Michael Rich
Digital Wellness Lab
Boston, MA USA
"If you think about it, a lot of medicine is storytelling and story-listening, too."
Career Roadmap
Michael's work combines: Science, Medicine, and Helping People
See more careers and stories that connect to your interests.
Take Roadmap Quiz
Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Here's the path I took:
High School
Bachelor's Degree
English Language and Literature, General
Pomona College
Bachelor's Degree
Film Studies
Pomona College
Doctorate
Medicine
Harvard Medical School
Graduate Degree
Public Administration
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Life & Career Milestones
My path in life took a while to figure out
1.
I originally chased creativity, studying writing and dreaming of storytelling rather than medicine.
2.
I spent 12 years in the film industry and even worked in Japan as an apprentice to legendary director Akira Kurosawa.
3.
Returning to Hollywood, I felt disillusioned and realized filmmaking wasn’t the path that fulfilled me.
4.
During what felt like an early midlife crisis, I returned to school to complete my pre-med requirements and discovered I loved science.
5.
On my first day at Harvard Medical School, surrounded by brilliant scientists, I wondered if I truly belonged.
6.
I realized medicine, like storytelling, lets me connect deeply with people and understand the human condition.
7.
During pediatric training, I began studying how television and screens affect children’s health and development.
8.
Now I lead the Digital Wellness Lab at Boston Children’s Hospital, helping young people build healthier relationships with media.
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Myself:
Maybe I don't belong in medical school.
How I responded:
On my first day of medical school, I was surrounded by really brilliant scientists while my background was in film. It felt very much like a computer error that I was there. But I realized that science and medicine are about storytelling too. Once I made that connection, my background seemed much more like a direct through line into medicine.