ISPE Think Tank Addresses Real World Situations and Empowers Professionals Along the Way
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Prudence Edwards led the panel discussion to open up ISPE’s Think Tank session at the 2022 ISPE Biotechnology Conference.
The America South conference room was abuzz at Boston’s Westin Copley Hotel on Tuesday, 28 June, as dozens of the 2022 ISPE Biotechnology Conference attendees - spanning all ages, career levels, cultural and professional backgrounds - settled in for the ISPE Think Tank session: Expanding your Footprint: Opportunities in Biotech.
This interactive, fully immersive concept is the latest Women in Pharma® initiative, meant to elevate and influence intellectual strength and leadership for pharma industry professionals of all backgrounds.
The two-hour session included a panel discussion and workshop that provided thought-provoking industry insight, emphasizing on the importance of personal and professional agility, as well as creative thinking and emotional intelligence when working in a highly regulated environment.
“I’ve been drawn to the Think Tank concept for a while, and I knew it was the right move for ISPE’s Women in Pharma group, and Tuesday’s session was a testament to that” explained Tanya Sharma, a member of ISPE’s Women in Pharma Steering Committee.
“In such a technical industry, we can easily overlook what are often considered ‘soft skills,’ which impact culture, morale, and overall production in the workplace,” explained Sharma. “Through Think Tanks we’re bringing a different sort of networking and professional development to ISPE conferences, while helping participants build confidence, embrace their expertise, and leverage their own professional and personal experiences to address real-world scenarios. This is what ISPE’s Women in Pharma is all about, and I’m proud to bring that to fruition through the Think Tank concepts.”
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Think Tank attendees broke out in groups to work through the session topic:
What tools and skills do you require to bring ideas to fruition in a highly regulated and dynamic industry? -
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Think tank panel discussion
The session kicked off with welcome remarks by Dr. Antonio Moreira (the University of Maryland’s Vice Provost of Academic Affairs and the ISPE Foundation’s board member), as he warmly welcomed Prudence Edwards to the stage. Edwards, a Double Degree Engineering Student from the University of Queensland / Centrale Marseille, and ISPE Emerging Leader and Women in Pharma ® member, led the Q&A panel discussion and facilitated the workshop that followed.
“Through WIP and ISPE initiatives, we aim to start conversations beyond the latest technical trends and innovations in the industry - and judging from the feedback, the 'Expanding your Footprint' Think Tank was very well received and succeeded in this goal,” Edwards recounted.
Following the panel discussion, the audience broke out into groups to discuss what tools and skills are required to bring ideas to fruition in a highly regulated and dynamic industry. Using the information shared by the panelists, they collaborated on the various ways to address this industry challenge and presented their solutions to the larger group at the conclusion of the session.
“I really enjoyed the women in pharma session,” explained Michael Bohl, a Business Development Manager at PQE . “It gave us the opportunity to hear from different leaders in the life sciences on their experience and thoughts on what that it takes to be successful in the industry while also achieving the goals of the company.”
Bohl described the Think Tank session as “an excellent opportunity to speak with others in smaller groups to brainstorm on what [they] thought it took to build a successful organization in a highly regulated industry."
“It gave us the ability to have an in-depth discussion within a small setting which is usually harder to come by in an event with hundreds of attendees.”
A Thank You to the Panelists:
More on Women in Pharma ®
ISPE’s Women in Pharma initiative provides pharmaceutical professionals a forum for connecting and collaborating on technical and career advancement topics, leveraging an inclusive, global community to foster balanced professional success.
