On January 11th, WEST held “The Journey Starts Now: Q&A Sessions With Women in STEM and What You Can Do Starting in High School,” a guest speaker panel moderated by Suhanee Mitragotri (Harvard College 2025. During this event, we had the pleasure of hearing from three incredible speakers: Dr. Cristina Almansa, Dr. Ambika Bajpayee, and Dr. Lesley Chan. Dr. Almansa is the Head of Clinical Sciences, Translational Medicine Immunology at Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson. She is leading a team of scientists responsible for the design and execution of early development trials to evaluate the safety and determine the mechanism of action of new molecular entities for the treatment of patients with immunological disorders. Dr. Bajpayee is a professor of bioengineering at Northeastern University. Her lab is focused on nanomedicine and bioelectrics designed for delivery of small-molecule drugs, antibodies, and genetic materials to tissue. Dr. Chan is the Senior Director of Process Sciences and Innovations at bluebird bio. She drives initiatives for implementing new manufacturing processes in gene-modified stem and progenitor cell therapy.
On January 11th, WEST held “The Journey Starts Now: Q&A Sessions With Women in STEM and What You Can Do Starting in High School,” a guest speaker panel moderated by Suhanee Mitragotri (Harvard College 2025. During this event, we had the pleasure of hearing from three incredible speakers: Dr. Cristina Almansa, Dr. Ambika Bajpayee, and Dr. Lesley Chan. Dr. Almansa is the Head of Clinical Sciences, Translational Medicine Immunology at Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson. She is leading a team of scientists responsible for the design and execution of early development trials to evaluate the safety and determine the mechanism of action of new molecular entities for the treatment of patients with immunological disorders. Dr. Bajpayee is a professor of bioengineering at Northeastern University. Her lab is focused on nanomedicine and bioelectrics designed for delivery of small-molecule drugs, antibodies, and genetic materials to tissue. Dr. Chan is the Senior Director of Process Sciences and Innovations at bluebird bio. She drives initiatives for implementing new manufacturing processes in gene-modified stem and progenitor cell therapy.
It was wonderful to hear from these speakers about their career path to where they are now, all of them noting that their path was quite unexpected and that they entered careers that were different from what they originally thought they wanted to do. Often, in the field of STEM, there are so many opportunities that you may not know about until you fully explore all the possibilities, and that’s what happened for our guest speakers. When asked about what skills they feel are most valued in their career, all of them had a similar response: people skills. They noted that no matter how incredible one’s work is or how academically successful they have been, if they lack the ability to work with others and build connections, any career in STEM is difficult. They noted that these people skills are something that are not explicitly taught in class, but they are gained through internship experience and being part of student organizations during college where teamwork is required.
They all noted that they were interested in STEM starting in high school, but didn’t know exactly what they wanted to do, which is how many of the high schoolers in the audience felt as well. The speakers explained that there are so many opportunities for high school students to get a feel for a career in STEM, whether that is through an internship in a biotechnology company or working in a research lab. These kinds of opportunities are growing in number as younger students are getting more involved in STEM activities and organizations at an earlier age. What this means for high school students is that you are never too young to start. Look for opportunities to explore what you are interested in and continue to attend more events like these to meet professionals in these fields that can offer you such opportunities. And most importantly, remember to keep your options open. Our guest speakers have ended up in amazing positions where they have found incredible job satisfaction, but it may not have been what they originally intended to do. They kept their options open, explored the possibilities to the fullest, talked to people who were leaders in their fields, and found their true passion, which is where they are today.