Phillips Family Student Professional Development Internship

Ethics Institute Phillips Family Student Professional Development Internships offer up to $1,500 to currently enrolled students for unpaid internships, conferences, workshops, or other professional development activity related to ethics.  Students may apply for up to two professional development internships during their time at Dartmouth.

Students who receive Professional Development Internships will be required to submit:

1. a letter of recommendation from a faculty advisor which includes how this activity has value for the student's overall education plan and professional or educational goals. The faculty advisor commits to being available to the student as an advisor as needed throughout the duration of the professional development activity.
2. an application, found here.
3. a brief report at the end of the fellowship term, detailing experience and knowledge gained in the performance of the activity for which the fellowship was awarded.  If possible, a picture of the student at the conference for our webpage.

I had the great opportunity of attending TechCrunch Disrupt 2024, a major technology conference that brings together founders, investors, and industry leaders to discuss the latest trends and challenges in the tech ecosystem. Thanks to the support of the Ethics Institute, I was able to engage in critical discussions on AI regulation and ethical decision-making in innovation.

One of the most insightful sessions I attended was Why AI Regulation is Every Startup's Business. The panel focused on debating the evolving landscape of AI governance. A key takeaway was that companies can no longer treat ethical considerations as secondary, compliance and responsible AI development are now fundamental to long-term success. The discussion particularly highlighted how startups must proactively incorporate transparency and fairness into their AI models rather than waiting for regulatory pressure.

Beyond AI, I attended sessions on Startups in Dual-Use, which explored the clear line between commercial and defense applications of technology. One founder shared how his company initially built an AI-powered supply chain optimization tool for private businesses, only to have defense agencies express interest in adapting it for military logistics. The ethical concerns of such transitions, balancing financial sustainability with the potential consequences of where technology is applied, sparked some of the most transparent discussions I've witnessed at a conference.

Outside the formal sessions, informal networking opportunities were also valuable. One particularly memorable conversation I've had was with a founder working on AI-driven immigration tools. Our discussion centered on the risks of bias in automated decision-making and how legal frameworks struggle to keep pace with technological advancements. This reinforced my belief that ethics should be part of the development process from the start, not added later.

Attending TechCrunch Disrupt expanded my understanding of the ethical challenges that arise when technology scales rapidly, especially in today's rapidly growing AI industry. It highlighted the responsibility of founders in shaping the impact of their innovations. As I continue exploring and working on AI systems, I plan to apply these lessons to make ethical decision-making an important part of my work.

Lastly, I would like to end with this: TechCrunch Disrupt 2024 was a great experience that deepened my understanding of ethical challenges in the tech industry. I am grateful for the Ethics Institute's support in making this experience possible

Major/Minor: Double major in Biology Modified with Mathematics, Comparative Literature

Brief summary
During the Fall 2024 term and Winterim 2024 period, I worked as a Visiting Undergraduate Student/Researcher at the Wyss Institute. There, I incorporated the model of Collaborative Ethics into my research on ovarian cancer risk in patients undergoing testosterone-based hormone replacement therapies (HRT). I also spoke with faculty at Boston Children's Hospital to learn how these subjects impact clinical care.

My internship at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering enabled me to learn about the full pipeline of medical research, from project development to real-world implementation and policy impact. I applied this knowledge through the lens of my Senior Thesis research under Dr. Britt Goods (Thayer School of Engineering) and Dr. Soni Lacefield (Geisel School of Medicine), studying the impact of testosterone-based HRT on ovarian cancer risk in cisgender and transmasculine patients. My work aims to shed light on how the structure of research impacts its real-world implementation, influencing the development of policies—on an institutional and broader political level—which regulate the future development of this research area.

