Meet our brand-new, well-traveled summer interns: Megan + Toby

Each summer, KNB adds a batch of new faces to learn about the healthcare industry and take a peek inside a healthcare and life sciences PR and marketing firm. This summer, KNB brought on Megan and Toby. 

We had them interview one another. Here’s a look at their conversation:

Toby interviewing Megan

Toby: Could you introduce yourself?

Megan: My name is Megan Lynch and I am a rising senior at the University of Wisconsin studying Marketing and Real Estate. Outside the classroom, I enjoy spending time outdoors and traveling. I just returned from a semester abroad in Copenhagen, Denmark! I also competed in springboard diving growing up, so I am super excited to watch this summer's Olympic Games.  

Toby: What inspired you to intern for KNB and enter the field of healthcare marketing?

Megan: I have always been interested in marketing and exploring the many industries to which it applies to. I have prior experience in marketing for a real estate firm and political campaigns, so the idea of gaining hands-on experience in another industry was super appealing to me. I was interested in working for KNB specifically because of its commitment to embracing change and improving patient outcomes.

Toby: What do you hope to gain from your experience with KNB?

Megan: I hope to gain an understanding of the dynamic and innovative marketing practices that KNB specializes in! Additionally, I am interested in learning how to create and maintain lasting connections through networking. I also hope to see how AI is impacting both marketing initiatives and healthcare trends.

Toby: If you could have dinner with one living person, one fictional character and one deceased person, who would be at your table? 

Megan: Fictionally, I would choose Moana because she symbolizes independence and I would love to karaoke the movie's soundtrack together. For the living guest, I would choose Simone Biles. Besides my excitement for the Olympics, she is a huge figure in mental health advocacy and women’s strength in sports. Lastly, because every good dinner needs a comedian, Gilda Radner would be perfect! 

Toby: What was your favorite destination from your semester abroad? 

Megan: I was lucky enough to have visited 13 countries while I was abroad, so picking a favorite is always hard! However, being in Scandinavia, I really wanted to explore that region and was blown away by the views in the Faroe Islands. There are more sheep than people on these tiny islands between Norway and Iceland!

Megan interviewing Toby

Megan: Could you introduce yourself?

Toby: My name’s Toby Barrett, and I’m a rising junior at Northwestern University. I’m double majoring in Legal Studies and Journalism with a minor in Business. This is my first foray into marketing, and I’ve learned a ton about the healthcare industry and how firms like KNB think about branding and public relations in my first few weeks. Outside work, I enjoy watching movies, being active outdoors, following sports, and traveling. Looking forward to the Copa America, Euros, and Olympics this summer!

Megan: How did you decide to intern for KNB?

Toby: I chose KNB for its strong emphasis on work-life harmony, its health-tech expertise, and its friendly team. Work aside, our internal communications generally center around how we can balance our professional goals with our personal lives or how the news of the day impacts our approach. Also, around our dogs. Mostly around our dogs, actually. 

Megan: What do you want to take away from your experience with KNB and the healthcare industry? 

Toby: Given KNB's openness to tech-driven solutions and careful innovative approach, I think I'll walk away from this summer better informed about emerging trends in healthcare and best practices for health-tech marketing. I'm especially interested in learning how providers, pharma companies, and medical device makers tailor their messaging for different audiences. I also hope to be exposed to the full marketing initiative lifecycle - from market research and strategy to content creation, media planning, and measurement.

Megan: If you could have dinner with one living person, one fictional character and one deceased person, who would be at your table? 

Toby: Because it's summer, maybe it’d be cool to eat with Chicken Joe from Surf’s Up. I’d love to meet Robin Williams. I think Bill Murray would be fun, too. 

Megan: If you could live in any movie universe for a day, which would you choose?

Toby: That’s a tough question! I think it would be fun to live out the plot of Fantastic Mr. Fox or Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

Connect with Toby and Megan on LinkedIn, help grow their professional networks, and offer some sage advice!