Lifelong Learner With a bachelor’s in biochemistry, Cheryl Hergert planned to attend graduate school when marriage took her down the path of raising four children. Years later, after spending 10 years as a stay-athome mom, earning her master’s degree in public health, and building a successful career in the medical device and pharmaceutical industry, she decided to finally pursue her dream degree: a doctorate of regulatory science (DRSc) at the USC School of Pharmacy. Still, even with 25 years of experience in clinical research and being cheered on by her now-grown kids, Hergert was nervous about going back to school. She need not have been. Hergert’s application to the program sparked a memory in Frances J. Richmond, who launched the school’s pioneering Department of Regulatory and Quality Sciences and now heads the D. K. Kim International Center for Regulatory Science housed within it. Hergert had impressed Richmond when they met at a USC regulatory science seminar in 2008—the same year that Richmond established the nation’s firstever doctorate in the field. Even before she set foot on campus to begin her DRSc, Hergert knew she had made the right decision. The department, along with the D. K. Kim International Center, globalizes educational and research opportunities in the regulation and management of healthcare products. Meanwhile, the DRSc is designed to accommodate the schedules of busy professionals—and, as clinical quality program manager for Medtronic, a worldwide healthcare technology company, Hergert definitely fits that category. “She has a wide range of job experiences—from clinical to medical devices to drugs—that provide a fairly broad base so that she can rise in the system,” Richmond says of Hergert. “The doctoral education will be advantageous to her.” Dividing her time between studying and her complex professional duties, Hergert still finds the energy to serve as secretary for the school’s Student Committee for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Through the committee, she helps address such issues as educational affordability for working mothers and low-income students who must provide for themselves and their families while pursuing their degrees and goals. “Women—especially those with children—are more likely to have a difficult time being active members of the workforce or returning to school
due to familial obligations,” Hergert notes, speaking from personal experience. “I want them to feel empowered and supported to go after their dreams and be confident in knowing that their goals are attainable. My children recognized the power of education, especially when their father had left and we were on welfare. It was because of my education that we were able to move forward and get ourselves into a better financial situation.” Hergert also serves as a role model to her fellow students. “You always learn something new when you talk to Cheryl,” says Becky Le, MS ’21. “That’s the
best type of classmate you can have. We definitely need more Cheryls in the industry.” Set to complete her degree in May 2022, Hergert plans to use her DRSc to advance her leadership roles at Medtronic. She has already benefited from knowledge that she immediately applied to her current job. Yet no matter how high her career rises, she knows her education will always continue. “If we stop learning, we will become obsolete in society and within our own lives,” Hergert says.
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