In 2020, COVID-19 shutdowns prevented CWRU students from working their summer internships. In response to the problem, the Veale Institute for Entrepreneurship created the Remote Entrepreneurship Project (REP) Program, pairing students with startups across the country for a remote internship experience. Many of those students have since graduated from °Ç¸çºÚÁÏ and have made strides in their careers. See how the REP program impacted their career trajectory.
REP Placement: Human Fusions Institute
What are you up to now?
I am currently working full-time as a consultant at Horizon Therapeutics, specifically within their Patient Advocacy, Medical Affairs, and Corporate Social Responsibility divisions. Starting July 2023, I will be attending °Ç¸çºÚÁÏ's School of Medicine to pursue my M.D.
How did your time as an REP intern impact your career trajectory?
My time as an REP intern enabled me to understand how translational research can be facilitated through VC-investment. My primary role as an REP intern focused on communicating to investors how the basic research concerning peripheral nerve interfaces in prosthetics, which had already been completed, would benefit humans directly. The development of the pitch deck enabled me to gain first-hand experience in the storytelling of translational research, as I combined the science with market and competitor research to ultimately develop a value proposition and design a business model and go-to-market strategy. Without funding from investors, the research conducted at the benchside has no implications on human life, as it cannot be marketed to the general public. As such, when I successfully presented to investors at Ikove, a venture development company, and saw how their investment would allow the company's research to change lives across the country, I recognized the power that venture capitalism holds in facilitating the impact of scientific research. I knew then that I wanted to be involved in this side of healthcare, as I want to be able to maximize the potential of science.
Before you applied for the REP program, did you have another internship planned that was impacted by COVID?
My initial plan was to continue my research at the Cleveland Clinic, but due to the pandemic, I was forced to pivot as I could no longer work within the lab. As a result, I decided to dive into the world of med-tech, and having already interned at Hubly Surgical, a neurotech startup, prior to applying for the REP program, I was confident that another internship within this field would allow me to gain additional skills that would be useful moving forward. Beyond becoming a physician, I hope to one day enter the med-tech space, where I can combine my passion for innovation with my scientific knowledge, and the REP program certainly enabled me to learn many of the skills necessary for an entrepreneur looking to enter the field.
How did CWRU, REP and other CWRU programs prepare you for your work now?
CWRU and REP have both provided me with the necessary communication, project management, and critical thinking skills that are necessary in the work I do. Having written numerous research papers for my academic courses and research, as well as designed and presented a pitch deck for REP, I am well-versed at storytelling the critical scientific information in a way that is engaging and effective for the necessary audience, whether that be investors, patients, or the general public. Ultimately, any discovery in the scientific field has to be communicated effectively in order for it to have an impact, and both CWRU and REP have given me the tools to enable me to do so in my current role as well as in my future as a physician.