Jessie Weng always knew she wanted to work in the health care industry, but she wasn’t sure which direction her career would go. The Computational Biomedicine and Biotechnology (CoBB) master’s degree program helped her find her path and land a job in the biotechnology sector.
Weng, who earned her bachelor’s degree in biology at the University of Pittsburgh, originally thought she wanted to become a dentist. After graduating from Pitt, she took a gap year and worked as a dental assistant. However, while she enjoyed patient care, she realized she wanted to explore jobs beyond clinical practice.
“While I was a dental assistant, I saw other aspects of things that can also contribute to health care,” Weng recalled. “I thought maybe I could try something new and more behind the scenes, like drug discovery or computational biology. I wanted to combine the computational work with the knowledge I already have.”
This led her to the CoBB program, where she built her skills in computer science, coding and drug development. In addition to her coursework, Weng had the opportunity to gain hands-on experience through an internship at the startup company Atlas Biotech. She worked as a marketing research intern and explored the research and development process of drug discovery.
Coursework and internship experience prepared Weng for her professional career. “As a dental assistant, I rarely used the computer because my work was hands on and working with patients,” she said. “So, when I stepped into this program, I learned how to utilize tech and analyze data, which prepared me for my full-time clinical operational analyst work.”
Weng has completed all of her classes for the CoBB program and will graduate in December. After finishing her coursework, Weng relocated to Austin, Texas and started a new job as a clinical biospecimen operations associate under Sample Management Team for Natera. She is responsible for overseeing tissue and blood samples for patients who are enrolled in either clinical or commercial trials.
“What I enjoy is that every day is something new,” Weng said. “I see different issues that come up with different samples, so every day is like a new learning curve.”
After the samples arrive in Natera, they need to go into laboratories for processing. Weng’s role is to collaborate with study-specific managers and different departmental teams to ensure that samples arrive at the proper time and location for extraction and sequencing. She finds her work rewarding because she knows timely reports with test results can help patients access the information they need to make informed decisions about their medical care.
Now that Weng is settled into her new career, she looks forward to taking on more computational projects focused on managing patient data and collaborating with team members.
She leaves CoBB students with an important piece of advice: “Trust the process. CoBB is an intensive program, and the courses it offers make you think. I know it might seem hard right now. Some of you might just be waiting on graduation to be done, but be curious about what you’re doing now, too. At the end of the day, that curiosity pays off.”