are led by MNCCTN Partners: Essentia Health, M Health Fairview, Mayo Clinic Health System, Metro-Minnesota Community Oncology Research Consortium (MMCORC), and Sanford Health. MNCCTN's Partners are integral to the network's work and progress, and we could not enroll participants throughout Minnesota with MNCCTN Partners and sites. Altogether, 135 people are working with MNCCTN in some way statewide. These roles include investigators, research coordinators and nurses, project managers, regulatory staff, lab and pharmacy staff, and more. We want to highlight the incredible work that MNCCTN Partner and site staff do.
Today we are highlighting Karin Bohline, Research Coordinator for Essentia Health. Karin has worked in research with Essentia Health for five years. Learn more about Karin's career path to research, what she enjoys and finds most challenging in research, and recommendations she has for people interested in research or just starting out in their career.
What was your career path before your current role? What interested you in research?
I was originally planning on the possibility of going back to school for genetic counseling. I did about 3 years of research as an undergraduate and loved every minute of it. Once I got hired at Essentia in the Oncology department, I knew this is what I wanted to do.
How is MNCCTN involved in your role?
MNCCTN is involved in my role as a coordinator in multiple ways. I have had the pleasure of working with two MNCCTN studies so far, and more to come.
What is your favorite part about working in research? What is most challenging?
My favorite parts about working in research are that you’re making a difference, it’s incredibly rewarding, and it changes you as an individual. Research has really helped me build traits for thinking independently, becoming more resilient, and being more creative. The most challenging part of research is that not everything goes as planned.
What qualities and skills do you think are important for a job in research?
The most important qualities and skills to have in research are attention to detail and organization.
What recommendations do you have for someone interested in research or just starting out in their career?
A recommendation that I have for someone that’s interested in research is if you enjoy a challenge and working with people, try shadowing someone in the research community. Research is always changing but it’s incredibly rewarding.
What are three words that describe your team at Essentia?
Three words that I could use to describe our team are compassion, family, and resilient.