The first several months of my internship were spent working under Dr. Jeantine Lunshof, the head of the Collaborative Ethics team at the Wyss Institute. Under her guidance, I conducted an ethical review of current standard practices in HRT treatment, from patient care to research implications, as well as their manifestation in differing levels of public policy. With support from Dr. Frances Grimstad (Boston Children's Hospital/Harvard Medical School) and Dr. George Church (Church Lab, Harvard Medical School/MIT), as well as Dr. Zohreh Izadifar (Boston Children's Hospital) and Dr. Adama Sesay (Wyss Institute), I focused on the intersection of healthcare and research—what separates a patient from a research participant in experimental and individualized medicine, and how can one ensure the most effective care of the patient while also meeting the needs of research advancements? How do documents like the Declaration of Helsinki, discussing the ethical treatment of human research participants, and the Supreme Court case US v. Skrmetti, addressing transgender minors' access to medical care, influence the implementation of these ethical principles in the real world? How do individual researchers and healthcare providers enact these principles?
The interdisciplinary nature of my internship has made coming to work every day as rigorous as it was rewarding. Whether I was discussing medical ethics with Dr. Lunshof, interviewing Dr. Grimstad on her experiences in Boston Children's Hospital's Gender Multispecialty Service, or attending lab meetings in the Church Lab, I knew that each workday would lend insight into a new aspect of my research—one I might not have thought of at all if my research was solely lab-based. I am also deeply honored to learn from these researchers; the experiences of Dr. Lunshof, Dr. Grimstad, Dr. Izadifar, and Dr. Sesay in rapidly evolving scientific fields showed me just how dynamic my future career might be, paving the way for minorities in STEM like myself. I am also privileged to have had this opportunity to work with technologies and policies on the forefront of advancement in transgender healthcare and oncology. Learning about the implementation of organoid models and other novel developments through exposure to others' research, both through the presentations of members of the Church Lab and events like the Wyss Institute's 2024 Women's Health Symposium, allowed me to see how these aspects develop in real time.

However, it would be remiss to say that this internship did not come without its challenges. Because my internship was self-designed, I faced a lot of difficulties in locating the most appropriate research mentor(s) and establishing a path forward for my project, leading to my time at the Wyss Institute being shifted from September–December 2024 to October 2024–January 2025. I was able to navigate this issue by continually developing a more and more thorough research plan, blending my interests in healthcare and bioethics to most optimally utilize my time at the Wyss Institute. Finally, through interviews with Dr. Church and support facilitated by Dr. Lunshof, I was able to fine-tune my research plan and find meaningful research mentorship under Dr. Grimstad, as well as additional support from Dr. Sesay. Throughout this process, I had to balance my research development with extensive onboarding at both the Wyss Institute and Boston Children's Hospital. Under these researchers' guidance, I compiled both a plan for my time at the Wyss and for future project developments as I work on my Senior Thesis—ensuring a clearer and more fine-tuned path forward in seeing my project through.
The complex development of my experience at the Wyss Institute reinforced my approach to both academics and professional experience—now more than ever, I understand the value of extensive and dynamic project development. From planning the courses which best complete my majors to designing the experiments which apply what I've learned in my Senior Thesis, I will find the most success if I prepare for every eventuality while remaining flexible. This also allows me to explore unexpected and novel aspects of my work; incorporating Collaborative Ethics into my research illuminated a side of academia with which I had never interacted with before. I greatly enjoyed this divergence from my formerly solely-laboratory-oriented professional background—I found it incredibly rewarding to see how my work impacts life outside of the lab. Based on this, I find myself considering a shift from pure research to a more interdisciplinary field like bioethics. I hope that my remaining time at Dartmouth, as well as future professional experiences, will prepare me well for this change.
Beyond this career shift, this internship also reminded me how much I enjoy non-STEM fields. Before college, I was involved in local grassroots organizing in my hometown, from facilitating and attending political gatherings and Town Halls to discussing world issues as a member of my high school's Debate Team. Coming to Dartmouth, I felt like I had to choose between my interests in STEM and my passion for activism and public policy; I dove headfirst into computational biology research at the Goods Lab, giving up engagement with policy-oriented courses and extracurricular activities. Working at the Wyss Institute reminded me that policy impacts even the farthest reaches of research, and that I can still be involved in it through similar initiatives. Through a future career in an interdisciplinary organization such as this one, I can foster my passions for both STEM and public engagement.

I would like to thank the Dartmouth Ethics Institute for their funding of my internship through their Phillips Family Student Professional Development Internship Fund. Without their support, I would not have had the opportunity to engage in this learning experience without worrying about my housing, transportation, and other expenses