Carl Connection: 2022 Associate
This opportunity is brought to us by a Carleton alum, Julia Kenney ’20 (julia.kenney@diatribe.org). You are highly encouraged to reach out to Julia with any questions regarding the organization or the position prior to applying.
The Close Concerns Associate Program
Close Concerns, a healthcare information company that advocates for people with diabetes, seeks undergraduate applicants for its two-year Associate Program, based in San Francisco.
• The Associate Program gives new college graduates unparalleled exposure to the ‘real world’ of healthcare and business, significant work experience and responsibility, international travel, and built-in support for graduate school applications.
• For candidates considering post-graduate studies, such as medical school, it is the best way to enhance your skills and knowledge, interact with healthcare leaders, and use a different part of your brain, all the while improving your chances of getting into a top graduate program. Our many talented alums have gone on to stellar careers in medicine, public health, and business.
• This is the seventeenth year of the Associate Program, and we have two places available for successful candidates.
Our family of organizations, led by Kelly Close, share a meaningful social purpose: improving life for people with diabetes, one of the biggest public health problems of our time. This is a mission that everyone here takes to heart - if you feel that you can share it, please apply.
The Associate Program runs across the three sister organizations:
• Close Concerns, a healthcare information services provider;
• dQ&A, a research company focused on understanding and amplifying the voice of people with diabetes;
• diaTribe, a nonprofit with a mission to improve the lives of people with diabetes and prediabetes, and to advocate for action.
Associates work primarily for one organization, but you will most likely interact with people from all three organizations on a daily basis in our young, dynamic, and social workplace.
Please apply for the program by clicking this link, which is also repeated below. If you so wish, we will automatically consider you for openings at our sister organization dQ&A, so you only need to apply once. We will answer all your questions during the selection process, and you can always express any preferences in your cover letter.
The rest of this document covers the specifics of the role at Close Concerns. Follow this link to learn more about dQ&A.
The Close Concerns Associate Program
Close Concerns, founded in 2002, is a healthcare information company focused on diabetes, pre-diabetes, and obesity, dedicated to improving patient outcomes.
We do this by educating physicians, researchers, business leaders, policy makers, and manufacturers about the most important news and research in the field via an online publication. With thousands of subscribers at academic institutions, nonprofit organizations, drug and medical device companies, and government bodies, Close Concerns is widely read and respected in the healthcare community.
Close Concerns Associates research, write, edit, and publish our products frequently by attending scientific conferences and interviewing experts, including business leaders and world-class endocrinologists. Associates broaden their minds, sharpen their communication skills, and quickly become experts in all aspects of diabetes – such as therapies, medical devices, digital health, clinical research, public health, regulatory, and business issues. From time to time, Associates author and publish research papers in peer reviewed journals or at major conferences. Most are excited by the significant level of responsibility they are given and their access to patients, thought leaders, researchers, and industry executives.
Typically, the Associate Program involves significant travel in the United States and internationally, which Associates find enriching. In 2019, we attended conferences in Aspen, Austin, Barcelona, Berlin, Busan, Chicago, Houston, Keystone, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Liverpool, Miami, New Orleans, New York City, Orlando, Paris, Pasadena, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Sorrento, Washington D.C., Winnipeg, and more. In 2020, conferences were held virtually, but we are now seeing a gradual return to normal. So far in 2021, our Associates have traveled to Stockholm, Rome, the US Virgin Islands, and New York City, and we are hoping for normal travel to resume in 2022. Close Concerns Associates typically travel 30% - 40% of the time and collect a lot of airmiles! Free days are usually arranged while traveling and going early is encouraged.
Close Concerns provides ongoing support for graduate school admissions, through our extensive network of advisors and our access to Associate Program alums, with their detailed knowledge of schools and the application process. Close Concerns also provides references, free access to an excellent graduate school admissions advisor, and time off and financial support for exams or exam prep (e.g., MCAT). The specific work at Close Concerns and the reputation of the Associate Program also help to create a much stronger application and turn you into a better prepared and more compelling candidate.
Our organization is located in the vibrant Lower Haight neighborhood of San Francisco – an exciting and beautiful city. Our compensation package is appropriate for living happily in San Francisco, and we provide support in finding nearby accommodation and offer excellent work benefits (including healthcare, 401(k), public transport, gym/yoga membership, a kitchen stocked with healthy foods, and a great team atmosphere).
About You
The Associate position at Close Concerns is ideal for someone with a science or pre-medical background with additional interest in business, public health, and/or health policy. Strong critical thinking and writing skills are a must.
Requirements for successful candidates:
• Demonstrated academic excellence
• Scientific background; research and/or data science experience is encouraged • Exceptionally strong writing, editing, and synthesizing skills
• Strong critical thinking and analytic skills
• Ability to be adaptable and flexible
• High energy and ability to keep multiple projects moving simultaneously • Ability to work independently and to collaborate frequently within small teams • Reliability; commitment to schedules and deadlines
• Two-year commitment to the position
We pride ourselves on our friendly and inclusive environment. Through our recruiting, we are committed to sustaining our diverse workplace.
How to Apply
This is a highly sought-after position – if you are interested, please apply now at this link. The deadline is December 15, 2021 but applications are reviewed on a rolling basis and you are encouraged to apply early. Please do not apply through your school’s career portal – we will not receive these applications.
Close Concerns treats everyone equally and encourages candidates of all backgrounds to apply. We are looking forward to hearing from you!
In addition to the question fields in our online application, please attach the following as a single, merged PDF document in the “Resume” field:
Resume as PDF – please include undergraduate GPA, major, and graduation year • Transcript in PDF format (unofficial accepted, but GPA must be included) PDFs may be merged using this website. Please email Jennifer Walton at jennifer.walton@closeconcerns.com, or Rebecca McClure at rebecca.mcclure@closeconcerns.com if you have any problems with the application form.