Name: Faye Shih
Class Year: 2022
Major: Neuroscience with a minor in Data Science
Hometown: Taichung, Taiwan
Internship Organization: IRCAD Taiwan
Job Title: Research and Development Intern
Location: Lukang, Taiwan
Award: Bryn Mawr College Internship Fund
What’s happening at your internship?
IRCAD (Institut de Recherche contre les Cancers de l'Appareil Digestif) was first founded in Strasbourg, France, with the mission to advance research and provide training on minimally invasive surgery. The center was most well known for assisting its founder Dr. Jacques Marescaux on conducting “Operation Lindberg,” the first transatlantic telesurgery operation from New York on a patient in Strasbourg. IRCAD Taiwan was started in 2008 to continue the efforts in advancing education on minimally invasive surgery techniques in Asia. With the vision for innovation in healthcare, the center’s Dean Wayne Huang further advances research by leading collaborations between bigger medical technology companies with local startups. I had the privilege to be on the team working with entrepreneurs in their startup acceleration program. The acceleration program featured 12 health and medical technology startups and provided each with clinical consultation resources. Under Director Kai-Che Liu’s guidance, my day-to-day tasks included arranging consultation meetings for each company and conducting patent research for the products in development.
Why did you apply for this internship?
I was fortunate enough to shadow a few minimally invasive surgeries on ACL repairments during a prior internship. The surgical process really intrigued me so I wanted to learn more about it. Prior to applying for this internship, I was an observer in a veterinary course offered by IRCAD Taiwan and had the privilege to work hands-on with a few medical devices often used for these surgeries. I thoroughly enjoyed that experience so I decided I’d apply for this internship to get an insider’s look at the medical technology industry.
What are some things you have learned from your internship that you didn’t expect?
I learned that a smart idea doesn't necessarily equate to a complex idea. A simple change like making operation tables tiltable can make surgeries easier and create a friendlier workspace for the surgeons. However, I also learned healthcare system interfaces are hard to navigate, which create very high hurdles for companies wanting to break into the market. I helped assist new companies to break their products into different healthcare systems and familiarized myself with the strategies companies could take to overcome different hurdles. Introducing new medical technologies is extremely challenging because it is really about building trust with multiple layers of consumers in the healthcare system: the hospitals have to be able to afford and willing to buy the technologies, surgeons need to have faith and put in extra effort in trying new technologies during surgeries, and the patients need to feel safe about using the technologies. Developing a new medical technology proved much more difficult than I was originally expecting.
What has been your favorite part of this internship?
My favorite part of this internship is being able to look back at the milestones the startup teams hit and the sense of camaraderie the IRCAD team and I built with them. There are many challenges these young companies need to face, so this acceleration program really felt like a massive project. I was able to see how each company navigated clinical trials, solidifying their market strategy, negotiating with other companies, and so much more along the way. I loved getting to know the mission behind each company because I could feel their passion for their product as well as their love of innovation. As a student who still hasn’t fully fleshed out my plans beyond college, it was incredibly inspiring to see so many different people pursue their passion and I fully enjoyed every moment of it.
Visit the Summer Internship Stories page to read more about student internship experiences.