Ask the Intern: Sasha Getz at the Butterfly Network

Photo by David Song

Despite rapid advances in medicine, many communities around the world still lack access to potentially life-saving imaging technology. Sasha Getz (Gallatin '27) is helping to change that with her work for the Butterfly Network, a company that pioneered a portable, handheld ultrasound device that can connect to a smartphone or tablet in the field.

"This internship is truly the intersection of all my interests-sustainability, writing, policy, healthcare, and economic analysis," says Sasha, who is studying the intersection of environmental policy, economics, applied mathematics, and philosophy at Gallatin and working in Butterfly Network's communications, global healthcare, and legal departments this summer.

While researching market trends, applying for grant opportunities, and analyzing case studies are some of her daily tasks, Sasha says that what she values most about the position is the chance to develop intercultural and global fluency.

"Butterfly works with so many different people from so many different places," she says. "I see this internship as an opportunity to better understand cultures, ideologies, and lifestyles that are all so different from mine."

THE GIG: I work with three teams and do different tasks for each one. In communications, my responsibilities include researching market trends in sustainable development and social responsibility to create reports for investor relations, internal communications, and social media. In global healthcare, I discover and apply for grant opportunities that allow Butterfly to provide sustainable care to those in developing countries and rural areas. In legal, I analyze case studies, source evidence, and produce reports to aid in lobbying efforts toward the removal of lead as an exemption under medical imaging devices in the European Union. The position gives me freedom to explore my interests and learn from others-one day I may talk to international NGOs or politicians in different communities to consider how we can better aid them, while another day I could be in our Boston office spending time with our product engineers.

LUNCH BREAK ROUTINE: Across the street from the NYC office is one of my favorite Mexican restaurants, Sol. I recommend the goat cheese enchiladas. I also often get a lavender matcha latte from Cha Cha Matcha when I need some caffeine.

NETWORKING: There are a lot of brilliant, well-connected people who work at Butterfly and it's very diverse. Some people you may know who have been at Butterfly events include Bill Gates and Jim Craig.

BEST PERK: Butterfly hosts a lot of awesome events and team bonding experiences. Our investor day this year was held at the New York Stock Exchange, and we have monthly bake-offs and have even done a murder mystery party. We also have some pretty cool merch! I have a comfy quarter zip, a lavender-colored pullover, and lots of stickers.

INSPIRED BY: Dark Waters is the true story of environmental attorney Robert Bilott's more than 20-year battle against Dupont as they were unethically releasing toxic chemicals into a local water stream, causing severe health complications like cancer and preeclampsia in the surrounding communities. This movie shows the clear connections between environmental injustices, economic disparity, and health inequality as DuPont was able to evade legal action for decades. In fact, it was just three months ago that the EPA set standards in drinking water for these chemicals. In the future, I hope to keep storylines like this one as just fiction instead of reality.

DREAM JOB: I would love to be both an environmental attorney and an opinion columnist. I've always been a talker, so I've had the idea of being a lawyer since elementary school. Writing is a skill I've developed through a lot of experimenting and work, and it has helped me discover new aspirations and academic interests. So I could see combining both fields to become a multimedia communicator.