Aksa Choudhry, COL ’26, Sicklerville, NJ
As a Health & Societies major with a concentration in Bioethics, I’ve always been drawn to the intersection of medicine, policy, and public health infrastructure. This summer, I had the opportunity to work as a Global Regulatory Affairs Intern at Johnson & Johnson within the functional area of Digital Health. Coming into this internship with no prior industry experience, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I quickly learned how central regulatory affairs is in shaping the ways healthcare innovations actually reach patients. My team, within Global Regulatory Policy & Intelligence, gave me the chance to explore how emerging technologies are reshaping not only the future of medicine but also the regulatory guiding frameworks.
My main project this summer focused on supporting Global Regulatory Policy & Intelligence and its upcoming Digital Health Regulatory Policy workshop. I worked on developing a comprehensive pre-read document that gathered existing resources from both U.S. and EU regulatory landscapes, as well as perspectives from industry and public-private partnerships. The goal of this work was to give all workshop participants a shared foundation to build on, so conversations could focus on next steps rather than aligning on existing background. What stood out to me was just how complex yet critical the regulatory landscape around digital health really is. If we’re using something like a wearable to measure sleep quality in a trial, how do we actually prove that the data is reliable enough for regulators to accept? And how do sponsors and regulators get on the same page so trials using these tools don’t get stuck in limbo? These aren’t just technical details—they directly shape how quickly patients can access new treatments, and whether that access is fair and inclusive.
For me, the biggest takeaway was recognizing how digital health tools tie directly to public health impact. Technologies that enable decentralized trials, for instance, don’t just represent innovation for its own sake–they expand access for patients who may face barriers to traditional trial participation, such as geographic distance and mobility limitations. By helping to lay the groundwork for regulatory clarity, this work supports a future where clinical research can be more inclusive, diverse, and representative of real-world populations. My internship taught me that regulatory affairs is not just about compliance, it’s about ensuring that innovation is translated into equitable access to healthcare.
This is part of a series of posts by recipients of the 2025 Career Services Summer Funding Grant. We’ve asked funding recipients to reflect on their summer experiences and talk about the industries in which they spent their summer. You can read the entire series here
