WEST Wisdom Blog

Innovation and all the benefits that stem from it, are correlated to board diversity. Regardless of whether you’re planning to join a board, you should be aware of where organizations that impact your life sit on the spectrum of board diversity. 

Check out some of the best infographics in the Missing Pieces Report: The 2018 Board Diversity Census of Women and Minorities on Fortune 500 Boards. Download the complete report, a multiyear collaboration by the Alliance for Board Diversity and Deloitte here.

Topics: Women, Community, Networking, Women in STEM, Connect, Career, Science, Biotech, Leaders, Events, Network, Own It, Impact, Professional, Upcoming Events, Cambridge, Board of Directors, Innovation, Panel, Diversity

Join WESTorg at Takeda on Wednesday, January 23, 2019, for the #WESTawards to honor individuals in the Boston science and technology community that embody WEST’s 2018-2019 theme, ‘Own It: Empowering Your Career & Your Life’. 

WEST is a learning community that provides women in the enterprise of science and technology with the inspiration, knowledge and connections to reach their full potential. Please join #WESTorg and our sponsors, Takeda, Johnson & Johnson and Safety Partners at Takeda’s Cambridge offices for the 2019 #WESTawards and Networking Night to honor individuals in Boston’s STEM community who embody WEST’s mission and our ‘Own It’ theme in their service of inclusivity and empowerment in STEM and STEM initiatives that benefit the community at large.

Topics: Women, Community, Networking, Women in STEM, Connect, Career, Science, Biotech, Interview, Leaders, Advocate, Compensation, Events, Network, Awards, Sponsor, Own It, Impact, Support, Strengths, Volunteer, Making a Difference, Role Models, Inspiration, Rockstars, Professional, Upcoming Events, Inspire, Giving Back, Success, Cambridge

It was an early October WEST event. Dr. Amy Rebecca Gay had just started her presentation on self-advocacy and negotiating-while-womaning. I wasn’t expecting the rip tide surge of emotion. It barely touched the surface, but it took the room underwater with a collective two-beat sigh, an almost visible miasma of bang-your-head-against-the-wall frustration. Dr. Gay had just explained Dr. Hannah Riley Bowles’ observation that women pay a ‘social cost’ for effectively negotiating for themselves even when the same exact behaviors and outcomes earn men respect and a social capital bonus. Insert two-beat sigh here. Innnnn, and oooooout.  

Topics: Women, Community, Networking, Women in STEM, Connect, Career, Science, Biotech, Interview, Leaders, negotiation, Advocate, Career Development, Compensation, Gender Pay Gap, Interactive, Events

Meena Subramanyam was born a scientist – for as long as she remembers, she was always interested in math, biology and how nature works. She aligned her coursework at school to ensure that she attended as many science classes as she could, and then pursued a degree in microbiology, with a focus on human anatomy, immunology and physiology in college which prepared her for pursuing a career in applied research. She focused on understanding the development of resistance to tuberculosis drugs for her Master’s thesis and shifted to studying the response of the immune system at the molecular level when she came to the USA to continue her graduate studies. From there, hard work, focus, a desire to learn about drug development and commitment to make a meaningful difference drove an impressive career and her current position as a VP and Global Program leader at Takeda.

Topics: Women, Community, Networking, Women in STEM, Connect, Career, Science, Biotech, Interview, Leaders

Ros Deegan, President and CBO of Bicycle Therapeutics, sat down with WEST to discuss her insights on twenty years working in the enterprise-side of pharmaceuticals and biotech as an avowed generalist.

Topics: Women, Community, Networking, Women in STEM, Connect, Career, Science, Biotech, Interview, Leaders

For me, holiday networking is a bit easier because it’s both energized and relaxed. Like holiday light displays, there’s a practical core: light the longest nights of year—build the network. But—pun alert–there’s fun in the function: those glowing colors and twinkling patterns distract me from the cold, dark walk from the office to the T station.

Topics: Events, Women, Community, Upcoming Events, Networking, Women in STEM, Connect, Career, Science, Tech, Biotech, Own It, Holiday Party

You look back on the year and you nailed it. All of it. You checked every box and made every milestone. Graduated with honors. Got that dream job. Finally took that vacation paid for with the raise that came with your promotion. So why does it seem like you forgot something? Like the puzzle is missing a piece?

Topics: Events, Women, Community, Upcoming Events, Networking, Women in STEM, Connect, Career, Career Development, Science, Tech, Interactive, Biotech, Own It, Learn, Workshop, Cambridge, Success, Strengths, Values

Just as leadership is a role best executed by personal example, in The Speed of Trust, Stephen M.R. Covey explains that the foundation of trust is personal credibility, which Covey describes as the product of “Four Cores”:

• Integrity: Do your actions align with your values?
• Intents: What’s your agenda? Are you thinking about your year-end bonus or your team’s long-term success in the context of your organization’s mission?
• Capabilities: As important as what you know and how you do it, is your ability to accurately gauge your competencies and execute accordingly.
• Results: Listed last, but this really comes before everything. This is the track record that proves a person worthy of that initial trust that gets things moving.

Topics: Events, Women, Community, Upcoming Events, Networking, Women in STEM, Connect, Career, Career Development, Science, Tech, Interactive, Biotech, Own It, Trust, Team, Learn, Influence Without Authority, Workshop

For most of us, this is a question about long-term goals and working environment preferences. Combining an MBA with your STEM skills would prove valuable in situations that require leaders who can wear many hats—lab managers, project team leaders, entrepreneurs or anyone at a startup.

Topics: Events, Women, Community, Upcoming Events, Networking, Women in STEM, Career, Career Development, Science, Tech, Self-Reflection, MBA, Career Path, Leadership, Panel

We are all biased – it is a basic human trait necessary for survival so that we recognize our tribe, our peeps, and avoid the enemy. However unchecked and unconscious bias creates unfair judgements and endemic prejudice stifling opportunities for both individuals and organizations.

Unconscious or implicit bias is at play when we evaluate people and situations using our instincts developed after years of stereotyping learned from and reinforced by the society around us. When we see the color of someone’s skin, hear their voice and accent, or observe their gestures, for example, our minds quickly seek to make sense of it all by slotting them into specific profiles or roles. We have all made those mistakes!

Topics: Events, Women, Community, Upcoming Events, Networking, Women in STEM, Connect, Career, Career Development, Science, Tech, Interactive, Biotech, Own It, Bias, Stereotypes, Inclusion, Self-Reflection