“Growing up, I have directly seen the impact of medicine and medical devices on those who are closest to me.” The decision to major in biomedical engineering wasn’t difficult for TCNJ senior Kara Neal. Neal is looking forward to a gratifying career in the “health industry designing products that help transform patients’ lives.” The latest step in her quest to make an impact was her summer internship at Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS), a global pharmaceutical company with a diverse array of prescription pharmaceuticals and biologics in areas from diabetes to cancer to HIV/AIDS to cardiovascular disease. At BMS, Kara worked as an Engineering Intern within their Engineering Technology group on a project developing novel technology to deliver personalized medicine to patients. Her role was supposed to be lab-based, however, since non-business-essential staff were forced to work offsite due to the onset of COVID-19, her position transformed into more of a data scientist role. She developed hard skills, like developing and project managing the timeline for a large team and using Python, as well as soft skills, like leadership, communicating effectively with subject matter experts, and navigating a large, complex company.
We are excited that Kara brings this experience back to the TCNJ community, through the classroom and her leadership experiences in student organizations like Delta Phi Epsilon, where she serves as Community Service and Public Relations chair. Neal is also a member of the Biomedical Engineering Society and Golden Key National Honor Society.
