WEST Wisdom Blog

Change is constant in the industry, so it is necessary to be constantly thinking about your development. Are you facing a career transition or considering your next career move? Are you in a role that is no longer a good fit for you? Are you feeling stagnant in a role with no clear path for growth, but afraid to take the leap? Are you challenged by how best to present yourself in virtual interviews? Or, have you just been laid off, and worried about how to begin a new job hunt in the current remote work environment? You are not alone. 

Topics: Transitions, Career, Success, Job, Culture, Women in STEM, Upcoming Events, Biotech, Interactive, Change, Career Possibilities, #WESTevent, #WESTorg, Hiring

We all have the power to create change, and there is more we can accomplish together than on our own. Together, we can push for organizational change that will echo through all levels of the systems that were created on a foundation of inequality. WEST is hosting Organizational Change to Achieve Equity with YW Boston on 2/18 to demonstrate to the WEST community how we can use our positions to create organizational change. Sheera Bornstein, Director of Partnerships at YW Boston, will be facilitating this workshop. She works to improve workplace inclusivity, and is passionate about social justice and antiracism work.

Topics: Women in STEM, Upcoming Events, Interactive, Change, Developing Your Skills, Impact, Learn, Inclusion, #WESTevent, #WESTorg, Equity, Identity, Organizational Change

Facebook, Whatsapp, Slack, Zoom, Teams, Instagram, emails, and all the other communication systems that I am forgetting to list right now. In today’s world we constantly communicate with others. The question is: do we actually connect with them? And, what does it mean to connect with others?

For Kemi Sorinmade -leadership trainer, coach, and owner of the Growth Studio- to connect means to be able to build a common ground and to be on the same page with your audience. This building process might often need some time and effort: if we want to connect, we need to take an extra step in exploring the other person’s world. In this exploration, we need to bring with us curiosity, interest, and empathy. These tools will help us unlock a safe common space, in which we will be willing to share, trust, and open up with each other.

Topics: Leadership, Women, Career, Communication, Women in STEM, Upcoming Events, Interactive, Developing Your Skills, Impact, Learn, #WESTevent, #WESTorg

Jo Viney is the President, Co-founder, and Chief Scientific Officer of Pandion Therapeutics. She is a prominent figure in the field of autoimmunity, and a past board member of WEST. She served as the WEST board’s president from 2016 - 2017, and she continues her affiliation with our organization as an active “Friend of WEST” sponsor. She is no stranger when it comes to supporting and inspiring women in the field of STEM. I recently sat down with Jo (virtually), where we talked about her journey. Her smile was infectious, and her journey struck a chord with me.

Topics: Leadership, Science, Transitions, Career, Community, Giving Back, Interview, Women in STEM, Member Spotlight, Biotech, Rockstars, Inspiration, Role Models, Leaders, Impact, Career Development, Mentor, Advice, Advocate, #WESTorg

WEST is kicking off its Career Possibilities Series with New Commercial Strategy, Product Planning, and Marketing on 1/20. There will be many topics discussed during the series. In a world where career structures are rapidly evolving, people in the workforce need to have the mindset to be prepared for what their careers could look like. This event series was created to prepare early and mid-career people for the future and give them the tools to be successful.

Topics: Leadership, Women, Career, Panel, Women in STEM, Upcoming Events, Interactive, Career Path, Career Development, Career Possibilities, #WESTevent, #WESTorg

Dr. Irene Ghobrial is a Professor of Medicine at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute at Harvard Medical School. She is also the Lavine Family Chair of Preventative Cancer Therapies. Dr. Ghobrial received her M.D. from Cairo University in 1995. She trained as a medical oncology fellow and became an Instructor in Medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota from 2001 to 2005.

Topics: Leadership, Science, Career, Community, Interview, Resilience, Women in STEM, Member Spotlight, Rockstars, Inspiration, Role Models, Leaders, Impact, Career Development, Advocate, #WESTorg

 

Anna Barnacka is the CEO and Founder at MindMics. She earned her Master’s in Physics in 2008 and two PhDs in Physics and Astronomy in 2013. Anna worked as a NASA Einstein Fellow at Harvard University from 2015-2018 and focused on turning galaxies into high resolution telescopes. In May 2018, she founded her own company because Anna was interested in applying her knowledge from previous experiences on research on the human body.

Topics: Leadership, Science, Career, Community, Interview, Resilience, Women in STEM, Member Spotlight, Rockstars, Inspiration, Role Models, Leaders, Impact, Career Development, Advocate, #WESTorg

This webinar, led by Clara Angelina Diaz, will help you focus on your goals for the upcoming year and create an actionable plan to accomplish these goals. This begins with focusing on your life’s mission, purpose, goals, plans, values, and career. Creating a vision statement allows you to have a clear idea about how you want to improve each aspect of your life.

Topics: Leadership, Women, Women in STEM, Upcoming Events, Interactive, Vision, Developing Your Skills, Values, #WESTevent, #WESTorg, Webinar, goals, Purpose

Being able to communicate, and to do it effectively, is probably the most important of all life skills. As human beings and social animals we urge to communicate to others, as this enables us to pass information, to understand, and to be understood. While this is a very natural process, communication skills may take a lifetime to master and nobody would argue against the fact that we can all become better at this, at any point.

Topics: Leadership, Women, Women in STEM, Upcoming Events, Relationships, Interactive, Developing Your Skills, Empathy, #WESTevent, #WESTorg, Webinar

Leadership is a big responsibility, and connecting with the people we lead is essential for success. Empathy helps leaders create stronger connections, especially now during the Pandemic. People are going through their own struggles during this Pandemic, and we now have a window into our coworkers’ lives while working remotely. In a time when we are isolated from others, we need to connect with people in every way we can. All of us are going through the same crisis together and this allows us to support and lean on one another.

Topics: Leadership, Women, Women in STEM, Upcoming Events, Relationships, Interactive, Developing Your Skills, Empathy, #WESTevent, #WESTorg, Webinar