Staff Spotlight: Candice Mulder, MPH, CCRP, CIP

Born and raised on Chicago’s South Side, Candice admits she moved to California for the weather. But she also was excited to focus on the regulatory aspects of clinical trials at CHLA.

“CHLA had a position in regulatory affairs, which was my favorite part of clinical trial work,” explains Candice, who previously worked with the AIDS Clinical Trials Group for 15 years. “For most people, regulatory is the boring part! But for me, studying policy and how to apply it to research—it’s like a puzzle. It becomes this fun thing to figure out.”

Since joining CHLA in 2016, Candice has watched the regulatory affairs team—and her own career—blossom. She started as a regulatory specialist; today, she manages 10 people. “My team is very diverse, and I love that,” she says. “It challenges me and helps me grow.”

She also credits CHLA for fostering her career growth and was part of the Kaleidoscope Leadership Program’s first cohort. “Kaleidoscope was a journey of self-awareness,” she shares. “You realize you’ve had these leadership skills all along; you just needed to know how to use them.”

After hours, Candice focuses on her artistic side—making mosaic coffee tables and selling them on Etsy.

“It’s lots of concrete, little glass pieces and cut fingertips!” she says, laughing. “But my job is a lot of thinking. At the end of the day, I need to do something mindless and make something pretty.”