Written by RTC member, Victoria Lam
In April, I had the chance to take part in the GSK Hackathon as part of Rewriting the Code , and honestly, it was such a great time. From meeting the GSK team to collaborating with other RTC members, the experience was fun, inspiring, and a solid learning curve.
As team captain, I worked with the brilliant Blessings and Zaynah on our project, which was to build an AI medication search and drug interaction platform. Our goal was to create a pilot/prototype of a tool that could potentially help people safely and confidently understand the medicines they’re taking. We designed it to be accessible, user-friendly, and genuinely useful for a wide range of people, including the elderly and those managing multiple prescriptions.
Building this project on Google Cloud Platform was a learning experience in itself, especially with figuring out deployment tools. It was definitely a challenge, but super rewarding once things started clicking. The project really pushed us to work across multiple tools quickly, great practice for anyone wanting to level up in cloud-based development or AI integration.
The GSK Onyx team was incredible—not only were they working on truly innovative health tech, but their vibe was immaculate. Super friendly, down-to-earth, and always ready with a joke. It was refreshing to see a team that takes their work seriously but doesn’t take themselves too seriously.
Behind the humour, it was clear they were building things that matter. If you’re interested in pharma, health tech, or data science, GSK seems like a genuinely good place to be, especially if you want your work to make a meaningful difference in people’s lives.
All in all, the experience was incredible. Hackathons like this are a fantastic way to grow your portfolio, especially if you’re early in your tech journey or still building up industry experience. They give you the chance to collaborate, tackle real-world problems, and learn by doing in a fast-paced, supportive environment. Even if you’re just starting, it’s the perfect opportunity to build something from the ground up and walk away with a project you’re proud to showcase.
The whole experience reminded me why I love building things with impact. Can’t wait for the next one!