Stories

By Will Story '26

I had the recent opportunity to interview Meghana Reddy '22, a fellow neuroscience major at SCU. She graciously allowed me to ask her questions regarding her path to SCU, her experience as a neuroscience major, and her current career post-graduation. I found her insight to be valuable to me, and I know it will be for you as well.

Q: Why did you choose SCU?

A: I am from the Bay Area and graduated from a local area high school and knew I wanted to stay in California. I initially attended UCSB and transferred to SCU after 2 years specifically for SCU’s Neuroscience program. The SCU Neuroscience program allowed me a more specialized program that aligned with my interests in research. 

Q: What inspired you to study neuroscience? 

A: I have been interested in neuroscience since I was very young. I did a middle school project on Alzheimer's. The more I studied and researched Alzherimer's, the more I became interested in the biological basis for the disease and what it has to do with the brain. That research project motivated me to volunteer at Senior Centers. I was glad to get to work with people directly affected by Alzheimer's, and the interaction and my research came together… I even got to present to the seniors at the center my findings on Alzheimer's research! Those experiences motivated me to pursue a career where I could contribute to the development of finding solutions to diseases, or at least the treatment of those who have diseases like Alzheimer's. SCU has a small connective community in the Neuroscience department, and I got the attention and engagement I was looking for, as well as the ability to take the classes I actually wanted to take. 

Q: While at SCU, what classes helped prepare you the most for your future career?

A: Neuro 1 and Psych 120 (Perception) are two classes I remember that helped me in my foundation of understanding neuroscience. The professors stressed the importance of research and always making claims on validated research. I learned at SCU how important labs were as research is instrumental in actually finding the treatments and tools needed to help people. Another thing I learned is how to actually read a research paper and find the takeaways and main findings. This helped me immensely in my professional development. It taught me how to formulate a study that will give accurate and reliable results which is what led me to do what I am currently doing now!

Q: What types of jobs were available after graduation, and what parts of your current position do you find most valuable?

A: There were actually a lot of opportunities available to me after graduation, and to be honest that made it hard to choose what path I wanted to take. I looked at jobs in health consulting, but I really wanted a purposeful job where I could really make an impact. Many of my neuro friends took jobs in bio tech: working for google, neurolink etc., but my interest in clinical research and working directly with people led me to go a different direction. I realized with clinical research I could really trace data from start to finish and I looked at Stanford and UCSF for clinical research positions due to their strong research hospital reputations. I knew I’d be surrounded by those who had been in my shoes before. I ultimately took a job at UCSF because learning about research and contributing to science directly was what mattered to me most. 

I am currently the Clinical Research Coordinator in UCSF’s Anesthesia and Preoperative Care Department. I focus on transplant anesthesia- specifically kidney and liver transplants. Even though it is not directly related to neuroscience, I received the foundation I needed, and the knowledge I learned regarding research in neuroscience helped prepare me for success in my career. I love my role, and the people I work with are friendly, smart and motivated. I submitted my first paper to a transplant journal which is so exciting and I have met one of the goals I made for myself! In a couple of weeks, I am presenting that research at an international liver transplant conference and can’t wait! SCU prepared me for this path that I am on. I am applying to medical school and it will be great to get the research experience to be able to implement the things I learned previously into what I am doing. I know the fear is you may not use what you learned for 4 years in your future career, but for me, that is quite the opposite. I have used the majority of what I learned at SCU for my career. 

I would be so happy to talk to any SCU students about careers in neuroscience, and if anyone would like to come visit UCSF and see what it's like to work in clinical research, I’d be happy to help! 

**Thank you Meghana for taking the time to tell us about your path to Neuroscience and your experiences at SCU and post-graduation. Meghana is bound to do great things with her clinical research experience and her future medical career. – Will Story