Hi current Global Disease Biology students! My name is Allison Berkowitz. As an alum, I can look back at my time at Davis and see I really was trying to figure out, what drives health? This took me on a wild journey of classes from Psychology to Nutrition to Sociology and even Economics, which I ended up double majoring in. I took a range of internships. Nutrition? Interned as a lab assistant and transposed French dietary details focused on maternal and children health in Niger, Africa under Dr. K. Ryan Wessells and Dr. Sonya Y. Hess. Political? Interned for Congressman John Garamendi. Legislative and Media? Worked under Dr. Amber Boydstun for 2.5 years coding and researching media coverage of events and subsequent legislative and policy outcomes. Socio-economic? Interned for the SNAP program both in schools and at the department. Finance? Completed year-long Morgan Stanley investment program in Sacramento.  

I found that in every field wealth has a huge part in driving health. I needed to know more about our financial markets, and I was also intrigued with how companies are created. Therefore, I pursued a career in wealth management. Today, I have been fortunate to see the funding and sourcing of many early to mid-stage biotech companies. My background in disease biology makes understanding the companies’ therapeutic drugs and likely outcomes very digestible, as well as understanding trial data and setup. I also serve on the ESG and Impact Investment Committee at my firm and have been pleased with my knowledge on climate change and the environment that is ingrained in all of us UC Davis students.

I am very proud of the many doctors and scientists from my graduating class. For me, finance is my path. If you let curiosity lead you, and stay hungry, you will be surprised where it will take you. Let it!