Hear from our previous students on their experiences with the Health, Law, Innovation, and Policy Lab:
Mina Alam
"My summer at the Lab was filled with so many unique opportunities to gain practical knowledge - from negotiating research contracts, meeting key industry stakeholders, or attending a conference with expert legal practitioners and thought leaders - there was always something new to experience. I also really appreciated the opportunity to research an area of interest for an upcoming textbook publication, because it allowed me to discover my interest in intellectual property. Still, the best part of the HLIP Lab is that you get to work with and learn from a team of unbelievably kind and intelligent people."
Jacqueline Rintjema
"Completing a summer internship with the HLIP Lab gave me the opportunity to apply the knowledge gained from my first year of law school while also obtaining further exposure to areas like contracts, privacy, and intellectual property law. Throughout the summer, I was involved in a range of transactional, business development, and research activities. This included supporting the revision of agreements, researching and drafting a textbook manuscript section on the regulation of healthcare commercial products, and engaging with stakeholders on research projects related to new and emerging areas of the law (such as data sharing in cancer research and innovation in research ethics processes). It was an incredibly enriching experience that furthered my professional development. I highly recommend any students interested in the intersection of health, law, and policy to get involved with the HLIP Lab."
CeCe Li
“I have always been interested in health law and while my law school courses offered a great theoretical basis, I wanted hands-on experience to understand what different health law practices look like. My externship at the HLIP Lab certainly offered this experience, including corporate governance work such as contract review and collaboration opportunities. I was also very grateful for the academic opportunity of having full control over researching and writing a chapter on emerging trends in medical negligence, which is an area I am very interested in. Leanne at the HLIP Lab exposed me to opportunities I may not have otherwise had, so I encourage other students interested to explore this externship if possible.”
Anna Wong
“My externship at the HLIP Lab provided me with an invaluable hands-on opportunity to leverage my pre-law school interests in medicine and medical innovation by conducting research on emerging issues in pharmaceuticals access and the harmonization of research ethics review board requirements. I also had the opportunity to get involved with the LTRI contract review process, which is something law students almost never get exposure to in their doctrinal courses. Overall, the HLIP externship was a great way to learn more about what it's like to work in-house at a health research institution and to apply some of the skills I learned at law school in a real-world setting.”
Erin Kim
“I had a great experience through the HLIP Lab externship. Throughout the semester, I was involved with working on updates to a health law textbook, a research project about the use of technology in health care, and contract review exercises. It was a good balance of legal research and writing as well as learning about what transactional work looks like in a healthcare setting. Overall, the HLIP Lab externship was a valuable learning opportunity in terms of the skills developed and gaining a broader perspective of various areas of law.”
Alison Yu
“I have a background in biomedical sciences and was interested in heath law, policy, and technology, but there were not always many opportunities to get involved in substantive work in these areas. Thus, I felt that the HLIP Lab would be a perfect complement to my previous experiences with my legal education and was excited to be a part of it. Leanne was a fantastic supervisor and provided much hand-holding throughout the externship to understand the tasks and how they ought to be completed. I am extremely thankful to her for her guidance and insightful instruction. This externship was a wonderful way to cap off my final year of law school!”
Salar Sadri
“When I joined the Health, Law, Innovation, and Policy Lab, as a JD/MBA student at the University of Toronto, I was interested in the intersections of law, business, and health care. My time with the HLIP Lab was valuable. The organization has an intellectually curious and warm atmosphere. The coaching and feedback processes and collaborative opportunities really helped refine my skill set. I appreciated the opportunity to gain robust hands-on experiences which felt meaningful and impactful."
Ziqi Liu
“I joined LTRI as a summer student through the Health, Law, Innovation, and Policy Lab’s summer program with Sinai Health and the University of Toronto Faculty of Law. I received my Bachelor of Science in Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology from the University of Toronto and completed my first year at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law before joining Dr. Leanne Tran at the HLIP Lab, LTRI.
Leanne and the rest of the team were incredible to work with. They fostered a supportive environment that allowed me to learn about a variety of legal disciplines – including health law, contract law, and intellectual property law. During my summer, I did a mix of transactional work such as contract reviews and business development, as well as research into the law of consent to treatment in Canada.
I have since decided to pursue a degree in Medicine at the University of British Columbia and working at LTRI could not have been better preparation. The experience allowed me to become familiar with different areas of the healthcare system and health policy that I may never have had the opportunity to explore otherwise.
I wish future summer and academic externship students the best of luck during their time at Sinai Health. It is a really rewarding experience and definitely something to look forward to if you are interested in health law and policy!”
