Celebrating BMSc Convocation with Daniel Pichini
“There is a tendency in the business world to get caught up in the small details,” said Daniel Pichini, BMSc-HBA graduate. “But when you’re looking under a microscope and seeing the basis of how the world works, it forces you to see the bigger picture.”
When Pichini walks across the stage at convocation this spring, he will be handed two degrees. Pichini is one of seven joint BMSc-HBA students who will be graduating after an intense five-year dual program that results in both a Bachelor of Medical Sciences degree, and an Honors Business Administration degree. It’s a combination that Pichini says has helped him see the world in a different light.
And it’s that big picture perspective that has helped Pichini to be successful in all aspects of his student experience. Seeing the importance of maintaining balance between a busy academic schedule and a life outside of school, he volunteered as a floor rep in residence and as a science soph to mentor incoming students.
“It was a great way to give back, and also to meet new people and gain new experiences,” he said. “The students at Western have so much pride and so much passion and the opportunities that presents are second-to-none.”
Pichini chose to study at Western because of the emphasis on student experience but also because of the opportunity to be a part of this unique combined program. The only one of its kind in Canada, it allows students to take courses at both the Ivey School of Business and Schulich Medicine & Dentistry, providing them with a solid knowledge base in both areas.
“Students in the combined BMSc/HBA program show highly developed leadership and interpersonal skills in addition to high academic achievement," said Michelle Belton, an adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology.
“It’s a huge sense of accomplishment to be graduating from this program,” Pichini said. “And now I am feeling ready to move on.”
Pichini is moving on to big things. After landing a competitive spot as a summer intern at Price Waterhouse Coopers in Toronto after his third year, he has had a standing offer from the firm to join their team full-time. Pichini will begin training with PWC to get his Chartered Accountant designation beginning in September.
He hopes to eventually work with medical marketing or pharmaceutical companies putting his knowledge of the business world and the medical sciences to good use.
“I can’t help but look ahead and realize how these experiences are going to impact the future. It really is all about the big picture,” he said.
