Logo for LaunchBio Program: Let’s Talk AboutLogo for LaunchBio Program: Let’s Talk About

Exploring the Issue of Race and Bias in the Life Sciences

  • May 17, 2022
  • 1pm PT / 4pm ET
Online

THE WAY FORWARD WITH DE&I

Momentum Through Continued Action

Program


It has now been two years since the murder of George Floyd. The aftermath spurred a movement across the world, demanding racial justice and equity. The corporate world joined this movement and started having difficult conversations and acknowledging biases and inequities in the workplace. Two years later, what comes next? It is important to not only keep the discussion going but to make DE&I efforts sustainable. Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion shouldn’t be an extracurricular activity, it should be how we do everything.

Join us to reflect on the past two years of focus on diversity and inclusion in the workforce. In this session we’ll discuss strategies for empowering leaders to drive DE&I initiatives that shape company culture.

Speakers

  • Gretchen Cook-Anderson, Executive Director, Ignite

    Gretchen Cook-Anderson, Executive Director, Ignite

    Gretchen Cook-Anderson is an award-winning marketing/communications executive with over 28 years promoting the sciencesIn her current role as inaugural Executive Director at Cambridge, nonprofit Ignite, she is leading efforts at the first-and-only of-its-kind platform that’s addressing systemic racial, gender and other underrepresentation in talent across the life sciences and the biotech industry – from labs to leadership, and from the STEM student pipeline to the entrepreneurs advancing life-changing innovations.

  • Candace Nortey, MS, EdS, Managing Director DE&I, Slone Partners

    Candace Nortey, MS, EdS, Managing Director DE&I, Slone Partners

    Candace Nortey, MS, Ed.S., is a strategic planner, consultant, innovator, and executive trainer who serves as Slone Partners’ Managing Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. In her role, Nortey manages Slone Partners’ extensive line of DEI services and programs, including strategic planning, education and training, and leadership coaching to help companies build and sustain impactful DEI policies and practices. She also provides operational support for the company’s ENVISION mentorship program, connecting students from underrepresented communities with accomplished professionals in the life sciences industry.

  • Rizwana Seeham, Senior Manager, ED&I and GMP QA, Blueprint Medicines

    Rizwana Seeham, Senior Manager, ED&I and GMP QA, Blueprint Medicines

    Rizwana sits within a dual role at Blueprint Medicines where her time is flexed between Quality Assurance (QA) and Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion (ED&I). Rizwana joined Blueprint Medicines in 2018 to support their avapritinib program, serving as the drug product lead when the program graduated to become Blueprint’s first commercial product, both in the US and EU (commercialized as AYVAKIT (US)/AYVAKYT (EU)). Alongside her QA role, Rizwana’s responsibilities within Blueprint expanded in 2020. Rizwana now also serves as the co-chair for Blueprint’s ED&I Committee and oversees all of Blueprint’s ED&I initiatives and programs.

  • Rachael Alford, PhD, Head of Chemistry, Manufacturing and Controls, Rallybio

    Rachael Alford, PhD, Head of Chemistry, Manufacturing and Controls, Rallybio

    Rachael Alford is Head of Chemistry, Manufacturing and Controls at Rallybio and has approximately 20 years of biopharmaceutical industry experience in all aspects of technical operations. Prior to joining Rallybio in 2020, she served as Vice President of Global Process Development at Alexion Pharmaceuticals, where she led biologic and small molecule process development, analytical and formulation development, tech transfer, and life cycle management. Since joining Rallybio, Rachael has been a key contributor in initiating a DE&I program for the organization, designed to be fit-for-purpose for a small start-up with well established roots so that program can scale as the organization grows.

  • Natalie Johnson, MA, Co-Founder and Managing Director, Paradigm

    Natalie Johnson, MA, Co-Founder and Managing Director, Paradigm

    Natalie is a Co-Founder and the Managing Director of Paradigm’s Organizational Strategy & Transformation practice. Natalie’s team of data scientists, qualitative researchers, and consultants is dedicated to helping clients assess, design, implement, and benchmark their diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) strategies through long-term strategic partnerships. Natalie focuses her time on developing new services and delivering impactful DEI work with a focus on research, data, and prioritizing impact. Natalie has led Paradigm’s engagements with clients across industries and has partnered with executives at companies including Airbnb, Box, Capital One, GE, IDEO, Intuit, and Stripe.

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