What do you do at Voluntis?

I support the design of our diabetes products by giving my medical input on risks, product improvements and new developments. I also support the complaints process and help prepare regulatory filings. I have a more behind the scenes role in improving our products, prioritizing and working on new features, versus other members of our Medical team who are front and center supporting Sales. I’m also the self-appointed Captain of Fun at Voluntis US!

When did you join Voluntis?

I joined in March 2017 as a Clinical Nurse Specialist and I was promoted to Manager in 2018. In my new(er) role I’m more responsible for the reviewing required documentation regarding product changes and reviewing the impact of changes to the product.

Additionally, I perform literature reviews and look at the real-world evidence to help idenity areas of improvements for Insulia.

What were you doing before joining Voluntis?

Right before, I had decided to be a stay-at-home mom for my two girls, which I did for about 18 months before this opportunity at Voluntis presented itself and I felt it was too good to pass up. I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when I was 21. I thought I’d be going to medical school, but I knew a residency wouldn’t work with my diabetes so I kind of floated for a while.

I worked as a teacher for Teach for America (including an internship at NASA!) as well as in finance, at the Massachusetts General Hospital budget office before deciding I really did want to be on the patient care side and going to nursing school. I became a Certified Diabetes Educator in 2009 and worked as a Nurse Practitioner in various hospitals, specializing in diabetes patients, and at an endocrinology clinic in Burlington.

Why do you like working at Voluntis?

Working at Voluntis allows me to marry my analytical brain and my desire to help people. I love hashing out algorithms, they’re like putting together a puzzle but with much more interesting results.

Voluntis also allows me to work at 90% so I can go home earlier to be with my daughters.

Describe the Voluntis culture in 3 words.

Fun, smart and passionate.

If you were on death row, what would your final meal be?

Chocolate chip cookies and milk.

What do you do at Voluntis?

I have two missions. As a requirements engineer, I refine product specifications and define implementation solutions. 

As a product owner, I communicate with clients, end users and internal teams to build products that will not only continue to be used but that will be most effective for our users. Practically speaking, that means organizing the features that need to be developed to make sure the most important features are developed first, that corresponding features are available to web users and that the developers will be able to build the solution.

When did you join Voluntis?

I joined Voluntis in March 2014. It’s actually a funny story. I went to the dentist to have my wisdom teeth pulled. We were chatting (except I was barely able to speak) and he managed to understand that I had an engineering background, that I was interested in medical sciences and was looking for an internship. He suggested a company nearby whose employees he also treated. He knew they were expanding and had a lot of internship offers. When I was back at home, I went to the website but found no open positions.

So, after my teeth had healed, I went directly to the company and rang the doorbell. The person who answered the door sat me down right away for an interview and explained that he was looking for an intern that fit my profile to start right away. Two weeks later I started working at Voluntis.

What previous experience do you bring to Voluntis?

None! It was my first job.

What made you want to work at Voluntis?

I had always hesitated between engineering and medical studies. I chose engineering but I wanted to achieve a position that would allow me to do both at the same time. When I heard about Voluntis, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to join my interests.

What is the most interesting part of working at Voluntis?

We are given the occasion to truly understand the needs of the patients. We meet patients and healthcare practitioners so that we can directly speak with them about their needs and their expectations for our products. We’re not just a development company, we’re also a medical company that’s involved with all stakeholders.

Describe the Voluntis culture in 3 words.

Commitment, enjoyment, pride.

If you were on death row, what would your final meal be?

An all you can eat Chinese buffet so it would last for hours and hours.

If you could live in a book, TV show or movie, which one would it be?

Harry Potter because the series accompanied me throughout my childhood. And also because, magic.

If you could have one superpower, what would it be and how would you use it?

To control time so that I could skip the things I don’t want to do, to experience past events instead of just reading about them in history books and to see the future.

What do you do at Voluntis?

I oversee the customer support team in Europe and North America. With my team, I am responsible for handling end-users’ requests and managing problems and incidents encountered on our products, in a timely manner.

When did you join Voluntis?

I joined in October 2013 as the project manager in charge of deploying a diabetes management program in Algeria. After five months, I transitioned to become the project manager for our US diabetes project, our largest to date. I managed it for two years, overseeing 40 people in 12 different work streams.

What previous experience do you bring to Voluntis?

I worked as a technology consultant for 13 years. I started my career at Accenture, where I discovered a passion for projects. Actually, my very first mission there was in a project management office, implement an IT project that involved 100 people over three different sites.

I love that projects have set goals and being responsible for accomplishing them, for motivating different people to accomplish the same goal.

What made you want to work at Voluntis?

I wanted to help people and, here, our main goal is to help patients, to find ways to improve their quality of life.

What is the most interesting part of working at Voluntis?

Being in contact with a variety of subjects and different people that come from different backgrounds and cultures. We have over 10 different nationalities here so we always need to consider cultural differences before talking with people. Because I’m Brazilian and it’s a French company, I always consciously consider the best approach when handling different people.

Describe the Voluntis culture in 3 words.

Respect, fun, commitment.

If you were on death row, what would your final meal be?

It’s very hard to decide, I love to eat too much! I guess because I’m Brazilian, I would choose feijoada, which is a stew of black beans, rice and meat. It’s one of my favorites but it’s sadly hard to find in Paris so I’ve had to learn to make it.

If you could live in a book, TV show or movie, which one would it be?

La vita e bella (Life is Beautiful) with Roberto Benigni. I love its positive message and the beautiful landscapes.

If you could have one superpower, what would it be and how would you use it?

I would eradicate poverty to give people that are suffering everything they need, so everyone has the same quality of life the world over.