YWIB-San Francisco Bay Area: Career Panel – Exploring the Biopharma Industry

Young Women In Bio San Francisco recently hosted a career panel focused on clinical research that highlighted not only the breadth of roles in the industry, but the people behind the work. Panelists shared candid stories and advice drawn from many years in the field, representing career stages from senior associate roles through executive leadership. Together, their perspectives underscored that careers in clinical research are rarely linear and often shaped over time by curiosity, experience, and meaningful connections.

Our panelists—Myriam DeTrinidad (VP of Quality Assurance at Vaxcyte), Lena Nasser (Director and Global Regulatory Leader at Genentech), Wafa QuliKhan, MD (Associate Director of Clinical Operations at Kivu Bioscience), Kahdoh Fang (Clinical Scientist at Alumis), Alexis Touros (Clinical Research Leader at Stanford University), and Suniti Gohil (Sr. Regulatory Associate at Adicet Bio)—opened the discussion by defining what a clinical trial is and outlining their respective functions.

A central theme throughout the panel was what makes this work meaningful. Panelists spoke about the shared responsibility across functions to protect patient safety and help bring therapies to patients, whether by enabling treatments for diseases with limited options or by improving how therapies are delivered to reduce patient burden. Students also gained insight into how interconnected clinical research roles are, and how success depends on collaboration, clear communication, and the ability to organize and translate complex data across teams and partners.

Advice from the panel focused on adaptability, curiosity, and confidence. Panelists emphasized that no two days in clinical research look the same, and that navigating change, staying organized, and continuously learning are essential at every stage. Students were encouraged to ask questions, remain open to unexpected paths, and find mentors who truly want to help them grow. The evening concluded with networking, giving students the opportunity to continue the conversation and begin building relationships that support future growth in the clinical research field.

Thank you to our host, the South San Francisco Public Library, for providing such a wonderful space for the event!

Submitted by Hannah Brown