Jacquel Prazych | Territory Manager, Immersive Healthcare | Joined Penumbra in 2020 | Philadelphia Area
Q. What is your current role at Penumbra?
I am a Territory Manager working with the REAL® Immersive System Platform. As a Territory Manager, I oversee the business development and sales of the REAL Immersive System Platform, which helps engage and motivate patients along their recovery journey. I use my clinical background as an occupational therapist to educate healthcare administrators and therapists on the benefits of virtual reality (VR) for rehabilitation with various patient populations.
Q. What aspects of your job do you enjoy most?
I love being able to introduce therapists to a fun and innovative way to address their patients’ impairments. As a clinician, I know how difficult it is to motivate some patients and get them to actively engage in their therapy, so providing a tool that will help make a therapist’s job easier is motivating to me. I also love being able to introduce people to VR, a lot of times, for the first time. Seeing how amazed they are is exciting and fulfilling.
Q. If you did not pursue your current career, what do you see yourself doing professionally?
If I was not in my current career, I would love to be a physical education teacher. I currently coach soccer to kiddos that are 18 months to 8 years old and it is so fulfilling being able to help children learn valuable lessons about life, celebrate their achievements, and work through adversity, all while helping to develop a child’s self confidence that they will carry with them for the rest of their lives. Imagining working with even more children daily is inspiring to me.
Q. Describe yourself at age 10. What career aspirations did you have at that age?
When I was 10, I wanted to be a morning radio host! I would wake up every morning at 6:00 and listen to morning radio, thinking about how much fun it would be to get paid to talk about your life, share your opinions, and connect with a variety of people. Although I’m not on the radio, being in sales has been a great avenue to meet with and connect with a variety of individuals who I otherwise wouldn’t have had the opportunity to meet and fulfills part of what I was looking for as a morning radio host!
Q. Describe a travel adventure that you’ll never forget.
My trip to Italy for my honeymoon was a trip I’ll never forget. Between the delicious food and wine, boat trips, country views, and enjoying time with my husband, I will always have a desire to go back and create even more memories!
Q. What professional development work have you pursued recently? How has it helped you do your work?
I have been eager to learn more about how to effectively lead a team, refine my effective communication skills, and learn how to build a culture of trust amongst teams. Because of my interests, I have recently started a Women in Leadership Book Club with the REAL team, to come together to read, learn, and share our experiences to help us all in our professional and personal lives. I have loved getting to know my colleagues on another level.
One of the books that we have read is Dare to Lead by Brene Brown. The overarching theme is leading with vulnerability. My favorite message from the book is “Clear is kind. Unclear is unkind.” Of course, I’m striving to be clear. That is how I am choosing to lead!
