Samson Dsouza, student interviewee, is pictured in the top row, second from the left.
When the VCCC Alliance launched its SKILLED Clinical Trials Internship Program in 2018, the goal was clear: address the shortage of skilled professionals needed to run clinical trials across Victoria. The sector was expanding rapidly, but clear training pathways for roles like Study Coordinators and Clinical Trials Administrative Officers were missing.
Six years on, the program, developed in partnership with the Parkville Cancer Clinical Trials Unit (PCCTU), has trained more than 138 graduates. More than 90 per cent are retained in the sector – a strong result that demonstrates its effectiveness in building a workforce ready to improve health outcomes.
In 2025, La Trobe University became part of that story. Partnering with the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute (ONJCRI), La Trobe students were invited to join the program for the first time. Of just eight Clinical Trials Administrative Officer internships available that year, three went to La Trobe students.
Within weeks of completing their placements, two had secured jobs.
Chris Packer, who manages the program at the VCCC Alliance, says La Trobe students impressed immediately.
“They’ve been highly competitive in a program that attracted more than 520 applications,” she says. “La Trobe graduates bring solid academic foundations and adaptability, and they quickly build confidence working with clinicians and trial participants. That makes them real assets to the clinical research workforce.”
From the lab to the clinic
For one of those students, Samson Dsouza, the timing couldn’t have been better. After completing a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry, an Honours year in Oncology and Cancer Biology, and a Masters by Research in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at La Trobe, he was considering whether to embark on a PhD.
Then came an email from ONJCRI advertising the internship. At first, Mr Dsouza thought it would be a useful way to fill six months while waiting for his thesis results. Instead, it opened the door to an entirely new career.
He split his placement between ONJCRI’s clinical trials team and Austin Health’s Radiation Oncology unit, moving from the lab bench to the clinic for the first time. “Two years of thinking about whether I should do a PhD disappeared in just a month of trying something completely different,” he says. “What hooked me was talking to doctors, talking to patients, and actually seeing things happen in front of me.”
The program combined immersive placements with weekly workshops delivered by the VCCC Alliance, giving interns both the theory and the practice of how trials operate. Mr Dsouza says it wasn’t only technical knowledge he gained. “I learned how to be more professional – and how to communicate with doctors and nurses. It really disciplined me and taught me how to work in a clinical setting.”
From internship to employment
The internship confirmed Mr Dsouza’s interest in clinical trials, but ONJCRI and Austin Health weren’t able to keep him on. With encouragement from his supervisors, he applied for a vacancy at the PCCTU – the largest cancer clinical trials unit in Australia and a leader in the sector. Within weeks, he was offered the job.
Now in his second week as a Clinical Trials Administrative Officer, Mr Dsouza is already looking to the future. “Right now, I’m doing the back-of-house work but my goal is to become a Study Coordinator – the person who really runs the trial and works closely with patients. That’s the part I’m most excited about.”
For Mr Dsouza, the internship proved the importance of seizing opportunities. “You never know what you’ll actually like until you experience it,” he says. “I only applied to fill the time while waiting for my thesis results – but it changed my career direction completely.”
For La Trobe, the program has already proven its value. Students are thriving in a highly competitive environment, transitioning quickly from study to employment in roles that matter. And for the VCCC Alliance, the success of students like Mr Dsouza highlights the program’s role in building the workforce Victoria needs – with plans to grow through more partnerships, specialised training, and new career pathways.
