Nura Said’s Journey Back to the University of Wisconsin
When life presents you with opportunities to return to something you once loved or give back to a community that helped mold you, it is usually a universal sign that you are on your destined path. Nura Said has lived through many of these special moments of transformation as she has navigated both her career and educational journey in Wisconsin.
Nura Said started her journey in Mogadishu, Somalia. After her family immigrated to Atlanta in 1996, she and her siblings moved to Madison, WI when Said was 16. Her family would find themselves living across the street from the Taft Street Boys & Girls Club. Said would frequent the Boys & Girls Club and recalls it being the “only space where her sister and her could be young, gifted, and black.” This freedom, Said remembers, helped curb the culture shock of moving to Wisconsin.
She remained in Madison for college and attended the University of Wisconsin – Madison in 2011. She majored in Biology, Legal Studies, and received a certificate in Criminal Justice. This dual degree background would serve her well as she navigated career changes as a young adult.
Upon graduation in 2016, Said moved to Milwaukee, where she lived for nearly eight years. She spent most of her time with Executive Directors, Inc. (EDI), an international non-profit management company. At the height of her career with EDI, she was the Regional Programs Manager for all of Africa. In her role, she led regional operations, organizational growth, and strategic initiatives focused on improving Movement Disorders in Africa.
Ready for a change, Said moved back to Madison and embarked on a two-year hiatus from work. During her hiatus, Said participated in gener8tor Skills Accelerator Wisconsin. Her learning was focused on consensus building, diplomacy, and strategic partnership development. This six-week experience, set Said up for what she deems her, “big breakthrough” moment. After receiving her certificate, she realized there was nothing stopping her from pursuing the career she really wanted.
After restoring herself with some much-needed balance, she came across her current role at the University of Wisconsin – Madison School of Medicine and Public Health Clinical Trials Institute. She read the job description and didn’t believe she had the right qualifications. After thinking deeper about how many of her gained skills could be transferrable, she applied and accepted a Regulatory Specialist role in the Department of Surgery. In this role, she supports both the UW Clinical Trials Institute (CTI) and the Dept. of Surgery. She ensures that clinical research teams and industry stakeholders follow all necessary regulations. She also works to collaborate with cross-functional research teams and industry stakeholders to support study start-ups and the full regulatory lifecycle of investigational drug and device clinical trials.
Said was not new to the clinical trial space in the slightest. Not only did her work at EDI connect, but she also worked as a Research Assistant at UW Health while in college. She shares how this new role represents a full circle moment for her; granting her the opportunity to return to UW as an experienced professional.
Like many Black professionals in Madison find, Said is one of only a few Black women working at the CTI. She chooses to let this opportunity for more diversity fuel her, instead of push her out the door. She recognizes that diversity in the clinical trials setting is not just about curating a culture that participants want to engage with, but employees alike. She became knowledgeable about the historical trauma that has disengaged generations of Black people from the clinical trial space during her time studying at UW and during the monthly “Chat, Chews, & Cha Cha” hosted at the UW South Madison Partnership office by Clinical Trials Participant Liaison, Mabel Peters, another Black woman at the CTI. These monthly gatherings have allowed Said to learn directly from the people her work aims to serve.
Said has also been pushing herself toward a personal goal of becoming more comfortable with public speaking. What started as a new year’s resolution has developed into a full-on side quest where she gets to inspire other professionals. She has spoken at the UW – Madison Administrative Professionals Conference, UW – Madison Women and Leadership Symposium, where she was invited to return this year, and the UW – Madison Veterinary Care Leadership Retreat.
Through the many experiences Said has had, both of her role and those she sought out, she remains grounded in the rewarding nature of her job. She knows she is working toward new discoveries that can help communities on a global scale. This notion fuels her in the office, but she is committed to also finding meaning outside of work.
Inspired by her family’s struggle to find affordable housing in Madison, she is educating herself about housing policy and the ways she can get involved. She volunteers with the African Center for Community Development and is a member of the Wisconsin Professional African Women’s Network. Both organizations serve as a safe space for Said to grow and develop her own community filled with people she can relate to. She is also a huge Milwaukee Bucks fan and former season ticket holder.
Committed to learning on the job, serving her community, and bettering herself, Said remains steadfast in her educational pursuits. She received another certificate from UW – Madison earlier this year for Finance@UW and looks forward to pursuing her Masters of Science in Biotechnology this fall at UW – Madison School of Medicine and Public Health. She’ll be a badger, once again, strengthening her interdisciplinary skills to continue serving Wisconsin. Her husband, Abraham Ganshert, also connected to UW through his work as a Licensed Practical Nurse for UW Health, has been her biggest supporter through all the transitions. Having each other and support from their family makes their next chapter together all the more meaningful.
From everywhere her career has taken her, various roles in healthcare, local and global learning, and even a short stint in the State’s Public Defender Office, Said feels herself at a turning point. This turning point is opening her up to much more than she could have anticipated and preparing her for an exciting and forever evolving future.
