Lift Up: Women in Life Sciences

On Episode 8 of the Lift Up Podcast, Sophie Packer was joined by Dr Sheuli Porkess, who is currently serving as the Chief Medical Officer for Copeland Clinical Ai. Sheuli has been working in medical affairs and the pharmaceutical space for decades. Her roles have spanned across consultancy, academia, start-up founding, Big Pharma, biopharma scale ups, as well as industry and government bodies in the UK. She is passionate about improving patients' lives, and is currently using her experience to lead Copeland Clinical Ai towards a better future for the healthcare industry. Sheuli does all of that while raising her two children with her partner. We hope you enjoy this episode as much as we did!

Welcome to Episode 7 of the Lift Up Podcast, bringing you the inspirational voices from women in Life Science. On this episode we were joined by Anna Kostikova, a Director at Novartis. Anna has always been fascinated by biology and computer science, and pursued an academic career in Switzerland, undertaking a PhD in bioinformatics. In 2014 Anna's career pivoted when she took on a data science role at tech company Booking.com, before returning to the life sciences in 2019, when she joined Novartis as Director of Data Science and Bioinformatics. Anna is also a working mother to two children, and goes out of her way to encourage women to get into the incredible world of data science and bioinformatics. We talked about topics from academic grants to battling imposter syndrome in the industry. Listen in for a fascinating episode!

Welcome to Episode 6 of The Lift Up Podcast! We're joined today by Dawn Wofford, the VP of Quality and Regulatory Affairs at the innovative startup Wheeler Bio. Dawn's career has taken a winding route through the life sciences, spending time with archaeology, medical devices, pharmaceuticals, biologics and tissues, all through the lens of quality, regulations and compliance. She is passionate about preservation, going as far as helping to restore Mighty Mo. In this episode we dive into Dawn's incredible history, how she's moved from area to area and her advice for anyone who's looking for their next adventure. Tune into today's episode to hear more about this fascinating woman and all of the work that she's done in the life sciences!

On Episode 5 of The Lift Up Podcast your host Sophie Packer was joined by the lovely Christy Mazzarisi. Christy is the Senior Director for Quality Compliance at Mersana Therapeutics and the chair for the ASQ Women in Quality Network. She is also a small business owner and entrepreneur, and heavily active in the world of nonprofits, particularly the Tourette Association of America and Make A Wish Foundation. She's the mother of two boys, both of whom were diagnosed with Tourette's at age three leading to Christy's passion for neurodiverse advocacy. She supports causes and raises awareness to create a better future for her children. Christy is an incredibly driven and passionate woman with a wealth of experience both in and out of work. We spoke about leadership, advocacy and empathy in this moving episode. Enjoy!

This episode of The Lift Up Podcast features the wonderful Michele Champagne. Michele has led a hugely successful career in foodtech and biotech, leading research into petroleum and animal agriculture alternatives while working towards a more sustainable world. She is a decisive and inspirational leader who founded her agency Champagne Consulting in 2020, and is now helping startup companies develop fermentation-based technologies. When Michele isn't working she spends her time at an off-grid home in the mountains of Colorado. In this episode we cover everything from Michele's fascinating career history to how to find your next job. We hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Episode 3 of The Lift Up Podcast your host Sophie Packer was joined by Katie Laessig, who is an Advisory Board Member for three different medical associations. Katie worked in the FDA for nearly 16 years as a specialist in infectious disease, before moving into global regulatory consulting and serving as a scientific advisory board member. On the boards Katie has been both the only woman in the room and in a room with mostly women. This gives her a unique perspective on why we need more women in leadership. During this episode we cover everything from COVID to the importance of building professional relationships. Tune in for a great conversation with an inspirational leader in the life sciences!

On the second episode of The Lift Up Podcast your host Sophie Packer sat down with Amanda Kirby, a neurodiversity researcher and founder and CEO of Do-IT Solutions. Amanda is a neurodiversity campaigner, researcher, entrepreneur, and family member. Her impressive academic background has taken her from Leeds University alumni to emeritus professor at the University of South Wales and honorary professor at Cardiff University. Amongst her extensive list of publications, Amanda's latest book Neurodiversity at Work has won the 2022 Business Book Awards for its valuable insights. Her company, Do-IT Solutions has developed an innovative computerised assessment platform that identifies and supports neurodivergent people in the education, justice and employability sectors. In her spare time, Amanda has championed the government Disability Confident campaign and hers was the first company in Wales to become a Disability Confident Leader. She also sits on the board of the ADHD Foundation, is a patron of the Dyspraxia Association in New Zealand and serves as a Medical Advisor to the Dyspraxia Foundation in the UK. With so much to talk about, we were glued to our seats for the whole episode. We hope you are too!

Lift Up is the first ever global, accessible and member-driven life science community for women. We have started this podcast to meet some of the inspiring women who are part of it and amplify their voices. For our first ever episode of The Lift Up podcast the host Sophie Packer was joined by the incredible Manu Juneja. Manu is a proud mother, wife and first generation immigrant who has paved her own way to becoming a blogger, TEDx talker, and global leader in life sciences. She has also championed mindfulness and sustainability across her incredibly diverse career, during which she worked at GSK for nearly 14 years before joining Takeda last year, delivering global volunteering, diversity & inclusion, and talent programmes. We talked about everything from impostor syndrome to mindfulness and professional confidence in this inspiring episode. We hope you enjoy Manu's insights as much as we did!

Our mission is to connect, inspire and champion women from Academia to C-Suite across the Life Sciences.