Internship Spotlight: Miguel Agreda ’25, Pfizer
Inspired by Pfizer’s response to the COVID pandemic, Miguel Agreda ’25 brought his skills as a joint-degree MBA/MPH student to the company’s strategy team.
We asked rising second-year MBA students to check in from their summer internships, where they applied the lessons of their first year at Yale SOM.
Internship: Pfizer, New York
Hometown: Lima, Peru
Pronouns: he/him/his
The SOM class you’re using on the job: Competitor, Customer, Healthcare Policy, Finance, and Economics
Go-to work lunch: Sweetgreen
After-work routine: Typically a workout class, going to a concert or live event, or meeting people for dinner
Favorite thing about internship city: The active music and art scene, and the cheap outdoor fruit vendors during the summer
When I stepped into Pfizer’s offices this summer, fresh out of my first year at Yale SOM, I found myself seeking purpose in a new industry, ready to apply my MBA/MPH toolkit to real-world scenarios.
Pfizer’s response to the COVID pandemic had already captured my attention. Their commitment to “breakthroughs that change patients’ lives” resonated deeply with me. It was a bold declaration of purpose that I intended to be a part of, and The Consortium, an organization that works to enhance diversity and inclusion in global business education and leadership, provided me with that opportunity.
From day one, Pfizer’s Strategy & Consulting team threw me into a high-stakes project that demanded immediate contribution. I found myself crafting competitive analyses for specific therapeutic areas, dissecting brand strategies, and diving deep into revenue forecasting. My Yale SOM education proved invaluable in these moments. Concepts from Competitor became my north star in mapping out market dynamics. Insights gathered from Customer helped me decode brand strategies. The elective course Healthcare Policy, Finance, and Economics guided my understanding of the pharma ecosystem’s complexities.
But it wasn’t just about conducting quantitative analyses and building compelling presentations. The dynamic team culture, camaraderie among interns, and genuine company investment in the internship program were equally important. Our business operations team went above and beyond, organizing numerous team events and networking opportunities. It was clear that cultivating future leaders was a top priority for Pfizer.
For ambitious MBA students eyeing the intersection of strategy, healthcare, and consulting, Pfizer’s Strategy & Consulting team offers a unique environment. Here, academic theories are pressure-tested against market realities, providing invaluable insights into how a global healthcare leader operates across complex regulatory landscapes and disparate health systems to achieve patient impact worldwide. Before Yale, after eight years working in healthcare consulting and technology, I stood at the crossroads of healthcare and business innovation, armed with a passion for solving complex problems and a desire to make a real difference in people's lives. Now, I have an invaluable network of Yale students and alumni to support me as I continue on that journey.
I advise incoming students considering a similar path to embrace the challenges, leverage your academic knowledge, and immerse yourself in the culture. Your internship isn’t just about personal growth—it’s also about understanding how you can contribute to a crucial mission.
