Upcoming Events

If you are in need of an event scholarship or would like to donate to our scholarship program, please visit our scholarship page.

2020-2021 Annual Theme: Building Community, Resilience, and Impact

2020 has been a year full of unprecedented events, and WEST’s 2020-2021
annual theme of Building Community, Resilience, and Impact will help you
navigate these times. WEST is committed to supporting the community by
organizing events that bring members together to tackle challenges in the
workplace that impact personal growth, career development and beyond. Through virtual workshops, panel discussions, networking events, and more,
you will be empowered to overcome obstacles and rise to the occasion.

DEC01

How to Captivate Your Virtual Audience
December 1, 2020, 12:05 - 12:55 PM EST

This is a mini-master class with extremely practical tools, insights, and tips you can start using immediately to be more effective at presenting online using tools like Zoom, GoToMeeting, Webex, and Skype. Now that more and more of us are moving to online communications, being more effective at using this medium is a must! This webinar is useful to anyone who presents 1:1 or 1:Many online, especially people who want to use a webcam more effectively. Guided by Nathan Gold, in this webinar, you will learn:

The secret to being able to start on time
How to present to your webcam with confidence
The little-known presentation hack you can only use online
How to make the best use of your voice online
The main keys to presenting your best self on camera
How to leverage a 1:1 vs. 1:Many video presentation
How to more effectively engage your online attendees using powerful tools

Location: Zoom
Cost: $5 for Members, $15 for non-members

DEC03

Self and Collective Care for People of Color in a Majority White Workplace
December 3, 2020 3:00 - 4:30 PM EST

Everyone can experience challenges with feelings of belonging and culture fit at work. As a person of color in a predominately white workplace, these challenges become particularly more taxing emotionally and psychologically. As members of a marginalized group, people of color oftentimes must work harder to be valued while feeling the pressure to counter stereotypes about their racial groups. In this workshop, Heang Ly with show how people of color can learn best practices and strategies to promote wellbeing and resilience as individuals and as a collective. In addition, a space for collective sharing of experiences and knowledge will be included in this workshop.

Location: Zoom

Cost: $0 for Members, $10 for non-members

DEC04

Annual Holiday Party
December 4, 2020 4:00 - 5:15 PM EST

Cooley is pleased to invite you to an interactive virtual magic show presented by Shimshi, resident illusionist for the Wynn Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. 15+ million people have witnessed Shimshi's magic when he appeared on NBC’s hit show “America’s Got Talent.” Shimshi has also appeared on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” “Live with Regis and Kelly,” “Master of Illusions” and “Wizard Wars” on Syfy. This is a family-friendly event and can be enjoyed by your entire family. Please join us to celebrate the holidays, watch a magic show and then connect with WEST community members for networking. This event is free for members thanks to Cooley’s generous sponsorship.

Location: Zoom

Cost: $0 for Members, $10 for non-members

DEC09

Courageous Conversations
December 9, 2020 12:00 - 1:00 PM EST

Courageous Conversations are designed to create a healthy space for difficult discussions that let's everyone be heard. With over thirty years of industry experience, Jackie Glenn will present a workshop designed to diffuse the fears of causing offense and pave the way to lasting, positive change. The result is an equitable and inclusive workplace that reduces anxiety and increases employees’ sense of well-being. Focus Areas and Key Themes:

Guide employee conversations about the economic, social, and racial injustices occurring in the world and analyze their impact on the workplace
Examine the impacts of global issues on productivity and employee engagement and consider what can be done to mitigate negative outcomes
Acknowledge the fears and emotions that employees bring into the workplace
Introduce effective tips and tools that can be used by all members of an organization, from executives to individual contributors

Location: Zoom

Cost: $0 for Members, $10 for non-members

DEC10

Dynamic Deal Structures for Ever-Changing Environments
December 10, 2020 5:30 - 7:20 PM EST

Join us on Thursday, December 10th to learn more about navigating pandemic obstacles and common dealmaking challenges using creative deal structures from a panel of female leaders in the Life Sciences. Hear from experts with vast experiences across capital fundraising, venture investment, M&A, licensing agreements, research collaborations, and academic partnerships while networking with other women in the Biotech and Pharma industry. This virtual event, hosted by The Deal Mak(her)s, Johnson & Johnson Innovation, and Women in the Enterprise of Science and Technology (WEST), will consist of a panel discussion followed by breakout groups with each of the panelists and festive networking activity.

