Editor’s note: Eric Dishman is the keynote speaker at the Portland Business Journal’s Health Care of the Future event held Sept. 15, 2016. The CPHHS is a gold sponsor, and incoming Dean F. Javier Nieto will provide opening remarks.
Not many interns literally get to sit across the desk from an internationally known expert and local health care legend, but not every intern is Katie Anthony. Not only did the doctoral student learn from former Intel executive Eric Dishman, she also landed her dream job as a result.
Katie, who is a new User Experience (UX) researcher in Intel’s Health and Life Sciences group (HLS) has nothing but praise for Eric, the HLS’ former vice president who is now director of the National Institutes of Health’s Precision Medicine Initiative Cohort Program. He is also a global leader in health care reform and supporting independent living options for seniors.
“The thing that stood out most about working with Eric was his ability to inspire and motivate those around him with his enthusiasm and understanding of the work that needs to be done to move health care forward,” she says. “He’s able to see the big picture in terms of what technological capabilities we have and how those in health care need technology to accomplish their goals.”
During her internship, she conducted her dissertation research on remote health monitoring among Latino heart failure patients and their informal caregivers. Throughout the process, Eric was always happy to discuss her progress, showed a genuine interest in her projects and was able to offer suggestions on other experts she could talk with about her findings.
Katie started on her path at Intel following a recommendation by Fellowship Director and School Head Karen Hooker that she attend the International Women in Technology event in spring 2015. During the event, she met two members of Eric’s team — Operations Manager Maggie Lee and Medical Anthropologist Nancy Vuckovic — and discovered that her own research on caregivers and gerontechnology had commonalities with HLS’ goals. After that initial meeting, Nancy and Maggie offered her an internship at Intel’s Hillsboro, Ore., Jones Farm campus.
“Throughout my internship, I’ve been able to collect data that I’ve analyzed for my dissertation research,” Katie says. “I’ve been able to work on additional UX research projects, focusing on cancer diagnosis, care and survivorship; genetic and genomic testing; clinician workflows and interactions with technology; scoliosis bracing; and even pets.”
Katie defends her dissertation research, “Perceived usefulness of remote health monitoring among health care providers, Mexican-origin and non-Hispanic White heart failure patients and informal caregivers” this fall. She will graduate with a doctoral degree in Health Promotion and Health Behavior, with a minor in Aging Sciences.
Among her best memories in the college is the mentoring support she received from college faculty, including Karen and faculty advisor Carolyn Mendez-Luck, as well as friendships with students.
“It’s been great to share my time at OSU with some of the most brilliant, inspiring and generous individuals I’ve had the pleasure to get to know,” she says. “Internships are a great way to apply skills we learn in class to the real world. They’re also helpful because we get to experience jobs we might want to consider for future careers. Doing an internship is a great way to test something out to make sure it’s the best fit for you. It’s also a great way to meet new people who share your professional interests.”