Meet Sprout – Anna de la Motte, Scientist

1. What does your role at Sprout involve?

I work with the Sprout Health Outcomes team to assist sponsors in incorporating the patient voice and perspective in their clinical trials.  This includes speaking with patients and caregivers to understand which symptoms and disease impacts are most important to measure, identifying or creating measures that capture how these symptoms and impacts change over time, and developing a measurement strategy that demonstrates the effect of the treatment on the concepts identified by patients.

2. What led you to this career?

I knew from an early age that I wanted to work in psychology or a psychology-adjacent field.  I fell in love with research during my undergraduate years and was introduced to the world of patient-reported outcomes (PROs) during my time at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.  PRO/COA research felt like the perfect fit!  It gave me the opportunity to interface directly with patients and caregivers and learn about new conditions and disease areas.  I can’t imagine a better career for a curious extrovert!

3. What do you value most about the work you do at Sprout?

I love playing a role in ensuring that the patient perspective is included and amplified in clinical trials.  Additionally, I get to do this work alongside highly motivated and knowledgeable colleagues.  The collaborative Sprout environment means that I’m always learning and developing new skills.

4. What’s one thing you’re learning now, and why is it important?

I love having the opportunity to be part of behavior change projects.  My Sprout colleagues have already taught me so much about the field, and I value that the deliverables are grounded in evidence and direct input from patients, caregivers, and clinicians, while also allowing for creativity and novel solutions.  I feel confident that exposure to this field will make me a stronger and more flexible qualitative researcher.

5. What 3 words would your friends use to describe you?

I asked one of my oldest and dearest friends.  She said:

• Thoughtful
• Empathetic
• Driven

6. If you could choose a superpower, what would it be?

I would have to choose flight or teleportation.  The sensation of flying would be incredible, but the speed of teleportation is appealing.  I love the idea of zipping over to Positano for a morning espresso and then to Paris for an evening stroll and dessert.