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Honoring Pride Month; Tune In to Our New LifeLines Podcast for Diverse Life Science Stories; Mentorship Opportunities; Members Making Real Change; and more.
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A Message From Our New Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion
My name is Jennifer Hairston, and I am delighted to introduce myself as the newest addition to the Biocom California family. As the recently appointed Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion (DEI), I am thrilled to join this dynamic team and embark on a journey of collaboration, growth, and success. With a background in talent management, human resources, and launching DEI programs, my passion for inclusivity drove me to take on the vital responsibility of leading this charge for Biocom California—implementing strategies and fostering a culture where every individual is valued, respected, and empowered.
My goal with this new position is to work closely with our employees, leadership team, our external DEI Committee, and all of our members to promote lasting change in our industry. Some programs that we have recently launched internally and are actively building, include:
- Partnering with MESH/diversity to build meaningful goals, dashboarding, and metrics for our vibrant life science industry.
- Working with senior leadership and employees to strengthen our internal DEI efforts.
- Connecting members with LeggUp, one of our endorsed Purchasing Group suppliers, which offers an inclusive professional training program.
- Relaunching our DEI newsletter to support and guide our community members by highlighting valuable insights, resources, and milestones.
Together, we can stay informed, inspired, and connected as we navigate the exciting endeavors ahead. Thank you for your continued support, and I look forward to our exciting journey.
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Jennifer Hairston
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Director, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion
Biocom California
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Committed to Real and Lasting Change
Biocom California is excited to introduce you to our DEI Board Committee Chair, Ranjeet Banerjee. Ranjeet is of CEO of Cold Chain Technologies, a global leader in thermal assurance packaging solutions for life sciences and supporting the safe transport of drugs, vaccines, biologics and diagnostic products. Prior to CCT, Ranjeet held several senior leadership roles at Becton Dickinson over 25 years, including EVP/president of U.S. and Canada Region, and worldwide president of medication management solutions.
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Celebrating Pride with an ‘OUTstanding CEO’
Eric Dube is no stranger to adversity. When he was 18 years old in the early ‘90s, he came out as a gay man—at a time when the HIV epidemic was at its height. By his 30th birthday, he was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. Luckily, Eric’s condition was identified early and he has since twice survived cancer. Today he is president and CEO of Travere Therapeutics, a San Diego company devoted to finding treatments for rare diseases. He is also co-founder of OUTbio San Diego, the largest group for LGBTQ+ biotech professionals in the area, and was named one of the “OUTstanding 100 LGBTQ+ Executives” by the Financial Times in 2022. In celebration of Pride Month, we featured Eric in our latest Member Spotlight.
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Life Science Support for the LGBTQ+ Community
On May 16, Biocom California and newly chaptered OUTbio San Diego hosted a mixer at Longfellow Real Estate’s restaurant, California English. We planned for 75 people to attend and ended up with 120, including Mayor Todd Gloria! See photos from the event here. We look forward to partnering with OUTBio San Diego on our Pride Parade Watch Party on July
15 at Common Stock in Hillcrest. Biocom California is providing a limited amount of VIP tickets for members.
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Inspiring the Next Generation at the Girls Who Lead Summer Camp
Generation STEAM, Biocom California’s K-12 STEAM Education nonprofit affiliate, is hosting its annual Girls Who Lead Summer Camp in August. This program connects girls with diverse professional role models and gives them the chance to interact, ask questions, and see themselves in similar roles. Companies from across the San Diego region are supporting this work—thank you to Biocom California members Hologic, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Mirati Therapeutics, Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Avidity Biosciences, Mapp Biopharmaceuticals, Illumina, ROSALIND Bio, Belharra Therapeutics, and Qualcomm. If you’d like more information about this program or Generation STEAM’s additional DEI-focused programming, please contact Silvana DelPiccolo.
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Give Back By Signing Up to Be a Mentor to an Emerging Leader
Biocom California Institute is seeking mentors for its Life Science Young Leaders, Veterans In Life Sciences, and NOVAWorks Fellowship programs. By becoming a mentor to a veteran, first-generation college graduate, or a member of a historically underrepresented group, you’ll have the opportunity to help one of our program participants take the next step in their career. Mentors will guide their Fellow through the life science sector, introduce them to the wide range of career opportunities available, and help them capitalize on their unique and valuable skillsets. All mentors will receive training prior to the start of the program and additional support as needed throughout the process. Please contact
Paulina Fonville for more information or sign up here.
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A Unique Opportunity for HR Professionals to Connect and Learn
Biocom California’s HR Conference for Life Sciences is dedicated to HR professionals working within the life science industry across California. The statewide conference will take place September 27, 2023, in San Diego and October 4, 2023, in the Bay Area. For more information click here.
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Partners Committed to Real & Lasting Change
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Marsh McLennan Agency (MMA) sponsored the San Francisco Business Times’ “Women Who Lead Life Science” event, a timely discussion about the state of diversity in the Bay Area’s booming life sciences industry. ➔
The ODP Corporation was recognized by The Women’s Business Enterprise National Council with the 2023 WBENC America’s Top Corporations for Women’s Business Enterprises award. ➔
Notable scientists and researchers from Sanford Burnham Prebys published a piece in the San Diego Union-Tribune on how researchers of diverse backgrounds make science more accurate and applicable. ➔
StartOUT accelerates the growth of the LGBTQ+ community to drive its economic empowerment, building a world where every LGBTQ+ entrepreneur has equal access to lead, succeed, and shape the workforce of the future. ➔
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Share Your News 📣
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Interested in sharing a case study or information on an initiative that your company is working on? We want to know! Click below to tell us all about it.
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Biocom California | Diversity, Equity, Inclusion
As leaders in life science, we acknowledge our responsibility to provide and promote a more diverse, equitable and inclusive environment for our current and future workforce. Through Biocom California’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion (DEI) initiative and DEI Board Committee, we are taking action to advance a welcoming and thriving life sciences industry that recognizes the value of individuals with diverse backgrounds, talents, experiences, and perspectives.
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