From Biologist to Business Student: Meet Katie Reggio

When Katie Reggio joined NYSCF’s Global Stem Cell Array® team in 2015, she was looking to learn more about stem cells and herself. While she originally planned to either go to medical school or pursue a PhD, she wanted to give herself space to explore different aspects of STEM and learn as much as possible. In her time at NYSCF, Katie found a passion for the organizational side of science and will soon embark on her next adventure as an MBA student at UCLA this fall. 

Katie spoke with us about her time at NYSCF, what she hopes the future of precision medicine will hold, and what advice she would give to those aiming to pursue a career in STEM.

What inspired you to pursue a career in STEM?

I first became interested in STEM when I was in school and I just always found science courses to be the most interesting, especially biology. I felt like when I looked at the world, I liked to see how things interacted through a biological lens. So I always knew that science was what I was drawn to, I just didn’t know what I wanted to do within it. 

When I learned about stem cells, I was excited about everything we can do with them and how we are still just at the beginning. In the short term I think we’re going to start seeing the power of precision medicine – the ability to really cater treatments and medicines to specific diseases and each person responds to those things differently. And then in the long-term, I hope we can start doing things like recreating organs. My sister has had two heart transplants already, and she’s only 16. She’ll have to get a new organ every 10 years or so, and while organ donation is incredible, we need more options for patients like her. So I like the idea that eventually, maybe we’ll be able to actually recreate hearts and other organs to aid in that process.

What did you work on at NYSCF?

I came on as a quality control technician, so I ran all of our QC assays – tests that ensure all the stem cells we generate are standardized and viable for research. I then joined our expansion team, helping us scale up our stem cell production on the NYSCF Global Stem Cell Array [our automated technology for creating stem cells]. I started leading stem cell reprogramming, and now I’m a QC manager again. So it’s kind of been a full circle. 

What made you decide to go to business school?

When I started my career, I didn’t know what I wanted to do and I thought I would have to eventually choose between getting a PhD or going to medical school, but I just wasn’t ready to make that decision. I came to NYSCF figuring I’d work in the lab and see if that’s what I wanted to do. 

What I found was that neither a PhD or medical school seemed to be the best fit for me. I think I’m a bit more valuable on the organizational management side, so I decided to try out business school. I know the lab environment pretty well now, and I’d like to bridge the gap between the people in the lab and those making decisions behind the scenes. 

How has NYSCF helped prepare you for the next step in your career?

What’s always been nice about NYSCF is that it has that startup feel: it allows you to wear many hats. So if you want to take over a certain portion of a process or change the way something’s done, you really do have the ability to do that. I was able to try a lot of different things and find what I like. 

Going along with that, I was just constantly learning new things, and I’ve interacted with so many different pieces of machinery and different people that I’m not as afraid to try something new. Whereas before I might’ve been a little hesitant, now I’m like “all right, I’ll just give it a try and see how it goes.” It has also definitely taught me how to multitask. I have gotten very good at that, and it has really changed the way that I approach problems.

What was the most rewarding thing about your time at NYSCF?

I’d definitely say the relationships I’ve built here and the opportunity to grow. I feel like I’ve made a lot of connections here and have always just felt at home. It’s never been a place where I haven’t wanted to go into work. Looking back on who I was when I started here, I feel like I was such a kid and I really grew here. When I wanted to do something, I was given the opportunity to do it. And that just feels very special.

I do feel like the people I’ve met here are like my family. We go to the same gyms, we play darts, we go on trips together and see concerts. I will really miss everybody here. Especially working on the Array, we were working together constantly. I always knew I could depend on my team and that they’d always be there for me.

What’s one piece of advice that you would give to someone who wants to explore different career paths?

I’d say take your time and don’t rush into anything. Try a lot of projects and see what really speaks to you. The more things you try, the more confident you’ll be in yourself and the more you’ll realize what you’re capable of achieving.