Panelists include:

Marian Nakada, VP Venture Investments for Johnson & Johnson Innovation– JJDC
Lizabeth Leveille, Associate Vice President, Head, BD&L Boston Innovation Hub, Merck Research Laboratories
Vivian Berlin, Managing Director, Strategic Partnerships at Harvard Office of Technology Development
Maude Tessier, Chief Business Officer of Ikena Oncology
Elena Diez Cecilia, Senior Director External Innovation DPDS at Janssen R&D (Moderator)

Location: Zoom

Cost: $0 for Members and non-members

DEC15

Creating Your Vision Statement for the Year Ahead
December 15, 2020 12:00 - 1:00 PM EST

A vision statement is a positive declaration of your desires and future goals. What do you want your life to look like? What would you like to be doing by this same time next year? In this workshop, lead by Clara Angelina Diaz, you will be introduced to the wheel of personal perspective and assess 6 different areas of your life including your career. You will create a vision statement and get clear on your life’s mission, purpose, goals, plans, and values for the year ahead. Declare what you want in different areas of your life and be motivated with a clear direction for the upcoming year. You will leave the workshop with a great sense of focus and clarity for what you want to achieve in the months ahead.

Location: Zoom

Cost: $5 for Members, $15 for non-members

JAN12

Demonstrating Business Impact
January 12, 2021 12:00 - 1:15 PM EST

Are you looking to take the next step in your career? Have you always wanted to transition to a more challenging role, but struggled to communicate your expertise? How do you demonstrate impact to executives, managers, and other stakeholders in and outside your organization? Join this workshop to identify and articulate your business impact. Noël Theodosiou of Luminous will lead participants in an overview of what you need to create and deliver your individual impact story. Hear the experience and stories of other WEST members and get the tools & inspiration to construct your own. Examples include:

Transitioning from a scientific /R&D role to a commercial one – create an impact story that shows how your skills and experience will translate into commercial success
Articulating success on a large project for a promotion or raise – craft a concise story that shows how you delivered, how you helped your organization reduce costs or win customers that will gain upper management attention and help you reach your goals

Location: Zoom

Cost: $5 for Members, $15 for non-members

JAN20

Career Possibilities: New Commercial Strategy, Product Planning, and Marketing
January 20, 2021 4:00-5:30 PM EST

In the world of business, careers are no longer linear or predictable. This panel series is designed to help you think about your career path and the different options that are open to you. This panel discussion is the first in our new series called "Career Possibilities". We will look at careers in commercial strategy, product planning, and marketing. The panel will have an informational interview type feel with panelists sharing their career paths, a look at what their job entails, transferrable skills for those looking to make a change, tips for uncovering opportunities, advice for others, and how to make brave leaps.

Panelists include:

Andrea Ashford-Hicks, SVP, Platform Head for T-Cell Generation,Enzyvant
Genie Dubuk, Sr. Director, Brand Management, Alnylam Pharmaceuticals
Eric Hall, PhD, Director, Alliance Management, Janssen Inc.
Tim Healy, CCO, EVERSANA
Julia Keith, Business Development Manager, Jounce Therapeutics Inc.
Aliyah Weinstein, Marketing and Communications Manager, Addgene

Location: Zoom

Cost: Members, Students, Postdocs: $5; Non-Members: $15

JAN25

Everyone Communicates, Few Connect: Communicating for Impact and Results
January 25, 2021 4:00 - 5:30 PM EST

One of the biggest problems faced by professionals, even though they are great at what they do and have great ideas, is the inability to get the attention of customers, clients, and colleagues due to not being able to communicate effectively. But the problem is not really a communication problem, it’s a connection problem. Everyone communicates, but few connect. If you can connect with others: one-on-one, in groups, and with an audience – your sense of community improves your ability to create teamwork increases, and your influence skyrockets. People who connect with others have better relationships, experience less conflict, and get more things done than those who cannot connect. Leaders who have learned the art of connection are able to communicate their ideas persuasively, establishing buy-in, and attract followers. In this webinar, Kemi Sorinmade will guide you on how to succeed as a professional, manager, or business leader, through the art of connection.

Location: Zoom

Cost: $5 for Members, $15 for non-members, 0$ for Bluebird employees

FEB10

Career Possibilities: Discovery and Research
February 10, 2021 4:00-5:30 PM EST

In the world of business, careers are no longer linear or predictable. This panel series is designed to help you think about your career path and the different options that are open to you. This panel discussion is the second in our new panel series called "Career Possibilities". We will look at careers in Discovery and Research. The panel will have an informational interview type feel with panelists sharing their career paths, a look at what their job entails, transferrable skills for those looking to make a change, tips for uncovering opportunities, advice for others, and how to make brave leaps. The panel discussion will be moderated by Elissa Hobert, the Senior Scientist at Flagship Pioneering.

