Early on in this project, a close friend told me that he hoped I'd interview Ana-Claire Meyer. Now I know why. Take a listen, and you will, too.

AC's professional and personal journeys are marked by curiosity, humility, and an eagerness to tackle big problems. After graduating from Amherst College, she held a variety of different jobs, but HIV test counseling piqued her interest enough to propel her to medical school. She studied neuroinfectious diseases, earned a Fulbright scholarship that took her to Kenya, and then joined the U.S. Army as an army civilian, becoming a senior clinical advisor for medical research and material command. It was in that role that she helped shape the Army's Covid-19 pandemic response. Today, she's senior medical director for Denali Therapeutics, a company that's focused on defeating neurodegenerative diseases.

In this episode, we talk about:

How testing patients for HIV in the mid-'90s led AC to pursue medicine

What she learned while helping lead medical preparedness and innovation at the U.S. Army during Covid-19

Why she still hasn’t found her destination professionally, and why that’s not a bad thing

The role Amherst played in shaping her journey—and the faculty members who showed up for her at just the right time

The classmates she hopes I’ll interview next

To get in touch with Ana-Claire, find her on Link