European Thought Leadership intern program review

European Thought Leadership interns, Riming and Helena, reflect on their time at IQVIA, sharing their first impressions and most memorable moments.

Meet Riming Huang

I just finished my master’s degree in biochemistry at the University of Oxford and am working towards my second master’s degree in management at the London School of Economics.

With exclusive access to invaluable data, the European Thought Leadership team provides the latest insights on the pharma industry to both internal colleagues and external clients. During my time, I created and analyzed a COVID-19 therapeutic database, analyzed the cell and gene therapy market and drew conclusions from survey results from healthcare practitioners. I improved my analytical, collaboration and research skills, and by working on a range of the tasks, I developed a more complete picture of the field.

I was given a warm welcome by the team on my first day and was impressed by how knowledgeable members of the team were – seriously, everyone was so knowledgeable! Even more so… as an intern analyst, I feel I was greatly valued and that everyone was intrigued to hear my opinions. All in all, I am grateful to have had the chance to get to know this group.

First, the data analysis skills and the understanding of the industry; the sharpness and the sensitivity towards data and market trends will be key for my potential healthcare career. But more importantly is the team’s indefinite passion towards both work and life – we could talk about a project for an hour and then discuss the Olympic Games for ages! As I step out of the identity of a student, this attitude will be very valuable.

The team dinner at Eat Tokyo! Looking back, I couldn’t believe that the team made it for a huge union amidst the pandemic (following government guidelines of course).

Meet Helena Bayley

I am a student at the University of Oxford, working toward a master’s degree in physics. I have a strong interest in healthcare, and the internship at IQVIA really appealed to me because it provided the opportunity to access and analyze exceptional data in the healthcare sector, undertake a variety of projects and gain a broad overview of the industry. I really enjoyed the internship and hope to pursue a career in this field.

I joined the European Thought Leadership team, who identifies key trends in the pharmaceutical market, and develops expert insights. Riming and I were offered a large choice of projects, each supervised by a team member. My projects included contributing to a white paper on hematological cancers, analyzing trends in H2H trials in auto-immune indications and creating a resources directory for COVID-19 databases and trackers. I liked the variety and I feel I was able to develop my research, analytical and written skills. 

I immediately felt the team was very welcoming, and extremely driven and capable! I quickly realized that they were also such a fun group, with a broad range of interests and a great sense of humor. I always looked forward to our weekly (virtual) coffee breaks. They were an incredible team to work with and were by far the main reason that my internship was so rewarding and valuable.

Overall, I was struck by the generosity of the Thought Leadership team, and more widely IQVIANs, in terms of the time, care and advice. I consistently felt that the environment at IQVIA was supportive. This made such a difference, and I will always aim to support my colleagues in the same way.

For me, the most memorable moment occurred during a team dinner at Eat Tokyo. I had eagerly anticipated witnessing the dramatic portion sizes that had been described; most notoriously that of the double katsu curry, which my manager ordered.


We welcome interns to IQVIA throughout the year in locations around the world! Start your search now.