Information:
Interested in work, intern, and volunteer opportunities abroad? Thinking about teaching English overseas? Come to a Work, Intern, and Volunteer Abroad (WIV) First Steps Meeting to learn more about what options are out there and how to find them. Sessions are offered quarterly and dates and times can be found on our events calendar. Are you a science, health science or engineering major? Check out this slideshow of opportunities for you!
Professional Spotlight:
Interview with Michael Farrell, the Senior Vice President of the Global Sleep Business Unit at ResMed, about the value of an international experience.
Michael “Mick” Farrell graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a Master of Science in Chemical Engineering and an MBA in Economics and Strategic Management in 1998; he also has an undergraduate degree in engineering from the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia. Mick joined ResMed in 2000 and manages the medical device product portfolio and leads a global marketing, business development, and R&D team of approximately 120 people. Prior to working at ResMed, Mick worked in management consulting, biotechnology, chemicals, and steel manufacturing.
ResMed is a leading developer, manufacturer and marketer of products for the screening, treatment and long-term management of sleep-disordered breathing and other respiratory disorders. ResMed has a market capitalization of around US$4 billion and operates in over 70 countries via 20 direct offices and a network of distributors with extensive knowledge and experience of local markets.
- Why is international experience important for students? For example, what skills and talents does an international experience provide?
Healthcare is a global industry by definition; humankind suffers from the same diseases and sicknesses the world over. Different geographies have different prevalence and incidence of certain diseases, and clearly the delivery model varies by reimbursement and regulatory reality, but the medical devices, biologics, and pharmaceuticals themselves are global in their application. International experience is necessary for anyone who wants to work at a global healthcare company. Additionally, the opportunity to benchmark personal and company capabilities, processes and systems against the best-of-breed globally is incredibly important for ongoing improvement and success.
- How do you value study or internships abroad when making hiring decisions?
When reviewing a resume of candidates for a role, I look for a number of things – a solid academic foundation and a solid commercial foundation are two critical areas. For me, in healthcare, an undergraduate degree in engineering or applied science provides a fundamental understanding of the biological and chemical systems of the human body – an understanding of which is essential to understand the effects of various medical devices, biologics, and pharmaceuticals. Additionally, a solid commercial foundation is critical – usually this will include work experience (or, for a recent graduate, also internships) at market-leading or potential break-through companies in the clinical area that is part of the role. An essential part is that the individual has been exposed to multiple commercial environments – and I do not mean just New York and San Francisco… more like Tokyo and Paris, or Hong Kong and Moscow.
- Why should a future scientist or an engineer study or intern abroad?
The world is flat. With healthcare informatics moving where it is to leverage cloud-based data warehousing and processing, we will see more and more sharing and aggregating of healthcare data across states, countries and regions. Working in other countries is great preparation to be able to not only understand the various data sets coming in from other parts of the world, but also the basis for their collection and why or why not certain unmet medical needs are still present in various geographies.
- Describe the value of international experience during a person’s work career. This would highlight to ongoing importance of international work throughout life?
When you are going for that promotion to a global role in senior management at, or for that CEO role in “x” years time in a global healthcare company, I guarantee that the greater your experience in international assignments, and your ability to have succeeded in multiple cultures will be a very positive aspect of the equation used to choose the final candidate. I have had the privilege of working in Australia, the United States, Brazil, Japan, China, South Korea, Germany, France, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and beyond; however, one is never “finished” with international work experience. My next step is to not just work in more countries for an extended period, but to immerse myself in the society… getting to know the language, culture and people. These international experience investments have a very high rate of return, both personally and professionally!
In The News:
Dispatches From the Field (This Week @ UCSD): read about your fellow UCSD students and their work and volunteer experiences abroad.
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UCSD student Ruth Rodriguez working with disadvantaged youth in Brazil |
UCSD student LIsa Filippini working in a pub in Ireland |
See Opportunities Abroad Program Overview for instructions on how to apply and some frequently selected programs by country.
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