WEST is an organization focused on supporting women in the equal pursuit of careers in the STEM industries. We are grateful to these amazing ‘Guys Who Get It’ who not only voice their support of equality for women in the STEM industries, but are an integral part of achieving that mission through the WEST organization.
We got to chat with this year’s ‘Guys Who Get It’ and ask a little about their passion for WEST and the WEST mission, as well as their favorite things about WEST. Check out our conversation below!
Ken Brewer - Senior Developer Advocate at Seqera
A: I grew up as the oldest sibling in a family of 11 children. Despite the large brood, my parents shared responsibilities equally at home and supported each other in their education and work. I saw first-hand how my mother’s career as a German professor enriched the lives of me and my siblings.
I completed my undergraduate at Harvard in Chemistry and my PhD at Yale in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry. Not long after finishing my degree, I jumped into industry with a role as a computational biologist at an early-stage biotech startup and followed by a role as software engineer at a clinical genomics company.
These days, I’m most passionate about bringing the tools of modern software engineering and the open-source movement into the world of biological data analysis. In my current role at Seqera, I get to support the Nextlfow and nf-core communities which are building reproducible, scalable, computational workflows covering a wide range of scientific disciplines.
Q: Why did you choose to be part of WEST?
A: Successfully commercializing science is hard. It requires close collaboration from a wide-range of individuals each with their own deep expertise. Trying to accomplish that task without effectively drawing on the talents of roughly half the population seems like a fool's errand. That’s why I believe supporting women in their career journeys is one of the most important things I can do to ensure STEM remains a vibrant force capable of addressing the challenges of tomorrow.
Q: What is your favorite part about WEST?
A: WEST does an excellent job equipping its members with ways to grow both their skills and their networks. They regularly host events with a wide-range of professional development topics alongside social get-togethers such as WEST-on-Wednesdays.
Chesley Chen - Chief Executive Officer at Burma Road - New Venture Consulting
A: Now More Than Ever. WEST's Mission to inspire, support, and champion women in STEM has been unwavering for over 20 years. Now more than ever, WEST provides much-needed voice and empowerment for women, diverse groups, and allies in these uncertain times.
Q: What is your favorite part about WEST?
A: The people in and around the WEST community are fantastic. It's the strength and support of the network that makes the WEST community thrive. I've been able to develop many lasting relationships and friendships. We're here to help each other.
Chris Dwan - Freelance Digital Leadership for Genomics and Precision Medicine
Q: Tell us a little bit about yourself and your work.
A: Professionally, I’m a freelance technologist who supports health care and life sciences research. I’ve worked with early stage drug discovery startups, pharmaceutical companies, health systems, and everything in between. Sometimes that means designing an IT organization, sometimes it means helping researchers get their data ready for AI. The constant, for me, is that my work is always about communicating well so that whatever technology we wind up deploying is aligned with the actual goals of the organization and not just tech for its own sake.
I’ve got a bunch of hobbies. I’m an amateur cellist, a cyclist, and an avid gardener. I got involved in local politics a few years ago when I started going to city council meetings and posting the happenings on social media. That snowballed into serving on the city’s urban forestry committee and also working with local activists on a variety of issues.
Q: Why did you choose to be part of WEST?
A: Despite the progress of the last few decades, there is still an incredible amount of work to be done before we can claim that workplaces are fair, equitable, inclusive, or even merely respectful and safe places for women. Supporting WEST lets me learn from a community of women who are actively working to make things better, encourages me that effective change is within reach, and pushes me to get engaged and help out personally.
John Hallinan - Chief Development Officer at Danforth Advisors
Q: Why did you choose to be part of WEST?
A: I have benefitted from working & learning from many talented women in my life & career. I have noticed that it is not always a level playing field & WEST provides an opportunity to make a difference. In addition, women receive a higher % of college degrees (including graduate degrees) & pragmatism dictates that we embrace this community and elevate their careers
Q: What is your favorite part about WEST?
A: Diversity. WEST is dedicated to developing next-gen leaders & advancing STEM to improve human health & the human condition. WEST creates STEM dividends that are distributed across communities & ecosystems
Joseph Lehar - Advisor to multiple biotechs and funds
Q: Tell us a little bit about yourself and your work.
A: After my first career in astrophysics, I moved to biology in 2000, drawn by the chance to help people’s lives. Since then I have worked in large pharmas and small biotechs, and became fascinated by the promise of precision medicine - using data science to find the best treatment for every patient. I draw inspiration from my mother, who escaped Eastern Europe during 1945, ensured that many relatives and friends could reach safety, and was unusually generous to strangers. She had a razor sharp mind with extremely diverse interests, and was constantly engaged in many projects with an irrepressible force. My mother’s example inspires me to seek complex scientific challenges and help others whenever I can.
Q: Why did you choose to be part of WEST?
A: There are so many bright and motivated young women becoming scientists and entrepreneurs. Helping advance their careers ensures that both halves of the world’s talent can be fully engaged in tackling the enormous challenges in health care. We also need more women in the field to make sure that the health of diverse populations can be properly addressed.
At WEST, I was able to work with amazing leaders who are focused on empowering young scientists, and connect with a wonderful network that pays back in so many ways.
Q: What is your favorite part of WEST?
A: WEST has so many brilliant and energetic people building a network of scientists and entrepreneurs to help others. That is the kind of community that draws me in.