Name: Alex Pinsk
Major and College: Postbaccalaureate Premedical Program at Goucher College
Internship Title: Research Coordinator
Internship Site: CurieDx
1) Please tell us about your career goals.
My work in health education with AmeriCorps post college inspired my pursuit of a masters in public health at Johns Hopkins. There, I studied global health, health behavior, and infectious disease epidemiology and was granted global health research funding to study tuberculosis (TB) in Sub-Saharan Africa. I worked in rural townships with community health workers and the Perinatal HIV Research Unit to support TB patients and prevent further disease spread, focussing specifically on TB comorbidities such as heart disease, peripheral neuropathy, depression, and diabetes. I studied choice architecture and service provisions and clinic capacity for assessing these multimorbidities for TB patients. At this point, I knew I wanted to be an infectious disease physician. I’ve continued my TB research since graduating from my masters and throughout my postbac program with Goucher. CurieDx has exposed me to extensive clinical and patient-facing experiences, and I have developed skills which I will carry with me next year as I pursue my Fulbright Research grant back in Sub-Saharan Africa prior to medical school.
2) Tell us about your internship (i.e. day-to-day responsibilities, special projects/clients and work culture).
With CurieDx, I have furthered my research experience and patient-facing clinical work. CurieDx is a healthcare tech company working to use machine learning in the prediction of acute medical needs which can improve accessibility of healthcare. Daily, I work in two pediatric clinics in the Baltimore area, recruiting patients for participation in our work. In the clinic, I am exposed to a range of patient circumstances, and each interaction is different, encouraging my own flexibility, empathy, and creativity. These clinical hours have been vital to my own understanding of what it means to build rapport with patients and providers and how essential these interactions are for my future as a physician. As part of the research team, I also engage with IRB activity, attend meetings with CurieDx’s partner organizations/institutions, and draft documents and aid in training for new staff. Meeting with the research team and my supervisor, who has been such a wonderful mentor, is something that I truly enjoy. The team is dynamic, and I feel excited and challenged by the work and innovation that is growing from the company.
3) Describe the process of obtaining your position. When did you hear of the position and submit your application?
My supervisor had previously worked with Goucher College Postbac students, so when the opportunity became available, the program was informed, and I applied in March of 2024. I had been hoping to work in a clinical setting, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity to not only interact with patients on a daily basis but also explore healthcare tech and machine learning which was a new and exciting field for me. I interviewed and after accepting the position was onboarded shortly thereafter.
4) Which of the following resources did you use to find your current experience?
Postbac Program Staff
5) What have you enjoyed the most about your position or organization?
6) How do you believe you have made an impact through your work?
Each interaction with patients and their families is a reminder to me of the individualized nature of what medicine can be. Each interaction is different—individuals have their own worries, preconceived notions, challenges unrelated to healthcare, etc., and I think my strongest impact is my attention to patient circumstances even in the context of recruiting patients for research participation. Demonstrating empathy and understanding is vital in these settings, and my own enthusiasm for the work coupled with patient-specific interactions has brought significance and meaning.
7) What advice would you give to another student who is seeking an internship or similar experience (i.e. Internship search, Resume or Interview tips)?
My advice would be to be open in your exploration of opportunities. Sometimes a role that you never thought you might want to explore will open doors and expose you to a new field or skills that end up adding value to your own work and career. My advice is to have conversations with people or “informational interviews” to better understand work culture and where you might best fit. Culture can be equally as important as the work you are pursuing in any given role. In addition, asking questions about innovation and design during these conversations, particularly if exploring a role with a technology company, can provide you insight into an organization’s goals for itself and its future. In an interview, if you truly understand an organization’s mission and are inspired by it yourself, your excitement and potential value you could add to the role will become clear.