What was your path/journey after you graduated from Cornell?
I have had a long and winding journey since graduating from Cornell! I was originally pre-med and then decided it was not for me - but I still loved the science and innovation and caring components of healthcare. I therefore pursued my Master in Public Health degree at NYU to help bolster my med school applications. But I found that I instead really loved being a health educator!
Using behavior change models, health literacy and needs assessments in the community to make a difference in public health, I focused on community sexual health interventions. I helped create the sexual health peer education program at NYU, and I also ran Queer Month at NYU with more than 40 events in 30 days! It was rewarding to perform that service for my queer community that means so much to me.
At NYU, I also used to run "zap panels" to bring together a panel of bisexual, gay or lesbian NYU students to go to fraternities or sororities when a student came out. This helped to address FAQs and debunk myths to allow that person to feel supported and create solidarity, rather than their feeling the need to answer all the questions from their entire Greek system when they came out!
After graduating from NYU, I discovered the world of healthcare advertising. In my first job in NYC, I worked to launch all of the original HIV/AIDS medications. It married my love of science with my community outreach expertise when selling programming to pharmaceutical clients. I then moved into a marketing strategist role at a patient communications company in NJ, and moved there after falling in love with my husband. Eventually I made my way through many prestigious ad agencies to end up where I am now as the SVP, Oncology and Rare Disease Strategy at Klick Health. I get to use my experience having launched 30+ cancer and 20+ rare disease brands to consult and serve as an industry thought leader for my clients in these highly technical and specialized categories. I moderate and present at national conferences, publish papers and engage with thousands of HCPs and people facing cancer or rare diseases. It is my calling!
Which Cornell classmates do you keep in contact with?
I love keeping up on Facebook with my pre-med friends from my class in college, and those I met along the way, such as when I lived at Risley Hall! Martha Aliwalas, Sandy Chin, Rebecca Weger, Alison Schroer, Manny Fernandez, Julie Speiser, Eliot Sirota, Aaron Lloyd, Richard Greene, Karen Kubliski, Reena Singh, and Jessica Redmond. It is so fun to see how they have grown, the jobs they now have, the families and lives they have built.
What was your favorite class or Cornell? what has proven to be your most useful class from Cornell?
My favorite class was biochemistry! I really enjoyed how it brought together my love of biology, chemistry and physics to give real-world practical applications for medicine. I served as a TA, which helped me discover my love for teaching and educating others. That eventually led to my becoming a consultant for clients and internal co-workers at my agency.
One of the most useful classes I took was wine-tasting. It helped me learn how to order wine when dining out with clients or friends. Very helpful indeed!
What extracurricular activity or hobby at Cornell was most meaningful to you?
I was asked by Risley Hall's director if I would run a drag show for Spring Fest at the dorm. I had no idea how to go about such a thing, but I asked questions and identified the amazing people in the costume department, musicians and sound technicians, dance students and makeup experts - and recruited them to help. The show was an amazing success! We had more than a hundred attendees and it became an ongoing tradition for years after I left.