It saddens me to write this review. I used to really love working at MSK, and found the clinical research infrastructure to be robust and supportive. Sure, we still had frustrations with the regulatory committees, and there was more red tape than anyone wanted to deal with, but that occurs pretty much anywhere you go in academic medicine.
Unfortunately, over the past 18-24 months multiple major changes were rolled out (and continue to be rolled out), and adaptation has been pretty disastrous. I went from really enjoying my job to dreading each day that I had to go in. Morale plummeted, and 6-8 months ago, things seemed to get exponentially worse (with the next phase of changes). Clinical research staff are overworked at all levels, leadership does not consider anyone from middle management down (PMs and up are not counted here), inequity is significant for the same role across different departments. The changes have been forceful and everyone seems at best impatient and at worst angry…all the time.
Leadership is secretive and defensive about major changes, and once changes are rolled out (with barely any notice, no guidance, and no support for delivering news to your teams), there appears to be an unspoken zero-tolerance policy for anything other than purely positive feedback. If you have any concerns about the changes– not even negative feedback, just a question or suggestion – you risk being “blacklisted.”
I know this sounds ridiculous, but I don’t know how else to describe it. I watched colleagues that I really respected belittled in meetings and over email. I also watched people I respected, and whom I saw as collaborative and effective get blocked from promotions and other advancement opportunities because they were “too negative.” These are people who no one previously considered to be negative.
Before I left, I saw a lot of really talented people that I admired a great deal (those who were ‘blacklisted’ and others – not everyone spoke up) leave, and it seems like they are weeding out all of the talent that MSK is so proud to attract, and leaving mediocre but self-important people to run the show.
I don’t think I realized how unhealthy this environment was and how truly miserable it made me until I finally left, and noticed how much happier I became at my new institution. I was so saddened to see a place I truly loved and respected as much as I did MSK, become such an ugly, cliquey, almost tyrannical place.
I want to mention that the clinical faculty and staff, and other research admin staff, supervisors and managers were some of the finest colleagues I have ever had, and I miss them very much. I really hope that the clinical research administration at MSK is just going through some serious growing pains, and that it will one day be a good place to work in clinical research again. If you are looking at this 2-3 years from the review date, then look at more recent reviews from people in clinical research. If those are positive, hopefully it means things have improved.
If this review is still very recent…well, this review represents just one person’s experience/perception, but if you’re set on working in clinical research at MSK, then go in with your eyes wide open. And good luck!
