What is your current job?
I am a manager in the New Business Development team at Intuitive, a leading medtech company in robotic-assisted surgery that brings advanced, minimally invasive care through robotic systems. My role focuses on identifying and bringing transformational business opportunities to the company, specifically through partnerships, acquisitions, investments and other deal types.
Describe your work and why you find it rewarding/challenging.
My work allows me to explore new business opportunities that can potentially improve patient care and make an impact on large patient populations. I find my job very rewarding, as I am always evaluating the most cutting-edge health care technologies and bringing them to real-life practice through different deal types. For example, I have worked on acquisitions of surgical technologies that could potentially impact millions of patients, as well as equity investments in startup companies that could bring new treatment solutions.
The challenging part of my job is that it requires both scientific knowledge to understand the new technologies, and also strong business acumen to build a successful business relationship.
How did YSPH prepare you for your current work?
I came from a research background before grad school, and my experience at YSPH played an essential role in connecting my science background to the business side of health care. The Healthcare Management program at YSPH is a great program that allowed me to develop both analytical skills and industry knowledge.
The Healthcare Management program at YSPH is a great program that allowed me to develop both analytical skills and industry knowledge.
Jerry Zhang
The program is designed with courses in both School of Public Health and School of Management, which prepared me well for my job. To give you some examples: The finance and financial modeling courses equipped me with important financial skills, and the biostatistics courses at YSPH further strengthened my ability to interpret and analyze data. On the other hand, the strategy and marketing courses at the School of Management, as well as other business courses, allowed me to learn valuable industry knowledge.
What advice do you have for current/future students?
I think current and future students should leverage the interdisciplinary courses at YSPH to look for courses that will help with their personal and professional goals. Also, the YSPH community is a very inclusive community, with students and faculty super close to each other. I would suggest the students to learn from each other and grow together. It is very likely that the people around you will be your lifetime friends.
Were there any faculty/staff mentors who influenced your YSPH experience?
Dr. Howard Forman has had a significant influence on my YSPH experience. He is always happy to talk about my career goals, connect me with alumni and provide me with guidance. Also, his health economics classes were very engaging and brought my understanding of healthcare economics to a higher level. He also organized a series of alumni seminars that really gave us exposure to different health care sectors and expanded our connections.