Richard Jaenisch, MPH

Biography

Richard Jaenisch,MPH,known also under my pen name, Rick J. Nash, a play on my last name. In 1999, I received a then-terminal diagnosis, but in 2017, that wonderful structural formula in my cover picture is the trio of meds which finally cured my lifelong battle with HCV.

A good story isn't always about the brightest light, but it shines on the path we need to see. Since I've been able to work, storytelling has been a key aspect of my life. From when I was 19 running my own web design and marketing company and quite literally telling stories to children for another job at the same time, to five years later when I consolidated my efforts and designed stories for the children in my program. I say designed because the stories were about imparting an understanding of rules, healthy habits, and modeling emotions/solutions in a clever and memorable way. After all running an organization is always easier when there's a common goal and story which unites both consumer and coworker. While I developed my voice as a storyteller, I grew my skills further in speaking as an advocate to the hardships my family was going through. To where I am now as an inspiring advocate who helps remind people that even in the darkest night, stories shine on the path we need to see.

I am always excited to grow to the next chapter, and as an MPH, I am doing more for my community as a Lived Experience Community Rep for End Hep C San Diego, working to take the next steps in micro elimination efforts. And equally important, my role as Director of Education and Outreach at Open Biopharma, allows me to give back to the other part of the equation that kept me alive, and help bring the patient perspective into biomanufacturing training, in addition to aid in Open Biopharma's herculean goal of reducing the price of drugs, by impacting training shortages, novel therapeutics, and speed to market within biopharmaceutical manufacturing. We're excited to help biopharma and life sciences companies in-residence and in the broader industry with training or pilot-batch pre-production space!

Keeping up with advances in education, I've been following LLM tools like ChatGPT, as we do Generative AI Integration and education solutions. Co-founding Prompting Integration and Consulting LLC, PICLLC, with my Brother has been fantastic as we've helped a handful of Life Sciences and Healthcare companies advance their Gen AI/ML integration needs, ethically, as they can impact patients.