Stride empowers self-employed people to build lives they love. This week, we chatted with Brett Chung, one of our Product Managers at Stride, about what sparked his interest in independent lifestyles and healthcare, his love for his favorite office dog, and what a typical day as a Product Manager at Stride looks like.

Can you introduce yourself and your position?

 I’m Brett, Product Manager for Stride Health.

What were you up to before you joined Stride?

A self proclaimed healthcare nerd, I studied Biomedical Engineering at Columbia and have an MBA in Healthcare Management from the Wharton School of University of Pennsylvania. I’ve spent my career building a diverse set of products across the healthcare spectrum.

What got you interested in healthcare and digital health?

When I was in high school, my dad was diagnosed with a rare form of prostate cancer. The National Institute of Health was running an experimental trial with an innovative radiation therapy treatment. They were able to eliminate his cancer, and he was in remission for 10 years. This is what sparked my interest in biotechnology and healthcare. At first I wanted to be a doctor, but I landed in biotech when I realized I could help millions of people with cutting edge technology.

I quickly realized that it takes 10+ years and billions of dollars to get to market, so I went back to get an MBA. I was determined to learn about other ways I could help people with their health through products that can be built faster, cheaper, and at the same scale. In digital health, you can spend as little as a few days developing code for a product that can help millions of people at a fraction of the cost of a biotech investment.

What does a typical day at the office look like for you?

There is no typical day at the office! As Product Manager, my primary responsibility is to do whatever needs to be done to build a product and put it in the hands of our members. I conduct research with our members, gather user feedback from our Member Experience team, review mockups with the Design team, work through technical challenges with Engineering, collaborate market strategies with our Growth team and pitch ideas to upper management (just to name a few!) No day is complete without playing with our office dogs, though!

Why do you think the work you do is so important?

Some of the most complex decisions we make in our lives surround health and financial well-being. At Stride, I strive to build simple products that give self-employed people financial security so they can focus on their passions.

Who’s your favorite office dog?

Armin van Shiba. He’s 5 years old, and he’s named after a famous DJ, Armin van Buuren! Every year for his birthday, we celebrate by letting him eat McDonald’s chicken nuggets. I got Armin before I went back to grad school. If you’re going to make a lot of big life decisions, you might as well do them all at once, right?!