Internship Location: Washington DC
Organization Type: Private Sector
Policy Areas: Trade, Intellectual Property
Over the 2022 summer, I worked as a Government Affairs and International Policy Intern for the pharmaceutical company AbbVie. AbbVie’s headquarters is based in North Chicago, but I was fortunate enough to work out of their Washington D.C. office. My day-day office life consisted of watching/reading news about the U.S. and foreign governments, the pharmaceutical industry, and anything related to intellectual property. Throughout the summer, I worked on several projects ranging from analyzing U.S. Free Trade Agreements and providing information on various countries’ accession to OECD to providing insight on international policy and global health trends. My most significant summer project was writing and doing background research for a position paper on R&D cost transparency. I was able to use my extensive research background and the policy writing skills I learned at UW and translate them into a real-world application. It was gratifying to know the position paper one day will be used to help further AbbVie’s goals of developing novel and life-saving medicines. I also got to partake in a lobbying event over the summer, which was a unique experience to see how U.S. policies are shaped by interactions and donations made by corporations, non-profits, and other government officials. Throughout the summer, I vastly expanded my knowledge of how U.S. policy works and how corporations interact domestically and globally to advance their agendas. This internship provided me with invaluable life lessons and insights into my future career.