Name: Yue Wen

Year: Senior

Major(s): Biological Sciences

Minor(s): Global Health & Chemistry

CFS Program: Field Studies in Public Health

Musings from the Coffee Corner

When I began my CFS internship search, I was looking to somehow integrate all my academic backgrounds and tie in my future career plans. Being a global health minor, I knew that I wanted to work in a health-related field, but I also wanted to take the opportunity to branch out from my experience as a biology major working in a research lab.

With the help of my CFS adviser, I committed to an internship at a nonprofit organization that works on drug re-purposing research and funding. As an intern, I am making use of my research skills to synthesize information and to present it in an appropriate manner. At the same time, I am learning a lot about a field that has implications in public health, especially with regards to patient outcomes and healthcare costs. As an aspiring physician-scientist, I appreciate that this internship has provided me a platform to gain exposure to health improvement from a perspective other than the bench or the bedside.

One particularly enjoyable aspect of my internship is the effort of the health-conscious staff to make the workplace as conducive to personal wellness as possible. In an office environment, hours of working at a desk is necessary but tiring, so several areas throughout the office are dedicated to alternative activities, including a treadmill desk, a coffee/couch corner, a loose-leaf tea station, and standing desks. I have taken advantage of some of these amenities in my first few weeks, and I look forward to continuing to do so and to get to know my coworkers betters in the process!