In 2020, the University of Virginia Darden School of Business and the Foundation established the Darden Focused Ultrasound Fellowship. The opportunity offers college graduates who have been admitted to the Darden School through its Future Year Scholars Program a dynamic career start in a cutting-edge therapeutic technology organization.
The inaugural fellow, Camille Favero, spent two years at the Foundation before joining Darden last fall. We spoke with Camille about her experience and how it impacted her future goals.
Tell us about your background.
I graduated from the University of Virginia (UVA) with a double major in cognitive science and drama. I had my eye on medical school, but the drama focus was something that I sort of happened upon. I took a few drama classes, and I had a lot of fun with them. It was a welcome diversion to go from a neuroscience or statistics course to a drama or sound design class. Eventually I had enough drama credits that it made sense to declare a second major. I was also on UVA’s women’s tennis team.
How did you end up at Darden?
As part of my undergraduate studies, I began shadowing physicians and interning in the pediatrics department at UVA, and it became clear through those experiences that the hospital environment wasn’t somewhere I wanted to spend my career. I also realized that the amount of school necessary to achieve my goals would be a significant undertaking.
Around the time of my third year at UVA, Darden was presented to me as an option. And honestly, I had never really thought about business school. The more I investigated it, and as I talked to people who were there or had connections to Darden, the more I realized how widely applicable a business degree would be.
Tell us about the Future Scholars Program.
The Future Scholars program was a fantastic fit for me because I was able to apply to Darden during my final year of undergraduate studies and, once I was admitted, I could defer enrollment for two to four years. The intention is to use that time to gain professional work experience, and that was attractive to me. I was able to plan for Darden but also go into it with a better sense of my career goals.
How did you learn about the fellowship?
I initially heard about the fellowship through the Dean of Darden, Scott Beardsley, Ed.D., who is also a Foundation Board member. He indicated that it might be a good fit for me given my interest in cognitive science.
Tell us about your fellowship experience.
I had the opportunity to work with a few different teams during my two years at the Foundation. I worked on strategic consulting projects with the FUS Partners Program, which is aimed at advancing the commercialization of the technology. I also worked with the communications team and gained valuable insight on how a technology like focused ultrasound is relevant to many different audiences.
What was your biggest learning point from the fellowship?
The fellowship opened my eyes to the level of difficulty or the red tape that a new medical technology faces from all sides. Focused ultrasound has so much potential, but it’s not where a lot of us want it to be.
What is your advice for future Darden Focused Ultrasound fellows?
I would advise future fellows to avoid going into the opportunity with preconceived notions. My experience being involved in several different teams within the Foundation helped me appreciate how interconnected everything was and created a rich experience.
What are your plans for after Darden?
Right now, I’m thinking of doing healthcare consulting. That would be a nice mix to employ what I learned in my undergraduate studies and at the Foundation. It would be nice to be able use my degree to help speed along the process of taking medical interventions from early stage to standard of care.