This article originally appeared in the Summer 2019 issue of Harker Magazine.
There is a whole new world in medicine, thanks to technology,” said Rupan Bose ’07. “I’ve been lucky enough to have fantastic mentors, grow up in an environment of innovation and entrepreneurship, and be surrounded by extremely successful people at Harker.”
But, of course, it’s more than just luck. Bose is driven to make an impact in the world and he’s on his way to doing that through his studies in medicine and his passion for technology.
Bose came to Harker in fifth grade and stayed through the upper school, where he served as ASB president his senior year. He appreciated how Harker emphasized the intersection between different fields and trained him to think in a very multidisciplinary way. Bose focused on science and math but learned many valuable skills through his electives and other non-STEM courses.
“These teachers taught me to look at the world from a non-scientific view. I owe a lot to them, because even in science there’s art,” said Bose, who spoke at the fountain dedication for former Harker English teacher Cheryl Cavanaugh, who died of cancer in 2007. “Dr. C knew English wasn’t my strongest subject, but she took so much time after class to help me. I was honored to give the speech; it was a monumental, vivid and emotional experience that I will carry with me forever.”
As Bose remembers his past, he also looks optimistically toward his future as he completes his residency as a doctor of internal medicine.
Bose grew up in a house filled with engineers, so it was initially a surprise to his close-knit family when he veered toward medicine instead of technology.
Bose studied neuroscience/pre-med at the University of Southern California. He then went on to pursue a master’s degree in biotechnology, with a particular interest in entrepreneurship, at the University of Pennsylvania, because he appreciated the combination of medicine, technology and business.
It was while at Penn that he started seeing that medicine could be greatly improved by technology, and his worlds of medicine and technology began to merge.
He then moved back to Los Angeles and started working at the USC Center for Body Computing, a digital health research and innovation center that is at the forefront of the intersection of medicine and technology. There, he focused on developing wearable sensors, mobile medical apps and virtual reality models for health care.
While working at the CBC, he decided that next step to pursuing his dream of changing the world through medicine and technology was to become a doctor. So he returned to USC, this time attending the medical school with a focus on internal medicine and as a part of USC’s new health, technology and engineering dual medicine-technology program.
“Rupan is a remarkable, open-minded and naturally gifted leader who inspires others to confront challenges and pursue their goals,” said Jacob Bongers ’07, who attended Harker and USC with Bose. “I remember years ago having a frank discussion about career anxiety and uncertainty. He listened intently to my concerns and offered precious advice about how the future is always uncertain, but finishing projects, tasks and degrees is such an important and valuable skill to cultivate. His words renewed my motivation to finish my Ph.D. and drove me to look to the future with confidence.” (Read Harker Magazine’s profile on Bongers in the fall/winter 2018 issue.)
Bose and Bongers forged a strong friendship during their years at Harker and then USC. As the ever-humble Bose reflects back on his time at Harker, he realizes how important and formative it was.
“Harker pulls together some of the most impressive, amazing and friendly people,” said Bose with pride. “These people are the movers and shakers who are changing our world, and I’m just lucky I got to know them.”
Vikki Bowes-Mok is also the executive director of the community nonprofit Compass Collective