Brazilian Fellow Joins Carlson School for Internship

Renielle (Reni) Lira is on a mission to better healthcare in Brazil. The current phase of that journey has the South American in Minneapolis with the Carlson School’s Medical Industry Leadership Institute (MILI) and Carlson Global Institute (CGI)

“This is an opportunity to grow my non-profit organization and its impact to improve healthcare in Brazil,” says Lira. “I also want to be a better entrepreneur, connect with new people, and work toward my goal of a Medical School residency here in the U.S.” Lira is currently finishing her fourth year of medical school at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro.

Her visit is part of the Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative (YLAI) Fellowship, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the U.S. Government and administered by IREX. YLAI “empowers emerging entrepreneurs from the Western Hemisphere to enable the full economic potential of the region’s citizens.” It does so via matches like Lira and the Carlson School’s MILI and CGI. The program is five weeks, with four weeks at the match and the last in Washington, D.C

Currently, Lira is learning how the MILI Valuation Lab operates, with plans to enhance a similar program she runs through her non-profit organization, Med.Co., which not only helps train students with real-world consulting projects, but helps entrepreneurs with their innovations which could have the potential to transform healthcare in Brazil and beyond. 

“It is an amazing opportunity for us to host Reni and have her lead a project for the Valuation Lab,” says Jessica Haupt, MILI’s managing director. “We hope through some of the opportunities she’s had during her visit, with the Institute for Engineering in Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Carlson Global Institute, and connections to the MILI community, she has experienced some of the Twin Cities vibrant medical industry.”

Her doctor dreams detoured, at first, into architecture, and while rewarding, she quit to pursue medicine full time. “Entrepreneurship and health are my passions, and by combining the two worlds I feel I can increase the impact on people's lives,” Lira explains. “I am dedicated to transforming health through innovation and technology.”

Another way she is working toward that is through a position in the hospital innovation unit with DASA, a large Brazilian healthcare company. Next fall, Lira will return to the U.S. She will fulfill a lifelong dream by doing rounds with the surgery departments at Harvard’s Brigham and Women's Hospital and Stanford’s Hospital.

It’s not all work for Lira, who has been exploring all the Twin Cities has to offer. That includes plenty of time in the water. The surfer and kitesurfer is getting her fix via kayaking on the Chain of Lakes. Lira and colleagues have also attended a Twins game, explored the city’s many bike trails, and visited the Mall of America.