The Department of Internal Medicine at Yale School of Medicine is among the nation's premier departments, bringing together an elite cadre of clinicians, investigators, educators, and staff in one of the world's top medical schools. To learn more, visit Internal Medicine.
Q+A
Meet Sel Cheng, Program Manager
What is your role in the Department of Internal Medicine?
I oversee space from wet and dry labs to support, clinical, and admin spaces as well as equipment management and everything in between for sections across the department, VA, and off-site clinic locations. I also manage end-to-end operations for shared core facilities like autoclave and glasswasher rooms, darkrooms, and a freezer farm, supporting a high-volume user base across multiple departments.
How did you become interested in your line of work?
It actually started when an opportunity opened under a leader I admired professionally and wanted to learn from. Even though her path changed shortly after, the role turned out to be a good fit for me since I enjoy data analysis, logistics, creative problem solving, and working with a diverse group of people every day.
What is the most rewarding part of your career?
Serving as the operational link between central teams like space planning, facilities, finance, the controller’s office and EHS and our business office, PIs, labs and research groups. Knowing that my work keeps everyone aligned and supported is the most rewarding part.
What is a fun fact about you?
I’m a huge animal lover. In my free time, I do rescue and TNR work, and I share my home with cats, a dog, and a guinea pig.
Tell us one piece of advice you will never forget.
Stay flexible. When managing space, equipment, and core facilities, the only constant is change, so pivot with a smile.