Diversity shows up in the workplace in many ways — gender, age, race, career trajectory, skills, and culture. But how does allyship show up? If allyship is the quality or practice of helping or supporting traditionally marginalized groups, while you are not yourself a member of this group, what does it look like for women in STEM and the life sciences? How do you show up as an ally in these spaces or create allyship? Join us for a panel to discuss this important topic.

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Speaker Bios

Kelly Desino, PhD, Scientific Director of the Community of Science at AbbVie

Kelly Desino received her BS in biology from the University of Michigan and her Doctorate in Pharmaceutical Chemistry from the University of Kansas. She has been at AbbVie for 16 years and has spent most of that time as a leader within the Drug Metabolism & Pharmacokinetics organization. In 2021, she transitioned to the role of Scientific Director of AbbVie’s Community of Science. Her responsibilities include leading multiple programs and events aimed at driving innovation and collaboration across the R&D organization and elevating the scientific profile of AbbVie both internally & externally. She is also an executive sponsor of the AbbVie Post-Doctoral Program.

 

Gina Merchant, PhD, MA, Director, Human Centered Design at Tandem Diabetes Care

Gina is an applied research scientist and a behavioral designer. She specializes in leading diverse teams of researchers and in ensuring advanced research methodologies from across scientific disciplines are strategically applied to meet the business problem at hand. At Tandem Diabetes Care, Gina leads the Human Centered Design team, which is responsible for bringing the daily lived experience of customers and potential customers to life so that the commercialized products and services can best meet their needs. Gina holds a PhD in Public Health with an emphasis in Health Behavior, and a Masters in Experimental Psychology. She was also a collegiate athlete, and a first-generation college student. Gina is a fierce advocate for women and underrepresented groups in tech, STEM, and the Life Sciences, and knows how much representation matters.

 

Jen Spencer, MBA, MS, FIP, Sr. Vice President, Chief Information Officer, and Chief Privacy & Security Officer at Greater Rochester Regional Health Information Organization

Focusing on delivering accurate clinical data across 14 counties, Jen oversees all IT, security, and privacy operations. Managing a team of 40, she ensures compliance with regulations, participates in state advisory boards, and runs her own consulting business. Jen holds an Executive MBA with Life Sciences electives and a BS/MS in IT from Rochester Institute of Technology and actively advocates for individuals with developmental disabilities. In her downtime, she enjoys family travels and hiking with her three sons and two dogs.

Michael W. Young, Principal and Founder of biomedwoRx: Life Sciences Consulting, Moderator

Michael is an accomplished biopharmaceutical executive and collaboration expert with award-winning marketing and commercial strategy credentials. Since 2016, he has directed biomedwoRx: Life Sciences Consulting, a multi-professional Go2Market commercialization consultancy that supports life science companies at the intersection of clinical strategy and commercialization. He has previously held Vice President roles at Toronto-based Klick Health (digital health), PAREXEL International (global CRO), and PPD (global CRO) in business development and partnership management. Michael led Eisai Pharmaceuticals’ oncology/hematology commercial team and spent eleven years directing strategic marketing at biotech start-up, Ligand Pharmaceuticals Inc. where he oversaw the development, registration, and launch of five novel cancer and supportive care/pain management drugs. His commercial career also includes sales management, marketing, and new product development positions at GSK, Adria Laboratories, and Bayer where he has directed or been responsible for the launch of over 21 drugs and devices including $Billion brands CIPRO^® (ciprofloxacin) and ZOVIRAX^® (acyclovir). Among his credentials, Michael was named Medical Marketer of the Year by the Medical Marketing Association and served as President of the national organization. He has been a member of the Editorial Advisory Board for Clinical Leader and is an expert advisor to the California Life Sciences (CLS) FAST Program. Michael is actively engaged with the Women In Bio (WIB) Directors’ Peer Group. He has served on the Life Science Trainers & Educators (LTEN) Advisory Board and the San Diego Healthcare Businesswomen’s (HBA) Advisory Board. For 20 years, he has served on the Board of Directors of the Cutaneous Lymphoma Foundation and advises several other patient advocacy groups. Michael received his undergraduate degree from Kenyon College and did his graduate work at The Ohio State University. Michael and his family live in San Diego, CA.    

 

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