WIB-Seattle Leadership Spotlight: Sara Abdelfatah

Sara Abdelfatah
WIB-Seattle Secretary

Sara is an accomplished scientist with a strong molecular biology and regulatory affairs background. Sara has always been passionate about pursuing science. “In general, I have always been dreaming of being a scientist in a lab, to study and to do my PhD. I love studying and learning new things,” she said. “When there is always new technology coming to life, I always want to learn about it. I want to know the concept behind it.” Much like the constantly shifting field of anti-cancer therapies, Sara’s journey through academia has been filled with major changes that have tested her adaptability. 

Originally from Sudan, Sara studied pharmaceutical sciences at the University of Khartoum. “When I was studying pharmacy, I realized I was more interested in drug discovery. I wanted to focus my research on cancer, specifically,” she said. She continued her education at the University of Khartoum to earn a master’s in molecular medicine. “At the end of my master’s, I had an opportunity to do an internship in Germany and did part of my master’s thesis there,” she said. Although Sara returned to Sudan, she ended up back in Germany for her PhD. “I was awarded the DAAD scholarship, which gave me a life-altering opportunity. I went to Johannes Gutenberg University and did my PhD in drug discovery for targeted anti-cancer therapies. After I finished my PhD, my professor offered me [the chance] to stay for three years as a postdoc. I worked on many projects related to targeted anti-cancer therapies, and this helped me to develop my skills while working with a team. I worked with a group of PhD students and collaborated with other departments.” 

By 2022, Sara had moved to the US and decided to further her knowledge of regulatory affairs. “I wanted to get an opportunity in the biotech and industry sectors,” she said. “So I did a master’s in regulatory affairs at Northeastern University and specialized in clinical research because I wanted to gain in-depth knowledge about the regulatory requirements for drug development.” After completing her second master’s, Sara moved to Seattle and attended her first WIB-Seattle event in 2023, prompting her to join the steering committee. “I knew that WIB did events regularly, and I could go any time, but I felt that I needed the connections from the [steering committee]. I wanted the connections to be genuine, to meet people regularly, and to be helpful [to] them,” she said. “When anyone asks me to do something, I love it, because I want to be helpful and want to build stronger relationships.”

Sara’s ability to quickly build relationships has served her well in her academic career, as she moved to and from multiple countries, and she’s ready to apply those skills to her professional career in Seattle. “I always believe in taking action. When I came here, I didn’t know any organizations or people in Seattle. I feel that the biggest challenge for women in STEM is that we need to be adaptable to changes that happen. I adapted to Germany; now, I need to adapt to the US. I think it’s important to always be learning and to build your way in new communities,” she said. “I knew of Women In Bio because Life Science WA posted an event. I went, and I found the community was so helpful, and full of people in prestigious positions who have knowledge and experience. WIB-Seattle has such a variety of people, some people who are moving to Seattle in their 30s and some who are more established, but overall, a very diverse community that is friendly and supportive.”

Building a strong community is what Sara believes is the key to her professional success in Seattle. When she considered joining the steering committee, she said, “It was difficult for me to choose which committee to join because all of them interested me! I decided to join first as a Secretary so I could get to know all the different people on the board and also be helpful to everyone,” she said. “We as women need to have supportive environments for women who are new to the industry and the community. We need a community that gives you the support and advice you need so you can learn from people that have been through it before. It’s empowering to see examples of women with kids, women who have gotten married and moved to new countries. It’s important seeing examples that it happened to someone else and they made it through, because it makes me think, ‘You can do it!’”

We are so grateful that Sara found WIB-Seattle and are thrilled that she is helping us build a community of supportive women! Her experience and ability to adapt to changes will help us connect with even more women in bio in the region.

Submitted by Mariana Huben