Agile Therapeutics Chief Medical Officer Dr. Elizabeth Garner, 52 — a woman of color who previously worked at large companies like Merck — recently walked into a room filled with executives where she was scheduled to deliver the keynote address. “I don’t know if it was my race, or the fact that I look younger than my age, but people seemed to be somewhat dismissive of me,” she reported. “It felt like I had to work harder to get someone’s attention.”

There’s no question that life science, biotech and related companies have made significant advances in combating life-threatening illnesses and other conditions. But the industry in general appears to be falling short when it comes to recruiting and advancing women and other minorities, according to some government statistics. There may be room for improvement, but at least New Jersey life science firms are taking steps to bring in under-represented population segments, Garner and other high-ranking insiders said.

Not there yet

First the bad news. “Although women have reached parity with men among S&E (science and engineering) bachelor’s degree recipients — half of S&E bachelor’s degrees were awarded to women in 2016 — they are still underrepresented in S&E occupations,” according to the 2019 Women, Minorities, and Persons with Disabilities in Science and Engineering report published by the National Science Foundation. “Blacks or African Americans, Hispanics or Latinos, and American Indians or Alaska Natives have gradually increased their share of S&E degrees, but they remain underrepresented in S&E educational attainment and in the S&E workforce.”

And although women represented slightly more than half of the U.S. population aged 18 to 64 in 2017, there were 12.8 million men working full-time in S&E during 2017, compared to 10.1 million women according to the report, which did not break down employment statistics for other minorities.

“It’s important to have different people sitting around the table,” said Garner. “Individuals of different ethnic, gender and cultural backgrounds can bring unique perspectives and knowledge with them.”

She was self-motivated. “Growing up in Nigeria I asked for an encyclopedia for Christmas. I was a biology geek from childhood on, so when I came to the U.S. at age 18, medical school was a natural choice.” But Garner said women and others need to be exposed to STEM [science, technology, engineering, mathematics] as early as possible, preferably in elementary school.

“At a young age, girls and boys tend to be equally interested in STEM,” she said. “But as they get older, many girls and other minorities get discouraged. So we have to show them the possibilities early on.”

Garner puts her time into these kinds of efforts, volunteering with a biomedical science career program at Harvard, her alma mater, that targets young people. She noted that Agile Therapeutics supports her volunteer activities, adding that she’s “very encouraged that younger and more diverse people are entering STEM in general, and life sciences in particular.”

Exposure is key

Former Celgene executive Michele Korfin has seen how STEM initiatives can make a positive impact. The chief commercial officer at Tyme Inc. — a New York City-based clinical stage biotechnology company developing cancer therapeutics to address multiple tumor types, which also has an office in New Jersey — has a 12-year-old daughter who’s been attending a STEM camp for three years. “She wants to be a cardiovascular surgeon,” said Korfin. “The camp exposed her to a diverse group of youngsters from New Jersey and other states, and had professionals talk to them about scientific and team processes. It exposed them to a different way of thinking.”

She wants to be a cardiovascular surgeon. The camp exposed her to a diverse group of youngsters from New Jersey and other states, and had professionals talk to them about scientific and team processes. It exposed them to a different way of thinking.

– Michele Korfin, former Celgene executive

When Korfin was at Celgene, “I had multiple male and female mentors who helped me to advance,” she added. “I look forward to bringing that forward at Tyme. We’re a startup, but the company supports me in my efforts — including speaking at panels and working with local New Jersey scholastic programs — to continue to foster diversity. It’s a continual process, and I believe that the life science companies are working to ensure that people from different gender, racial, ethnic, and other backgrounds are represented. A heterogenous team helps to develop a heterogenous way of thinking.”