Dr. Shereka Banton
What are you doing now?
I am currently a Senior Regulatory Affairs Program Lead at Johnson & Johnson.
How has the Fellowship impacted your career?
My Fellowship has had a lasting impact on my career. It was one of the first times that I fused my science & science policy interests. Since I was a biomedical engineering PhD student at the time, my Fellowship was an awesome introduction to the public policy space. In fact, it cemented my desire to pursue a policy/regulatory-related job after graduate school. And no surprise, I landed in regulatory affairs in the medical device industry. Now I apply regulations to various business scenarios that ultimately impact the global availability of widely used medical devices.
Beyond my current job, my Fellowship experience – the paper, the networking, the mentoring experience – still remains top of mind as I see use the skills I gained professionally and now pay it forward by mentoring the next generation of Presidential Fellows. CSPC has cultivated a wonderful community!
What is your favorite memory of the Fellowship?
Our Washington D.C. conferences are my favorite memory. It was a privilege to meet the other Presidential Fellows in person and also to hear speakers with varied and intriguing public careers. I’ll never forget one speaker who gave a bit of career advice that has sat with me almost seven years later: “Create the job/career you want. Demonstrate your skills and talents in such a way that an organization will create the space for you to thrive.” I’ve never forgotten that, especially in thinking how important rewarding/encouraging authenticity is for the healthy functioning of workplaces, the public sector included should I pursue public service one day.
If you could have any job in the world, what would you do?
With my current interests in biomedical science & policy (overlayed with my faith and heart for justice), my dream job would be to be the head of a faith-based organization whose mission is to advance health equity in the country.
Originally published February 24, 2021.