The BME Grad Podcast

Alex Brown is a Project Manager of Engineering Capital Projects at Pfizer in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. He graduated from the Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering at UNC and NC State in 2018. Alex joins Allie and Grace to talk about his job, his experience in a Pfizer rotational program, and how the Covid-19 pandemic has impacted his company and his day-to-day. For more information on The BME Grad Podcast, visit the Joint Department of BME at UNC and NC State's website: bme.unc.edu/home/news-events/the-bme-grad-podcast/ Connect with or reach out to Host, Allie Mitzak, on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/allie-mitzak

Kristy Reed and Lydia Ashburn are both Venture for America (VFA) Fellows that graduated from the Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering at UNC and NC State in 2019.  The Venture for America program is a 2-year fellowship for recent college grads that want to gain entrepreneurial experience. Fellows have the opportunity to work in a variety of roles/environments that provide entrepreneurial exposure, such as startups, SMBs, the innovation branch of larger companies, and VC firms. Plus - when Fellows want to start their own company, VFA provides resources to help them achieve their goals. The mission of the VFA program is to stimulate economic development in American cities by empowering and supporting VFA Fellows.  Through the VFA program matching process, Kristy became a Production Engineer for Infinite Biomedical Technologies (a startup), and Lydia, a Senior Operations Analyst for Total Access Urgent Care (a SMB in the growth phase). On this episode, Kristy and Lydia talk about the VFA program, and their roles, companies, day-to-day work, and impact.  Read about the VFA Program: https://ventureforamerica.org/ For more information on The BME Grad Podcast, visit the Joint Department of BME at UNC and NC State's website: bme.unc.edu/home/news-events/the-bme-grad-podcast/ Connect with or reach out to Host, Allie Mitzak, on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/allie-mitzak

Erin Graham is a Project Management Office Lead at Teleflex- a medical device company that provides solutions in vascular access, interventional cardiology and radiology, anesthesia, emergency medicine, surgical, urology and respiratory care fields. Erin Graham oversees engineering projects and coaches Project Managers in a respiratory care device unit, based in Morrisville, North Carolina. Before this role, Erin was an associate engineer and R&D engineer for this unit. UNC BME Alum, Class of 2016. Erin joins Allie and Grace to talk about her role, career progression, PMP certification, and what she's learned in her first 5 years post-graduation.  For more information on The BME Grad Podcast, visit the Joint Department of BME at UNC and NC State's website: bme.unc.edu/home/news-events/the-bme-grad-podcast/ Connect with or reach out to Host, Allie Mitzak, on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/allie-mitzak

Ted Benson joins Allie & Grace to talk about best practices for succeeding in interviews and virtual interviews. The group also talks about why it's important for you to evaluate the company during an interview - with tips and tricks on what to look for and what to ask to identify mutual fit.  Ted has decades of experience at biotech startups and large pharma companies.  In those roles, he has also been a hiring manager multiple times.  He now works at Corralling Chaos in Research Triangle Park, NC; a company he co-founded, which is a consulting firm that helps companies with improving and strengthening culture, talent retention, productivity, and developing leaders. Ted was recently a speaker at the 23rd annual NIEHS Biomedical Career Symposium, presenting "Successful Biotech and Pharma Interviewing: Tips From a Hiring Manager." For more information on The BME Grad Podcast, visit the Joint Department of BME at UNC and NC State's website: bme.unc.edu/home/news-events/the-bme-grad-podcast/ Connect with or reach out to Host, Allie Mitzak, on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/allie-mitzak

Lee-Ann Nguyen is an Implementation Project Manager at Epic, a leading healthcare software company headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin. She graduated from the Joint Program of Biomedical Engineering at UNC and NC State in 2019. On this episode, learn about Lee-Ann's job, travel, and interview process, as well as Epic's whimsical campus.  For more information on The BME Grad Podcast, visit the Joint Department of BME at UNC and NC State's website: bme.unc.edu/home/news-events/the-bme-grad-podcast/ Connect with or reach out to Host, Allie Mitzak, on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/allie-mitzak

Dilan Chudasma is a Manufacturing Associate II at a small-medium sized gene therapy company. He graduated from the Joint Program of Biomedical Engineering at UNC and NC State in 2019. Dilan talks about manufacturing in pharma, gene therapy, and what he does every day. For more information on The BME Grad Podcast, visit the Joint Department of BME at UNC and NC State's website: bme.unc.edu/home/news-events/the-bme-grad-podcast/ Connect with or reach out to Host, Allie Mitzak, on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/allie-mitzak

Brian Kim, a Product Engineer at Plexus Corp and BME graduate, shares insights on networking for job search success, responsibilities in product engineering, performance evaluations, dynamics in consulting engineering, and tips for senior students navigating the job search.