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.

WEST Dynamic Pod Mentoring
Now accepting mentors and mentees

In the spring of 2021, WEST will launch a non-traditional, dynamic pod mentoring program. In this program, mentees achieve a personal or career goal by using novel small mentoring groups (pods) to obtain diverse perspectives that will provide an enriching experience for mentees and enable the execution of goals through focused actions. Pods consist of 1 mentor and 1-3 mentees who will rotate to 2 different breakout rooms to discuss long-term goals and current challenges, and together develop actionable strategies for addressing both through small group (or pod) discussions. Each mentee participates in 2 pods per meeting, maximizing opportunities to receive input from several different mentors and peer mentees. The 2021 spring program will consist of a total of six 2-hour meetings. Rotating pod structure offers a unique opportunity to discuss two topics (the same or different) and participate in a large-group facilitated networking during each 2-hour meeting.

Location: Zoom

Cost: $100 for Members (Mentees)

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, 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, Sheera Bornstein of YW Boston 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.

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

MAR10

Lost in Translation: 3 Secrets to Successfully Communicate in Times of Chaos and Uncertainty
March 10, 2021 12:00 - 1:00 PM EST

Communication is the key to success in life, work, and relationships… especially in uncertain times, it will decide whether we win or fail to navigate 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. But it doesn’t have to be that way!

Join us as we learn from Kristina Albert, Executive Coach & International Leadership Advisor, about simple strategies for powerful conversations and how to become a successful and effective communicator.

Cost: Members: $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

apr07

Relaunching careers in scientific research and biomedical engineering - 5 years later, where are they now?
April 7, 2021 6:00 - 7:00 PM EST

Five years ago we held a panel on launching or relaunching scientific research careers after a career break, working in an unrelated field, or after a delayed start. On April 7th, we bring back the same panel 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."

Panelists include:

Indira Krishnan, 13 year career break, Research Associate / Staff Scientist,
Harvard Medical School Enith Morillo, 9 year career break, President and Principal Consultant at Cadoret Global, LLC
Theresa Singleton, 8-month career break, Owner and Principal Scientific Writer at Singleton Science, LLC
Carol Waghorne, 10 year career break, Senior Curation Specialist at Trapelo Health Moderator
Carol Fishman Cohen, Chair & Co-founder, iRelaunch (11 year career break)

Location: Zoom

Cost: Members: $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: