Mark Herz: Massachusetts is a hub for biotech. According to the 2023 mass bio industry snapshot, biopharma accounted for nearly 17% of job growth in the entire state last year. We’re hearing from women in leadership about the industry and their vision for the future.
Wendye Robbins: Hi, I’m Dr. Wendye Robbins and I am president and CEO of Incendia Therapeutics.
Jill Milne: My name is Jill Milne. I am the founder and CEO of a company called Astria Therapeutics.
Kristen Fortney: I’m Kristen Fortney, co-founder and CEO of BioAge.
Jill Milne: Challenges I face, being a woman in biotech, I think is probably standing out in a way that people recognized what I could offer and bring to the table.
Wendye Robbins: We could talk about that all day. Many, many challenges, mainly not being taken seriously or finding myself under pressure to step aside for somebody who might have had a Y chromosome.
Jill Milne: Often as a woman in a leadership role, you’re often trying to establish yourself in a very short time make sure people understand what your role is in the company and who you are. And often that’s a, you know, a challenge how to do that delicately.
Kristen Fortney: Probably just the usual ones faced by everybody. I mean, biotech is hard. Most things don’t work. There’s so many different ways things can go wrong. But at the same time, it’s so rewarding when it does work, right? You’re actually developing medicines that have the potential to change lives. And that’s what’s, I think, really motivating for me personally.
Herz: You can find a video featuring these women in biotech and others on our YouTube page. This piece was edited by Karen Marshall. You're listening to GBH. More news just ahead on GBH. It's Morning Edition.
Massachusetts is a hub for biotech: According to the 2024 MassBio industry snapshot, biopharma accounted for more than 15% of job growth in the entire state last year. This month, we’re hearing from women leaders in biotech on the challenges they face and their vision for the future.
Jill Milne, founder and CEO of Astria Therapeutics: “The challenges I face being a woman in biotech, I think is probably standing out in a way that people recognized what I could offer and bring to the table. … Often as a woman in a leadership role, you’re often trying to establish yourself in a very short time make sure people understand what your role is in the company and who you are. And often that’s a, you know, a challenge how to do that delicately.”
Wendye Robbins, president and CEO of Incendia Therapeutics: “We could talk about that all day. Many, many challenges, mainly not being taken seriously or finding myself under pressure to step aside for somebody who might have had a Y chromosome.”
Kristen Fortney, co-founder and CEO of BioAge: “Probably just the usual ones faced by everybody. I mean, biotech is hard. Most things don’t work. There are so many different ways things can go wrong. But at the same time, it’s so rewarding when it does work, right? You’re actually developing medicines that have the potential to change lives. And that’s what’s, I think, really motivating for me personally.”
