Thriving Together: Meet Jennifer Amaral

Leveraging diverse perspectives allows us to develop better overall solutions to the problems we face. In this series, we take time to recognize our Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) and the work they do to create an environment where all employees can thrive. In each series post, we will be highlighting a member nominated by an ERG.

Tell us about your role at Mass General Brigham and your role within the ERG you were nominated by.

I work in the Mass General Brigham Office for Interactions with Industry (OII), which reports into the General Counsel. OII oversees, administers and continually works to refine and improve our policies and processes relating to the complex relationship between academic medicine and the for-profit sector. In my role, I split my time between two sections of OII: Research and Outside Activities.

Simultaneously, I serve as the Career Development Coordinator of the Mass General Brigham Young Professionals Group (YPG). The YPG provides our community with networking opportunities, career development resources and a variety of events to keep community members engaged and motivated. This year, I have spearheaded multiple career development programs, including our resume/LinkedIn workshop, graduate panels, financial planning workshops, and headshot events.

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How has this ERG positively impacted you?

Serving as the YPG Career Development Coordinator has been a rewarding and enjoyable experience. This role has expanded my network and has allowed me to connect with colleagues across the system that I most likely would not have had the opportunity to work with otherwise. Over the past year, I have grown in a lot of ways from being part of this ERG, including the ability to further develop my leadership, communication, and public speaking skills. I know I will carry forward the relationships I have built within this community (and will continue to build) as I transition to YPG Board Chair.

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What has been your favorite experience while participating in this ERG and what are you looking forward to in the next few months??

I have enjoyed working with diverse and like-minded individuals who share the same goal–to bring young professional employees together to develop socially and professionally. This year, my favorite experience was one of our first in-person events: Project Bread's The Walk for Hunger. The event was aimed at raising money to provide food relief to kids and families across Massachusetts. This was my first year participating (and the first time the walk has been held since 2019). As an ERG, we proudly raised $1,110. It was an incredible day in Boston!

Over the next few months, I am excited to transition to YPG Board Chair to continue to foster a sense of community amongst young professionals across the Mass General Brigham system.