Model manager

Science Article
October 2, 2003

Center veteran Berta Nicol-Blades inspires dedication among the epidemiology study-team members she manages

PHS study manager Berta Nicol-Blades leads her team of Epidemiologic Research Unit team members through every step of the data collection process. She attributes her longevity at the center to its atmosphere of collegiality. Photo by Todd McNaught

By DANIELLE IPPOLITO

Epidemiologists spend their careers study ing population trends, but career longevity is a trend one Public Health Sciences Division epidemiology group sets on its own.

Eight core members in the PHS Epidemiologic Research Unit collectively bring 141 years of experience to their projects. Study manager Berta Nicol-Blades contributes most to that tally, with her career passing its quarter-century mark last year.

"I've worked here this long because of the wonderful people I work with and because I think what we do makes a difference," Nicol-Blades said.

"This is an incredible group. It's never 'the investigator' or 'the manager'-it's 'us.' We work as a team, and we respect each other."

"Berta has been the key figure in the Epi Unit for the past 26 years," said Dr. Thomas Vaughan, one of the principal investigators who has worked closely with Nicol-Blades and her team for about 20 years.

"She engenders a lot of loyalty. Many talented people in the unit have been there for 20-plus years right along with her. They like working with her and that reflects well on Berta," he said.

Janice Findley, a member of the Unit's core group, attributes her own 19-year stint with the program to Nicol-Blades.

"When a principal investigator needs something, we all take a real pride in getting the job done. I think a lot of that is Berta. She sets the tone for the rest of us. She doesn't micro manage. Rather, she trusts us to see the job through to the end."

Nicol-Blades and her team take action from the moment a study grant is awarded. One of the key components of an epidemiology study is the participant interview, a process that Nicol-Blades oversees-from questionnaire design to IRB submissions, hiring and training interviewing staff to reviewing the completed interviews for inconsistencies.

The information then goes to Jan Kikuchi, also a 25-year PHS veteran, whose team reduces it to numbers and enters the coded information into the computer for analysis.

The early days

When Nicol-Blades began her career in 1977, she recalls long hours pecking away at a typewriter designing the study forms, including the questionnaire booklet, for these interviews.

"We didn't have word processors until the mid-1980s, so thousands of study letters had to be completed by hand. It was pretty awful," she said.

Even in those early days, Kikuchi recalls Nicol-Blades spearheading plans for encouraging participation from patients and physicians. Kikuchi also remembers a much less user-friendly system when she and Nicol-Blades began their life at the center.

"Back in the old days before PCs we had to have data sent out to an outside source to create punchcards that could be read through a card-reader machine," Kikuchi said.

Though computers have made punchcards obsolete, analyzing the coded data still represents the key to answering the study's original questions.

Nicol-Blades began managing projects in 1983, with a study of male breast cancer under Dr. David Thomas. Since then, she has managed or co-managed every study assigned to her.

"Her style has matured over the years," Findley said. "She has a maternal, caring approach in her role as study manager that's very encouraging to each individual in the unit."

Nicol-Blades currently manages four studies. The 'FINCH,' WREN' and 'WRENSYR' studies under Dr. Victoria Holt investigate risk factors for benign (non-cancer) uterine disease. The PROS study under Dr. Janet Stanford investigates how certain exposures may affect the risk of developing prostate cancer.

"By comparing questionnaire responses of people who have the diseases we are studying with those of people randomly selected from the population, we can look for differences in risk exposures that may lead to prevention," she said.

Wild about raptors

Though the PROS, FINCH, and WREN studies make occasional demands on her nights and weekends, Nicol-Blades enjoys devoting her time outside the unit to birds of prey and wildlife rehabilitation. Three years ago, she developed a passion for raptors while volunteering for the PAWS wildlife center.

"Raptors are the most incredibly beautiful birds. I get goosebumps just thinking about them," she said.

Her PAWS experience led her to volunteer for Woodland Park Zoo. With a raptor perched on her gloved hand, she would answer visitors' questions on raptors and their habitats. She recently received state certification to assist wildlife officials in the event of an oil spill.

Nicol-Blades' many interests-from wildlife rehabilitation to 20 years as a Seattle Opera Chorus member-influence her co-workers as well.

"There's a real camaraderie that she's been a big part of and that she's fostered," Findley said.

"We work hard, but also Berta is one of the key people to see that we get social time. Her husband is part-owner of a crab processor, so she hosts 'crab feeds' at her home. She is one of the people in the unit who remembers birthdays, career anniversaries, and leaves little notes of appreciation for jobs well-done."

Commitment and community

Nicol-Blades recognizes the unit's studies provide a service in addition to furthering scientific knowledge. They also provide an outlet in the community for study subjects to discuss their disease.

"Our interviewers give people a chance to talk with someone who doesn't have the emotional connection of a family member," she said.

The unit's field and office staffs share this commitment-engendered by years of working in cancer research. More than a decade ago Nicol-Blades personally experienced their compassion.

"When I was diagnosed with cancer 12 years ago, these were the people whom I trusted to help me face the challenge. Like my family, I knew they were there for me," she said.

"How many people are lucky enough to spend more than half their lives in a job they love with such wonderful people? This one is grateful!"

[Danielle Ippolito is a University of Washington graduate student in pharmacology.]

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