WEST Wisdom Blog

In 1920, women earned the right to vote. In 1963,
congress passed the Equal Pay Act of 1963, protecting women from being paid a lower rate than men for substantially similar work. As part of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, it became illegal to discriminate in employment based on race, sex, color, religion, and national origin. It’s now 2023 and women have been making progress towards equality in the workplace for over 100 years now. While there’s still room for major improvements, women have come a long way in the workplace. 

Topics: Gender Balance, STEM, STEM, Gender Balance, Women, Career, Women in STEM, Annual Theme, Equal Pay, Change, Making a Difference, Gender Pay Gap, Challenges, Career Development, Organizational Culture, D&I, Gender Parity, Equity, Organizational Change, STEM Women, STEM Leadership, Female Representation STEM, Hiring Women in STEM, International Women's Day, Women's History Month, Strong Women, Strong World

“Third or nothing! Third or nothing!” This is the motto of students in the Puffs, a parody play of the Harry Potter series, told from the perspective of some spectacularly untalented student wizards. The Puffs are one of four houses (the other three are the Brave, Smart, and Snake houses) vying for points in the annual house competition at a certain Magical Academy. Every year, the Puffs place last in the house cup competition, but this year, they are determined to place “Third or nothing!”

Topics: Work Life Balance, Annual Theme, Upcoming Events, Change, Learn, Self-Reflection, #WESTorg, Grow, goals, Strategies

On December 9, 2021 at 6:15 p.m., WEST is hosting a free panel discussion to help answer questions like, "what does it mean to be 'the science type'?" and, "how can you recognize your strengths and interests?" Whether you're in high school and beginning to think about your college and career options or an adult pursuing your career as a scientist, this discussion of learning, recognizing your talents, handling adversity, and helping others pursue their own talents will have something for you. You can sign up to join the discussion on WEST's website.

Topics: Gender Balance, STEM, Gender Balance, Women, Science, Career, Community, Mentoring, Success, Inspire, Women in STEM, Upcoming Events, Innovation, Professional, Discussion, Resources, Interactive, Change, Making a Difference, Tools, Inspiration, Career Path, Leading Ourselves, Self-Awareness, Empathy, Focus, Insight, Personal Branding, Strengths, Values, Support, Storytelling, Impact, Career Development, Own It, Empowerment, Mentor, Learn, Outreach, Advocate, Stereotypes, Inclusion, Self-Reflection, Diversity, #WESTevent, Voice, #WESTorg, D&I, Gender Parity, Webinar, Personality, Grow, goals, Equity, STEM Women, Female Representation STEM

By now you may have heard about the great resignation but if you haven’t it’s the shift from an employer’s market to a candidate’s market and there are now more jobs than there are people to fill them. Companies are especially struggling to attract and retain female employees and this is especially concerning in the STEM fields where womxn are already grossly underrepresented. This blog post attempts to outline what womxn are looking for in a post-pandemic world and how companies can modify their policies to recruit, mentor, retain and promote top talent while addressing burnout and supporting women who are still feeling the effects of the pandemic.  

Topics: Best Practices, Leadership, Women, Career, Awards, Community, Resilience, Mentoring, Success, Women in STEM, Professional, Resources, Change, Tools, Empathy, Values, Support, Leaders, Impact, Career Development, Learn, #WESTorg, STEM Women, Retaining Talent, STEM Leadership, Female Representation STEM, Hiring Women in STEM

Join WEST and Ipsen on Tuesday, October 5th for a panel discussion, “How to Be Inclusive when Differences are Less Visible.” Cristina Almansa, the Head of Clinical Development and Medical Scientific Affairs at Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, will moderate this conversation with panelists who have broad and deep experience advocating for themselves and others in a variety of professional contexts. Stacey Brewer, Senior Oncology Educator at Ipsen and Paula Cobb, CBO at Affinia Therapeutics will share insights on how to be inclusive of less visible differences. You can sign up to attend the panel and other upcoming WEST events here on the WEST website. 

Topics: Best Practices, Leadership, Women, Career, Community, Resilience, Success, Women in STEM, Upcoming Events, Professional, Discussion, Resources, Interactive, Change, Making a Difference, Tools, Leading Ourselves, Empathy, Focus, Insight, Values, Support, Leaders, Impact, Career Development, Empowerment, Learn, Advocate, Inclusion, Diversity, #WESTevent, Voice, #WESTorg, D&I, Gender Parity, Webinar, goals, LGBTQIA+, Disability

What’s in your portfolio? Join us on Thursday, 4/29 at 5:30 p.m. EST to hear experienced financial advisors explore strategies for aligning your investment portfolio with your personal values through impact investing.

In this interactive discussion, we will hear from Judith Reed, a financial advisor at Morgan Stanley who specializes in helping women in the Life Sciences industry create financial plans for themselves and their families, and William Gambardella, Executive Director of the Morgan Stanley Wealth Management Global Investment Office (GIO). 

Topics: Women, Financial Planning, Wealth Management, Career, Success, Women in STEM, Upcoming Events, Discussion, Financial, Interactive, Change, Values, Impact, Learn, #WESTevent, #WESTorg, Gender Parity, Sustainability, Investing

Five years ago, we held a panel on launching or relaunching scientific careers after a career break, working in an unrelated field, or after a delayed start. We are bringing back the same panelists on 4/7 to talk about where they are now. This promises to be an excellent discussion about career progression, with each participant giving us a retrospective view of their career path choices, including comments on “what I wish I knew.”

Relaunching careers in scientific research and biomedical engineering, moderated by Carol Fishman Cohen, will tell stories of women who took career breaks and achieved success. It is possible for women to return to work in scientific research, biotechnology, and engineering and thrive in these fields. This webinar is an opportunity for people to listen to inspirational stories from women and learn from their experiences.

Topics: Women, Transitions, Career, Success, Job, Women in STEM, Upcoming Events, Biotech, Interactive, Change, Career Path, Insight, Values, Career Development, Career Possibilities, Self-Reflection, #WESTevent, #WESTorg

Communication is the key to success in life, work and relationships… especially in uncertain times, it will decide whether we win or fail navigating a crisis.

And yet, often enough we face situations where our message turns into error, misunderstanding or frustration, simply because it was misinterpreted or maybe poorly delivered. And we’re left off with a feeling of being lost in translation.

Topics: Career, Communication, Success, Women in STEM, Upcoming Events, Biotech, Interactive, Change, #WESTevent, #WESTorg

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