Epidemiology and Global Health alumna Ananna Nandini highlights importance of internships

Tell us your story!

My home country is Bangladesh, but I spent a part of my childhood in Sweden due to my father’s PhD study at Uppsala University. For many years, I have known about the prestige, high rank, and success of KI as a medical university. When I completed my Bachelor's Degree in Pharmacy, I wanted to come to KI to continue my education....with one, then a second Master's degree!

Right after graduation, I started to look for the right job opportunities for me where I can gain practical experience based on what I had achieved through my education. I first started with a startup called MyIndicators which I came to know from one of my classmates at KI, where I worked as research and data analyst. I explored my knowledge and gained vast experience while working on an application for a project called ‘Live Incite’ within Karolinska University Hospital. We have received news that MyIndicators was approved in the first phase of the procurement process.

My role was IPT (in-process testing) Analyst at Cepheid AB. I worked as an intern at MyIndicators until April 2018, and then received a job offer from Cepheid. Cepheid is a biotech company producing detection tool kit for various diseases like Tuberculosis, HIV etc.

My usual day included quality control of the detection kits during the production time. It was quite busy days since I worked to ensure high quality and proper documentation despite a rapid speed of production. Also, we attended training for developing skills for the various positions within Cepheid.

What is your advice to students 

My advice is to be proactive, gain as much knowledge as possible, and be updated regarding current global health issues and experience in real-time projects. Try to get involved in an internship in global organization duringyour study at KI. Also, attending seminars and workshops is very helpful for inspiration. Along with big companies, try also smaller startup up companies - which can gives the opportunity to gain experiences in different roles and share responsibilities in a small team.