Cardinal Health reports on the success, diversity of its 2021 summer internship program
Cardinal Health is highlighting its internship program and its ability to help the healthcare distribution company identify its future employees and strengthen its workforce diversity.
"We are always seeking top talent and new ideas to move our company forward,” said Brian Moore, Cardinal Health’s vice president of global talent acquisition. “Our internship program connects high-potential college and MBA students with engaged teams across our businesses. As interns, the students can develop their skills and prepare for full-time positions. The combination of new, young talent with experienced professionals sparks new ideas, new conversations and innovation – all key to our ability to deliver the healthcare products and solutions that improve people’s lives every day.”
The 2021 internship class of nearly 100 undergraduates and six MBA students was the most diverse in the program’s history: 64% of the interns were women, and 60% were ethnically diverse. The class also included interns outside of the United States for the first time, with students joining the company’s facilities in Ireland, Mexico and Thailand.
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The interns were imbedded with teams in 14 different departments across the organization, including finance, human resources, information technology, logistics, strategy, analytics, supply chain, manufacturing and marketing.
“Every year, our class of interns brings fresh perspectives and new energy to the company,” said Ashley Manning, manager of college relations and manager of the Cardinal Health Internship Program. “We match bright talent with high-impact opportunities; students have opportunities to build skills and begin making an impact on the future of healthcare. Our internship program is a win-win, for the students, and for Cardinal Health.”
In addition to working within their assigned departments, students participated in specialized programming throughout the summer, designed to provide them with access to senior executives, networking opportunities, professional development and community service projects.
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Toward the end of the program, students honed their presentation skills as they prepared and delivered an end-of-experience overview to their team and business leaders. Finally, before leaving to return to school to complete their degrees, each intern had the opportunity to interview for a full-time position at the company.
“Over 50 years, Cardinal Health grew into a global leader in healthcare services, focused on growth innovation and technology,” Moore said. “Our internship program helps us identify the next generation of leaders who will carry our company into the next 50 years.”
The following there 2021 interns will be joining Cardinal Health full time in 2022:
- Gcinile Shongwe, marketing intern — Throughout her internship, Gcinile Shongwe worked with the business support services marketing team for OptiFreight Logistics;
- Julia Coniglio, medical segment supply chain intern — Now a senior at the University of South Carolina in Columbia, S.C., Coniglio interned at a Cardinal Health medical distribution facility in Baltimore, Md., where she collaborated on process improvement projects; and
- Christian Castilla, MBA intern, corporate strategy — Castilla was one of six MBA interns at Cardinal Health this year, focused on helping expand the company’s customer-centric strategy.