Dr. Rupa Pike, Director of Cell manufacturing, UW Program for Advanced Cell Therapy, was invited to be a speaker at the Women in Biohealth panel – Navigating the Road to Success: How Diversifying and Empowering Women in Biohealth Builds a Better Leadership Team.
This event was part of the Biohealth Summit held Tuesday, Oct 9, 2018, at the Overture Center in Madison, WI. Fellow panelists included: Tammy Turek-Etienne, Vice President of Operations, Exact Sciences, Laura Hilty, Vice President of Product Strategy, Forte, Marilyn Frontz, and Vice President of Quality Assurance, Abbvie.
Panelists discussed how research shows the most effective teams are those that are diverse. Encouraging broad-based team participation of women is often fostered by women in leadership positions. However, in the biohealth industry there continues to be room for improvement when it comes to opportunities for women within executive level leadership. Panelists shared some of their personal experiences on finding a seat at the table, including insight into tough topics, such as advocating for yourself and being assertive. The panel discussion was geared towards addressing this issue and practical suggestions for navigating the road to success.
The Wisconsin Biohealth Summit is a full-day event including networking, business development opportunities, an industry career fair, keynote and panel sessions. This annual event presented by BioForward serves as a platform for Wisconsin’s biohealth community to celebrate successes and collaboration for a booming industry.