Wyatt Oelberg
Please tell us why you want to be a Finch Fellow
I have spent all of my time in the medical device industry on the product development side within a large corporation up to this point in my career, and I have recently had a couple of opportunities that have provided a window into the other side of the business, with the Medical Industry Valuation Laboratory being one of those. While participating in the Valuation Lab, I found a resurgence of joy and excitement in doing the work for a class, which included all aspects of the class - the learning, researching, analyses, and presenting. I found that I had not necessarily experienced that level of enjoyment from any singular activity during my education, or perhaps even employment, before. I found deep gratification in doing the work in the class, which allowed me to realize that this line of work may be a viable opportunity for a next step in my career. The Finch Fellowship provides a perfect opportunity to hone these skills and develop a deeper understanding of how this side of the medical device industry works.
Where do you see yourself five years after graduation? How will your participation as a Fellow impact that plan?
Five years from now, I will be working in a product ventures capacity, either for a large corporation, such as my current employer, Abbott, or in a smaller entity. My primary focus will be to evaluate novel medical technologies with a meaningful impact to advancing the human condition, by either reducing cost to the consumer or filling a gap in the current healthcare system. My preference will be to stay in the structural heart / peripheral intervention product domain as that is where my technical knowledge and passion lays. The Finch Fellowship will give me the opportunity to hone the skills needed to be proficient in that role and to develop new skills, specifically in understanding the financial metrics needed to fully evaluate a product or market. Additionally, the Finch Fellowship will allow me to continue develop a network within the medical device industry, which can play a crucial role in obtaining information to fully vet a new product or company.