Choosing a career in medical research is notoriously taxing. The years of study, the long hours – for those on the outside, it’s often a wonder how doctors and researchers do it. For Dr. Ryan O’Hare Doig, it’s all about his patient clientele.
“I always try to sit down with our clinical trial participants and learn their story,” he says. “It’s in these moments where I’ve spoken with them or their family and it just hits me – this is why I’m doing what I’m doing. I want to help these people.”
As the now Head of spinal cord injury research at the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI), Dr. O’Hare Doig began his journey into the world of medical research somewhat by chance.
“I had no idea what I wanted to do,” he explains. “I started my uni degree wanting to be an animal psychologist but then I had this shower thought (existential crisis) of “how many dog psychs do I actually know” and realised I probably couldn’t make a decent career out of it, if any at all.”
It was during a lecture focusing on stroke therapy that Dr. O’Hare Doig realised a new potential path.
“I’ve always been interested in human biology and the nervous system and listening to that lecture I just sat there thinking ‘Wow, I really want to do this.’”
Dr. O’Hare Doig has now been a researcher at SAHMRI for over five years and is currently the lead researcher for the Neil Sachse Centre for Spinal Cord Research where he spends his days developing potential treatment strategies for spinal cord injuries and working on accurate diagnosis.
He’s also in charge of managing three world-first clinical trials as well as a body of students that are working on novel pre-clinical research as well as fundraising for spinal cord injury projects. With a schedule like that, it’s no wonder he admits that the work isn’t easy – especially when it comes to finding the elusive work-life balance.
“I love what I do and I’m so passionate about my work, but research isn’t a friendly field,” he explains. “No researcher has work-life balance, so you really have to be proactive about it and make the time.”
And while time is one factor to achieving the elusive work-life balance, Dr. O’Hare Doig admits that it’s hard to switch off mentally to the funding side of being a researcher.
“The major barrier of research is getting funding. The misconception of SAHMRI is that it’s all paid for by the government – but it’s really not.
“No researcher at SAHMRI is just handed money, we have to apply for government funding and almost compete against the rest of Australia – so it’s hard to switch off from trying to come up with new grant or fundraising ideas, and then pitching them.
“It’s the one part no one tells you about becoming a scientist. You can be applying for the same grant for 10 years to get the research off the ground.”
Funding for medical research is a highly competitive field and unfortunately for Dr. O’Hare Doig and his team, spinal cord injury research is poorly funded – less than 1% in the last decade compared to other health areas.
SAHMRI’s annual Project Discovery 7 Bike Ride is a three-day ride from Clare, through the Yorke Peninsula and finishing in Wallaroo with all money raised going directly to Dr. O’Hare Doig and his team at the Neil Sachse Centre to help them find a cure for spinal cord injuries and change the lives of the people living with the disabling conditions.
Taking place from 3rd – 5th of November, registrations are now open to take part, or you can donate to support a single person or team here.
Dr. O’Hare Doig is also currently recruiting for a number of clinical trials so if you or someone you know would like to be a part of life-changing research, SAHMRI would love to hear from you.
For more information on Neil Sachse Centre for Spinal Cord Research visit the website here.
