In the last “A day in the life” post, Jonathan shared his story about his son Nolan’s hand injury. In case you aren’t familiar with the series, here’s the scoop. At PatientsLikeMe, we believe in the power of openness, and members frequently share about their health journeys and experiences with different conditions. And since they go above and beyond, the staff at PatientsLikeMe likes to share their own stories to help everyone get to know us, too.
In this edition, Jacinda, a software engineer on the PatientsLikeMe team, introduced herself and spoke about her role, her thoughts on health tech and her passions outside of work. Read her interview below, and don’t forget to check out other posts in the “A day in the life” series.
When did you first hear about PatientsLikeMe? What drew you to join the organization?
I heard about PatientsLikeMe through the Vice President of Engineering, Marcia Nizzari. She is a board member at the arts nonprofit Cantata Singers, which is where I used to work. After I heard about PatientsLikeMe and did some research, I was really drawn to the idea of an application that helps people, instead of technology for technology’s sake. I was also very moved by the founders’ story, and believe that if the leadership has a strong personal connection to the mission, the company becomes more mission-driven, versus financially-driven, which is unfortunately the case with so many technology companies.
Tell us a little about your role as a software engineer. What are some things you’re working on?
I have been working on many different parts of the website, such as quick start and the condition reports. I’ve really enjoyed being able to work in all levels of the stack – from database queries to JavaScript on the client side. I think that is something really great about the PatientsLikeMe engineering team, where the majority of the engineers work on the front and back end. This allows engineers to develop a wide skill set and to contribute to all parts of the site.
You’re one of PatientsLikeMe’s newest employees – in your first few months, what has really stood out to you about PatientsLikeMe?
Similar to what I said above, I really like that PatientsLikeMe is so mission-driven, and wants to change medicine. We are empowering the masses to communicate to each other, and come to conclusions that would not otherwise be reached in the traditional healthcare system. Technology has enabled us to create a platform to facilitate discussion and data-sharing that provides value where the market/patients do not realize they wanted it. It’s almost like we are Apple in some ways, where we are providing a service that the market didn’t know it needed, and only after we show the market what we have to offer, does it realize that it is desired.
We hear you speak French – c’est génial! What else do you do for fun outside of the office?
I am mostly coding in the evenings, but I also salsa dance, and do spin in the winter, and run in the summer. I did competitive ballroom dancing in college, which opened up my world to partner dancing. I started learning salsa in senior year of college, and continued after graduation. Next up is learning some more swing/lindy hop and west coast swing (though as you might have guessed, California is better for west coast swing than in New England).
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