Chamberlain: I had a general idea of what medical packaging was, but this event really dove deeper into the specifics and main concerns in medical packaging right now and what we’re doing to address those issues. As a student, that was really a great thing to see. I enjoyed hearing about some of the projects that are going on in different organizations and where I can get involved if I want to learn more. Having all that exposure was probably the best part of going to this conference.
Wongthanaroj: It answered my questions about what the industry has been doing all these years. I know about medical packaging, and I took a class last semester, but then jumping into the Ph.D., from food packaging to medical packaging and from science work to human factors work, they’re totally different things. But this conference gave me ideas about how to start my Ph.D. and where to start. I had thought of doing an internship, but the timing doesn’t fit my schedule because I want to start my Ph.D. next semester. So this conference just fit everything and answered everything.
Dailey: I thought the event was highly educational and informative, especially attending as a student who hasn’t had a lot of exposure in this field. I loved the camaraderie between professionals and seeing how passionate they are about their jobs. It seemed like a family I would love to be a part of.
“I loved the camaraderie between professionals and seeing how passionate they are about their jobs. It seemed like a family I would love to be a part of.” — Maggie Dailey
Kent: It was awesome. As a student, I don’t have a knowledge set anywhere close to a lot of the people there, but it was just a huge learning experience for me. I learned about sustainability, design, new innovations, and what companies are doing within the industry. I got to learn a lot, network, and make contacts.
“As a student, I don’t have a knowledge set anywhere close to a lot of the people there …. I got to learn a lot, network, and make contacts.” — Anna Kent
I think it was really well put together and the structure of the agenda was great. The first day we had a general session where everyone hears the same things, but on the second day we were able to pick our own path, which was nice because we’re all coming from different backgrounds. The third day we did a group project challenge, which was fun and engaging.
Webber: I think Anna hit the nail on the head. We’re super excited to get into industry because of this. I have one semester left at school, and I’m excited to jumpstart my career with all these people that I’ve met at this conference. Whether they’re R&D packaging engineers, suppliers, chemical people, or people from professional development sides of the world, there’s a whole plethora of people that were at this conference, and they are all excited and passionate about healthcare packaging. So that trickled into the whole experience.
At networking events, we were just talking about packaging. How weird is that? I mean, this is our passion! So it was very exciting to meet a bunch of people who share the same passion with you.
As for the educational experience, I thought it was great. Sustainability is one of my passions, so I tried to hit a lot of those sessions on day two. Bridging my gap of knowledge and learning things that I didn’t know was great. There were people at this conference that have 15 to 20-plus years of experience, and they were able to find something that suited their knowledge. And then someone like me or the other students with only one or two years of experience were able to find something that suited our level as well. So it was just an overall great event. I want to go back next year. I’m very excited.
