By: Divya Reddy
Follow Divya Reddy on a typical week as a Summer Intern at UPMC Enterprises.
When I found out about UPMC Enterprises, I was immediately intrigued at the opportunity to make an impact, build up my knowledge, and have a chance to channel my curiosity around health care into something productive. While I’m not sure there is a typical week in this role, this past week at Enterprises showcased all the reasons why I chose to spend my summer with the Digital Solutions team.
I recently spent a day shadowing our hospital administrators at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. I got to witness everything that happens behind the scenes and what it takes for a patient visit to be smooth and successful. And I have to admit, it’s a lot. Getting a backstage pass here gave me a new appreciation for all the work that goes into providing a best-in-class patient experience! As a part of our Digital Solutions team, understanding how actions translate into data, how this data is aggregated, and who is ultimately using it is crucial in figuring out how any product we help build could be adopted. My goal is to get an in-depth understanding of how hospital leadership is making their decisions and prioritizing needs, which will help inform the projects I am working on.
One of these projects has involved researching the technology involved in surgical episodes of care and identifying areas where a digital solution could make a meaningful impact. This is the project that I’m furthest along with, and so I had a chance to share key insights and early recommendations with the Digital Solutions leadership team this week. This is a new space for me, and I feel lucky to have a chance to lead the charge with support and collaboration from the broader team.
Another part of my week is spent with a small team looking into technology to support women’s health. This research ventures outside the physical walls of the hospital to start to think through how we can improve access to information and support services to improve outcomes. The diversity in these topics gives me an opportunity to flex completely different thought muscles and determine what are the root causes of these issues and what the market opportunity is for a solution. Tactically, it gives me a chance to practice interviewing stakeholders, organizing projects, advocating for different tools or support that I need, and telling a compelling story around it all.
The other element of my week and during my entire time at UPMC Enterprises that has been a constant highlight – the team. This week in particular, the summer associates all lunched with Tal Heppenstall and Adam Berger. We asked them any questions on our mind and in each answer, they reminded us that the culture of being down-to-earth and genuinely interested in the team around you comes from the top.
While my week was packed, the rest of the team also had a lot going on and some big wins too! To celebrate the end of a great week, we all got together for some appetizers and a quick toast in Bakery Square before going our separate ways for the weekend. All in all, this past week provided a chance to get to know the industry, work towards saving lives in a tangible way, and continue to get to know the incredibly talented team around me. I’ve got another few weeks left here and I’m hoping that they don’t fly by quite as fast. This experience has been refreshing and exciting and I’m not ready for it to be over!