Panelists include:

Andy Hurwitz, SVP Head of R&D, Mana Therapeutics
Kristine McKinney, Associate Director, Target Biology and Translational Medicine, Arrakis Therapeutics
Karel Otero-Gutierrez, PhD, Principal Scientist, Eisai US
Kathy Seidl, VP Immunology, SQZ BioTech
Lani San Mateo, Head of Product Development for Microbiome Solutions, Johnson & Johnson

Location: Zoom

Cost: Members, Students, Postdocs: $5; Non-Members: $15

FEB18

Organizational Change to Achieve Equity
February 18, 2020 12:00 - 1:30 PM EST

In this workshop, facilitators will guide participants in identifying culture and organizational change necessary to achieving equity in the workplace. Participants will become familiar with key domains and best practices for organizational change. Then, they will identify and begin exploring opportunities to bring learnings back to their organizations. Participants will review research and studies exploring the interaction between individual identities, power, and privilege in the workplace. Interpersonal, institutional, ideological, and ideological dimensions will be explored. The workshop will be led by the YWCA InclusionBoston staff. Our team of skilled facilitators have backgrounds in education, organizational development, and racial justice advocacy.

Location: Zoom

Cost: Members: $0; Non-Members: $10

MAR03

Career Possibilities: Clinical, Regulatory, and Development
March 3, 2021 4:00-5:30 PM EST

In the world of business, careers are no longer linear or predictable. This panel series is designed to help you think about your career path and the different options that are open to you. This panel discussion is the third in our new panel series called "Career Possibilities". We will look at careers in Clinical, Regulatory, and Development. The panel will have an informational interview type feel with panelists sharing their career paths, a look at what their job entails, transferrable skills for those looking to make a change, tips for uncovering opportunities, advice for others, and how to make brave leaps. This panel discussion will be moderated by Jackie Schumacher, Regulatory, and Quality Lead at Rallybio.

Panelists include:

Gersham Dent, Senior Director of Clinical Imaging, Biogen
Jana Subramanyam, VP of Regulatory, Allena
Debi Tran, Sr. Director, Regulatory Affairs (Global Lead for Lumasiran), Alnylam Pharmaceuticals
Nadia Zakaria, Director of Translational Medicine, Novartis

Location: Zoom

Cost: Members, Students, Postdocs: $5; Non-Members: $15

MAR24

Career Possibilities: Portfolio Strategy, Project Management, and Scientific Operations
March 24, 2021 4:00-5:30 PM EST

In the world of business, careers are no longer linear or predictable. This panel series is designed to help you think about your career path and the different options that are open to you. This panel discussion is the fourth in our new panel series called "Career Possibilities". We will look at careers in Portfolio/Project Management, and Scientific Operations. The panel will have an informational interview type feel with panelists sharing their career paths, a look at what their job entails, transferrable skills for those looking to make a change, tips for uncovering opportunities, advice for others, and how to make brave leaps.

Panelists include:

Kelly Clark, Head of R&D Project Management, Biogen
Ranjani Hild, Director of Portfolio & Strategy, Opthalmology, Novartis
Bina Keshavan, Vice President & Head of Program Management, Ovid Therapeutics
Rose Loughlin, VP R&D Strategy, Moderna
Sherrie Tafuri, Sr Director, Program & Alliance Management

Location: Zoom

Cost: Members, Students, Postdocs: $5; Non-Members: $15

APR14

Career Possibilities: Medical Affairs - Communications, Publications, Medical Science Liaison
April 14, 2021 4:00-5:30 PM EST

In the world of business, careers are no longer linear or predictable. This panel series is designed to help you think about your career path and the different options that are open to you. This panel discussion is the fifth in our new panel series called "Career Possibilities". We will look at careers in Medical Affairs and Scientific CommunicationsThe panel will have an informational interview type feel with panelists sharing their career paths, a look at what their job entails, transferrable skills for those looking to make a change, tips for uncovering opportunities, advice for others, and how to make brave leaps. This panel discussion will be moderated by Leah Cole, Director Immunology at Sanofi Pasteur.

Panelists include:

Guissou Dabiri, President, GD Scientific & Medical Writing
Michael Hooks, Senior Director, Medical, Jazz Pharmaceuticals
Jennifer Kuhns, Regional Medical Scientific Director, Merck & Co. GU Oncology
Joe Medicis, Director of US Medical Affairs, Calliditas Therapeutics AB
Evelyn Volsi Finegold, Medical Science Liaison, Clinical Development, Jounce Therapeutics

Location: Zoom

Cost: Members, Students, Postdocs: $5; Non-Members: $15

MAY05

Career Possibilities: Business Development, Lawyers - Patent, Contract
May 5, 2021 4:00-5:30 PM EST

In the world of business, careers are no longer linear or predictable. This panel series is designed to help you think about your career path and the different options that are open to you. This panel discussion is the sixth in our new panel series called "Career Possibilities". We will look at careers in Business Development, Contracts, and Patent law. This panel will have an informational interview type feel with panelists sharing their career paths, a look at what their job entails, transferrable skills for those looking to make a change, tips for uncovering opportunities, advice for others, and how to make brave leaps.

Panelists include: