Krystel Ametepeh is an IP Innovation Clinic Fellow and a 2L JD Candidate at Osgoode Hall Law School. As part of the IP Innovation Clinic’s involvement in the inaugural year of Mitacs’ Business Strategy Internship program, Krystel completed an internship at 3D Bridge Solutions under the direct supervision of Karima Bawa. As Principal Investigator, Prof. Pina D’Agostino secured three $10,000 grants from Mitacs, one of which was used to fund this internship.
As part of the Mitacs Business Strategy Internship program, I had the opportunity to complete a 16-week placement with a medical technology company called 3D Bridge Solutions. 3D Bridge Solutions provides a digital medication platform and dispenser to aid with medication adherence. The company’s solution helps mitigate the challenges associated with senior care, which were made evident by the COVID-19 pandemic, by safely and securely dispensing patients’ medication according to a set dosing schedule. As part of this placement, I had the opportunity to work closely with various members of the team on a variety of projects. Notably, I had the opportunity to draft user manuals for the company’s product offering, as well as a privacy policy.
Work Responsibilities
Drafting the user manuals was both a challenging and exciting task. Prior to beginning the drafting process, I had to develop a strong understanding of how the company’s product worked to enable me to produce a work product that was beneficial to users. I worked closely with the Chief Technology Officer who provided me with much needed guidance on how the product operated. I also had the opportunity to experiment with the system to gain further insights into the user experience. Equipped with this knowledge, I began writing the user manuals. However, the product was going through further developments when I began working on this project. Thus, at various points during the drafting process, I had to learn about new functionalities as they were added to the product offering and determine how best to incorporate these features into the manuals. It was exciting to learn about these new developments as they arose, and to learn about the reasoning behind creating them. While the process of writing the user manuals initially seemed daunting, I was provided with meaningful feedback and guidance by various members of the team throughout the process, which eased the writing process. Working on this project enabled me to further develop my writing skills, as well as my ability to convey technical content in a comprehensible manner.
I also had the opportunity to draft a privacy policy for the company’s website. Similar to the user manuals, this was my first experience handling a task of this nature. Thus, I had to conduct research on the requirements under Canadian privacy legislation, and on best practices for our industry. I also relied on various resources and insights my supervisor shared with me throughout the drafting process. A challenging part of this task was in trying to balance the need to create a comprehensible policy, with the need to create one that covered all the necessary grounds. I was provided with the opportunity to have a discussion with a privacy lawyer who was able to provide assistance on how to navigate this challenge. Moreover, my supervisor provided me with invaluable assistance and feedback throughout the process. Completing this project was one of the highlights of the time I spent working with 3D Bridge Solutions. This project enabled me to further explore my interest in privacy law and learn more about Canadian privacy law, all while gaining practical experience through drafting a privacy policy.
Conclusion
Overall, working with 3D Bridge Solutions served as an incredible learning experience. It provided me with the opportunity to further develop my writing and research skills through challenging and engaging work responsibilities. I also had the benefit of learning so much from the 3D Bridge Solutions team, who have vast amounts of knowledge and experience, through their guidance and support.