Baycrest

20 1 6 -20 1 7 AN N UAL R EP O RT R E SE AR CH TR AI N I N G CENTR E 015 Jess McQuiggan Intern @ Heart & Stroke Foundation "From September to December 2016, I was fortunate enough to work as an intern at Heart & Stroke thanks to generous donor support and the Research Training Centre at Baycrest. Although I was near the end of my graduate degree when I started the internship, my first thought was "I wish I had done this sooner". I gained valuable practical experience in areas such as project management, communication, and stakeholder relations. Although I had attended workshops throughout my graduate degree in these areas, the experience that I gained at Heart & Stroke was immediately tangible. While in my internship role, I worked on a number of projects within the organization and developed great working relationships with individuals who had backgrounds in areas such as marketing, knowledge exchange, and public affairs. It was great to see people with unique skill sets come together in support of a common goal - a true demonstration of multidisciplinary collaboration. I was warmly received by the staff at Heart & Stroke, who were thrilled to have a PhD candidate in their ranks. As both my graduate program and my internship came to a close in December 2016, I was offered a short-term contract with Heart & Stroke, which led to further work with two other teams that I interacted with during my 12-week internship. I am about to start a new role within knowledge exchange at Heart & Stroke that will utilize the skills that I developed throughout my graduate program and my work experience. Needless to say, the RTC internship had an extremely positive impact on both my education and my career path. I would highly recommend the internship program to other graduate students, regardless of career aspirations. The most valuable insight my internship gave me was a clear understanding of how research is viewed and used by non-researchers. It provided me with a more balanced perspective on how I approached and communicated my own research, and it eased the transition from student to employee. The internship was an overwhelmingly positive experience and a highlight of my graduate training."

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