itrek Leader Spotlight:
Yael Stern, Harvard 2017

The itrek Leader Network

April 21, 2020

Our itrek leaders hail from the world’s leading MBA, Law, Policy, and STEM programs. In our Spotlight series, we speak with itrek Leaders about the impact itrek made on them, how they stay connected with friends from the trip, and where their career path since itrek has taken them.

Name: Yael Stern

School: Harvard Kennedy School 2017

Current Location: Tel Aviv

Job: Co-Founder at PainPal

Dates of itreks: 2016 and 2017

For Yael, the key to success is resilience. When challenges present themselves–whether that’s leading hundreds of peers on their first visit to Israel or running a startup during the COVID-19 pandemic–Yael strives to be flexible, adapt and innovate.

While at Harvard Kennedy School, Yael was co-chair of the Israel Caucus and helped bring 250 students to Israel on itreks in 2016 and 2017. Together with her co-chair Gal Lin and the other trek leaders, Yael helped grow the itrek program at Harvard’s Kennedy School 3 fold.

A native Israeli, Yael is entrepreneurial by nature. Her current venture, PainPal, is a science-based behavioral health company that aims to transform the way chronic pain is treated. PainPal was inspired by Yael’s own 15-year battle with chronic lower back pain, following a spinal injury, two surgeries, and a difficult re-injury two years ago shortly after graduating from the Kennedy School. “Within a day, I went from being a new graduate and entrepreneur to someone completely debilitated by pain. I was unable to function,” she says. “I spent an entire year visiting doctor after doctor, but no one could find a solution.”

Yael turned to market research to find a solution, looking at the role of the nervous system in creating pain. Yael shared, “When we experience pain for months at a time, our nervous system learns that pain and continues transmitting it, even if the pain trigger has been resolved. I learned about cognitive behavior therapy for chronic pain (CBT-CP) which shows how we can retrain our brain to decrease our sensitivity and change our relationship with pain.”

Yael knew she wasn’t alone. “I knew chronic pain wasn’t only my problem. 1 in 5 people worldwide suffer from chronic pain, which disrupts their daily life. 77% of people become depressed and 50% feel they have no control over their life.”

PainPal leverages cutting-edge neuroscience research to empower people with chronic pain to adopt behaviors proven to reduce pain and increase functioning. The app uses AI to personalize and gamify behavior change programs tailored to each user, with a focus on long-term pain management success. PainPal connects users with cognitive behavioral therapists who specialize in treating chronic pain anytime, anywhere.

“In the United States, there are 5.6 million internet searches about pain every day, the majority of them are between 4-6 a.m. Users can text anytime and know that there’s someone on the other end of the line.”

The qualities that made Yael a great itrek leader now serve her well as a startup cofounder. In both scenarios, Yael has to be flexible, rely on her network for support, and work collaboratively with a team. “Like leading an itrek, half the fun is the team you work with and going through the experience together.”

Yael’s itrek Leadership team has helped fuel PainPal’s growth, as well. Friends from the itrek Network have connected PainPal with U.S. healthcare partners and with MassChallenge, an innovation accelerator headquartered in the U.S. with locations around the globe.

For Yael, the current COVID-19 pandemic has reiterated the need for a solution like PainPal. “People today are lonelier and more alone. Those with chronic pain, who are often also part of at-risk populations, need this help even more.”

With all the challenges of the current health pandemic, Yael is hopeful that our experience with Coronavirus will force all to innovate and improve our systems. “When we resume normal life, we will have more tools to improve healthcare, education, and the workforce. It’s just like what participants learn on the treks: Israel is a small country with challenging circumstances. But challenge and necessity are the most fertile grounds for innovation.”

Connect with Yael on LinkedIn, learn more about PainPal, and read her latest article about hope during COVID-19 here.