March 26, 2024

How We Apply What We’ve Learned in MScGH

Lingyuan Gao, Xinwen Hu, and Aiwei Zhang (Class of 2024) from the Master of Science in Global Health program are interning at three well-known healthcare companies. Based on their expertise and interests, they chose a niche career track and are applying what they have learned from the MScGH program to the projects they support.

Lingyuan Gao (Class of 2024)
Company: IQVIA China
Position: Real-World Evidence Intern

IQVIA is a global leader in information, innovative technology and R&D outsourcing services, providing technology solutions and clinical research services to pharmaceutical companies or other life science companies. My department is responsible for real-world evidence (RWE), which centers on providing research evidence for drug efficacy and safety in addition to traditional clinical trial data.

Many of my colleagues are experienced researchers. The professional research protocols they produced for clients are very inspiring and informative. One of the best parts of this internship is that I could participate in drafting these research reports for many leading healthcare companies. IQVIA’s clients cover a diverse product portfolio, including first-in-class medicine. Therefore, I could gain first-hand insights into the industry.

RWE team requires high competence in research design and academic writing skills, which is highly relevant to the modules covered by our core courses, including Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Global Health Research Design, and Intermediate Epidemiology. In addition, I conduct many desk-top literature review tasks, which is also a required skill in many MScGH course assignments.

Aiwei (Ivy) Zhang (Class of 2024)
Company: MDCE Co., Ltd.
Position: Strategy Department Intern

MDCE is a global consulting organization that supports healthcare product development from clinical development to commercialization, especially for Chinese pharmaceutical and medical device companies targeting overseas markets. I am currently working as an intern in the Strategy Department, where I am responsible for supporting the strategic planning of global clinical studies. For many of our company clients, expanding their business overseas means great market opportunities.

I gained insights into healthcare policies and regulations and different countries and regions’ markets from this internship. Besides, managing customer communication and understanding their needs for our strategic planning paves the way for my future career development. I realize that developing overseas businesses is challenging for local Chinese companies, but it also provides great potential for unmet needs.

Several MScGH courses benefit my current work, including health systems in low- and middle-income countries and global health research design. They equipped me with the basic knowledge to facilitate overseas projects. I have learned how to better analyze the challenges and problems the business would face in a more comprehensive and evidence-based way so that I can better support the daily work of my team.

Xinwen Hu (Class of 2024)
Company: KunTuo CRO
Position: Clinical Research Associate (CRA) Intern

Kuntuo, as a full-service Contract Research Organization (CRO) specially set up in the Chinese market and is a wholly owned subsidiary of IQVIA, is dedicated to providing high-quality and reliable cost-effective research services for drug and Medical Device & Diagnostic (MDD) research and development in China.

I am a Clinical Research Associate (CRA) intern at Kuntuo. My job is monitoring clinical trials, ensuring they comply with research protocols, standard operating procedures, and clinical trial management standards. Facilitating tasks, stakeholders’ communication, and discussions are the norm of my daily work. I used to believe completing assignments by solo work was more efficient. Group assignments are not my favorite task. However, during this internship, I changed my mind as I realized that teamwork can accomplish what one can never achieve. The collaboration that the CRA bridges is crucial for the project’s success.

At Kuntuo, I am fortunate to have been exposed to some large-scale projects on innovative drugs. The training I received from the MScGH program allowed me to adapt quickly to this internship. Although CRAs do not need to be involved in the research design and the data analysis, they must be familiar with the methods used. I gained a lot of communication experience through the fieldwork, which is also helpful for my current position. The industry evolves rapidly. Many hands-on skills require learning by doing. Therefore, graduating from the program does not mean the end of our learning; rather, it will be the starting point of another learning journey.