As one of the industry’s top investors in Research and Development, Boehringer Ingelheim focuses on developing innovative therapies in areas of high unmet medical need. Founded in Germany in 1885, the company’s U.S. headquarters in Ridgefield, Connecticut is home to the second-largest pharmaceutical company in the state and is active in both human and animal health.

On November 13, Boehringer Ingelheim at QU Day brought 24 company representatives to the Mount Carmel Campus for a full day of meaningful interactions focused on internships, co-ops and early opportunities to enter multiple career pathways.

The information-packed visit underscored the broad range of career opportunities at Boehringer Ingelheim matching interests and academic skills of Quinnipiac students in areas including business analytics, law, human resources, biosciences, marketing, IT, life sciences, communications and finance.

“Boehringer Ingelheim’s enthusiasm for connecting with Quinnipiac is unlike anything I’ve experienced before, and I think we have a really unique opportunity to build a pipeline and a relationship that’s going to be mutually beneficial for the long run,” said Brooke Penders, Quinnipiac director of employer relations, career and experiential learning. “Today is all about making sure that students have many opportunities to be connected to people from different areas of the company.”

The multinational company has 13,500 employees in the U.S. and 54,500 employees worldwide, with 26 research and development sites around the globe. In 2024, Boehringer Ingelheim served 66 million patients.

For students seeking a fulfilling career with a sustainable company, there is another very important statistic, said Jim Hunsicker, Boehringer Ingelheim executive director for Value and Access Solutions.

“With $22.9 billion of net sales in 2024, we invested $6.5 billion into Research and Development. Why is that important? Because when you put 23% of your revenue into R&D, it allows you to develop products for the future to be able to keep our businesses sustainable,” said Hunsicker.

Hunsicker noted the company has been privately held since its inception and is still owned by its founders, the Boehringer family.

“Our mantra is to transform lives for generations,” said Hunsicker. “Every day, we’re doing work that’s helping patients live longer, better lives and have more moments with their families and loved ones.”

Hunsicker said Boehringer Ingelheim is also focused on supporting a sustainable world and serving communities and underserved populations, in alignment with United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

The company recruits promising new employees through its Emerging Talent programs and invests in its people through a very strong internal talent development program.

“We invest in our people and help you to develop your own path, with performance goals as well as development objectives supporting goals, growth and well-being,” Hunsicker said.

At Boehringer Ingelheim, Academic Relations Program Manager Debbie Storm works closely with Hunsicker to support the company’s strategic partnership with Quinnipiac.

On November 13, Storm spoke with Bobcats about Boehringer Ingelheim’s Emerging Talent programs. She discussed internship and co-op opportunities as well as a customized leadership rotational development program for MBA/master’s graduates.

“We have opportunities across the U.S. in human pharmaceuticals and animal health as well, so there are lots of different opportunities for students,” said Storm.

Boehringer Ingelheim’s full-time and part-time co-op programs allow students to participate in a structured job experience during their spring or fall semesters.

“We have a lot of returning students who have been in two or three co-op opportunities,” said Storm.

Boehringer Ingelheim’s immersive, 90-day summer internship program runs from May to August.

“You have 40-hour work weeks, and with these opportunities, you are diving in,” said Storm. “You are getting the opportunity to work on projects, to connect and network. There are really good real-world opportunities for you.”

Abby Hamilton, ’25, MBA ’26, interned with Boehringer Ingelheim this summer. On November 13, she attended a Boehringer Ingelheim employee panel discussion, moderated by Hunsicker in the School of Business Auditorium. During the discussion’s question-and-answer period, Hamilton asked panelist Lisa Mele what the company is looking for in its interns. Mele is a director, HR Business Partner – U.S. Medicine at Boehringer Ingelheim.

“The thing that I look for, and that I think in general is really important right now, is agility. The world organizations are changing at a rapid pace. In an interview, or on your resume, your ability to adapt will stand out,” said Mele.

Beyond hard skills and qualifications, Mele said she also considers behaviors, such as collaboration and the ability to act with speed.

“Have you led any kind of project at school where you led a team? Maybe it wasn’t as successful as you hoped – how did you lead and change the dynamic of that team?” asked Mele. “Or how have you taken something from a pace that was slower than it needed to be; and how did you influence speeding that process up? And you might be a little intimidated by the fact of not having the experience in doing those things, but if you sit back and think about your journey as a student, you will be able to come up with some examples where you can show some of these behaviors.”

Mele said one of the best pieces of advice she received when entering the pharmaceutical industry was to “…be curious and ask questions."

“That is going to make you stand out, because it’s going to show you have a vested interest in being a success. You shouldn’t know all the answers. Nobody does,” said Mele.

Boehringer Ingelheim employees on the panel spoke about their diverse roles and their individual career development paths. In addition to Mele, panelists were Jenny Rudolph, associate director, Payer Access Marketing; Michael Ruffino, facility engineer; Rebecca Lombard, director, Intellectual Property and Complex Litigation, Senior Counsel II; Hilda Graves, senior associate director, Patient Engagement; and Angela McNabola, scientist IV, immunology and respiratory research.

McNabola earned her MHS in laboratory sciences at Quinnipiac (now offered as a MHS in biomedical sciences).

“The program at Quinnipiac was an awesome program that helped catapult me into not just research-based activities and jobs – I was also director of Bridgeport Hospital for a while, before coming back to the research end,” McNabola said.

McNabola has been working with the team at Boehringer Ingelheim for five years.

“We do a lot of tissue-based assays – looking specifically at cell-to-cell interactions not only in the disease, but in the healthy tissues, because understanding mechanisms of how things work in healthy tissue helps us find targets or biomarkers in disease,” McNabola said.

McNabola advised Quinnipiac students who want to stand out in the job market to continuously learn and to network.

“Further your education, whatever it is – going to a conference, or listening in – or just get yourself out there to network with people. Will you connect with me on LinkedIn later? Will you follow up in an email to me, will you remind me who you were? Will you ask to get on a Zoom call with me in two weeks, maybe to talk about your resume? That’s what makes the difference, and that’s what will set you apart moving forward. I may not be able to hire you or give you that job, but I might know of somebody or something in my career that I can do to send you toward that trajectory of what you want to do,” said McNabola.

The panel discussion was co-sponsored by QU Business Analytics Information Systems (BAIS) Society, QU Women in STEM, and QU American Society of Microbiology.

Hosted by the iQ Career & Experiential Learning Lab at Quinnipiac, Boehringer Ingelheim at QU Day brought in company representatives who spoke with classes; a “Boehringer Ingelheim and Sustainability” information table in The SITE lobby and “The Business of BioPharma” table in the School of Business lobby, and a Boehringer Ingelheim networking and information lounge in The Dome. Boehringer Ingelheim employees volunteering at the lounge met with students during drop-in hours, facilitated faculty and staff networking, and hosted a career-ready resume and interview presentation.

Provost Debra Liebowitz said Quinnipiac is thrilled with the opportunities presented by the mutually beneficial partnership with Boehringer Ingelheim.

“Boehringer Ingelheim is a multinational company that needs workforce in a pipeline that is expansive. We’re privileged to be in a situation where they have selected us as their partner in their hub in Connecticut, but also it gives our students opportunities nationally and internationally,” Liebowitz said. “It really is about identifying those places of connection, and then building from those mutual interests.”

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