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By Will Story '26

I had the recent opportunity to interview Meghana Reddy '22, a fellow neuroscience major at ÃÛÌÒµ¼º½. She graciously allowed me to ask her questions regarding her path to ÃÛÌÒµ¼º½, 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 ÃÛÌÒµ¼º½?

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 ÃÛÌÒµ¼º½ after 2 years specifically for ÃÛÌÒµ¼º½’s Neuroscience program. The ÃÛÌÒµ¼º½ 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. ÃÛÌÒµ¼º½ 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 ÃÛÌÒµ¼º½, 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 ÃÛÌÒµ¼º½ 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! ÃÛÌÒµ¼º½ 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 ÃÛÌÒµ¼º½ for my career. 

I would be so happy to talk to any ÃÛÌÒµ¼º½ 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 ÃÛÌÒµ¼º½ and post-graduation. Meghana is bound to do great things with her clinical research experience and her future medical career. – Will Story