MBiotech Internship Spotlight Series: Crystal Lee
Crystal Lee
DHT Year 2 (Class of 2026)
Internship Placement: Moderna
What is your role and what does a typical day look like for you?
My role is Medical Affairs intern. In Medical Affairs, we are at the intersection between industry, public health, and academia. We advocate for the use of our products and ensure alignment with public health objectives and authorities by keeping them informed on our data. Specifically, we are advocating for vaccine uptake and educating individuals influential in policy and clinical settings to encourage patients to get vaccinated. My work involves developing resources and data tools for our field team to use in their engagements with key opinion leaders. With my background in data, I have been able to help strategize data-driven solutions for our team. I also spend some time working on a manuscript that summarizes the respiratory disease burden landscape in Canada, while also calling to action for better surveillance and data transparency across jurisdictions.
What has been the most rewarding or exciting part of your internship so far?
I am a big advocate for vaccines, and I have always been amazed by the science behind its development and more recently the development of mRNA technology. 20 years ago, developing a vaccine could take years. mRNA has allowed us to do it in a matter of weeks. Being able to witness and speak to the incredible individuals who develop these vaccines has been extremely rewarding.
The Canadian team at Moderna is quite small, but we have experienced great successes in regulatory and commercial spaces in Canada over the past couple of months that I was fortunate enough to witness. Being apart of the first Made-in-Canada COVID-19 vaccine launch was extraordinary, and I feel very excited to be a part of this team as it happened.
What skills, technical or interpersonal have you developed the most through this experience?
Generally, I have learned a lot about the industry by just being in a role for several months. We learn about biotech/pharma in the classroom, but it never really clicks until you get that experience. You are always in a room of industry professionals, so you learn a lot by just having a casual conversation with them or listening in.
At the heart of Medical Affairs is communication. Fortunately, I've been surrounded by great communicators the past several months, and I've been able to develop that skill in my day-to-day communications. One of my weaknesses is not being concise or overexplaining. The key to being a good communicator is articulating your narrative concisely. By presenting my projects, attending meetings, introducing myself numerous times, and observing my colleagues, I've become more confident in communicating.
I've also been able to exercise my data analysis and programming skills by analyzing datasets and experimenting with predictive models to fill in gaps in surveillance data. The data we work with is not as nicely packaged as the ones in the classroom, but it exercises problem solving and strategic thinking that can be transferred into other tasks as well.
How did the MBiotech program prepare you for your internship?
The focus on data science and programming in MBiotech's DHT stream allowed me to become privy to data and evaluating its potential for use cases. I was able to apply the knowledge I gained in the classroom to propose solutions and translate that domain knowledge back to my team. The work I've done on my master's thesis also prepared me for structuring evidence and communicating findings, which helps when you're taking a complex question and building it from just an idea to its conclusion.
We've also had several courses that prepared us for understanding the regulatory landscape in Canada and the US. We are always discussing regulatory strategies at the office because vaccines anticipate government support for effective implementation in our communities.
In your view, what makes MBiotech students stand out in the workplace?
We are always encouraged to be critical thinkers from day 1 of the program, whether it is in a data science class or a business management class. With our breadth of experience combining science and business in our training, we are able to tackle a wide range of roles within the industry. Most of the students in our program become professionals and build upon a steady network of alumni.
The program also fosters innovation, which trains us to think ahead and exercise creative strategic thinking that is often appreciated in any workplace. I've realized this is highly important in our digital age. In all, we have received comprehensive education that has propelled us into roles that allow us to develop professionally.
Where do you see your self professionally in 5 years?
It is hard to predict where exactly I may be, but I hope to be continuously learning and contributing to innovation in healthcare. My passion lies in utilizing data and digital technologies to create effective solutions to advance public health, and I've learned this manifests in various functions across the industry. I don't want to shoebox my capabilities into one specific role, and through my conversations while networking, I realize there are still roles I'm not aware of! In 5 years time, there may be a completely new job portfolio that I'll be interested in exploring. What I have learned from my work so far is I enjoy communicating through data, and I hope I can still be working at the intersection of industry, public health, and research to exercise my knowledge translation abilities across different domains.
What’s one piece of advice you would give to someone applying to MBiotech?
I believe what makes you stand out in an application package is knowing your intent and having clear direction for why this program is the right fit for the direction you're going towards. This helps when you're writing your letter of intent and going to interviews! Take note of all the things you've contributed to before, whether it was an extracurricular, research project, or a hobby. You never know how that may apply to something you'll do in the future.
