By Kim Decker, on behalf of WIN (Women in Nutraceuticals)10.10.23
By all accounts, contemporary women keep moving from strength to strength.
Consider a Pew Research Center analysis of government data that showed women now make up more than half the nation’s college-educated workforce—a prominence that’s persisted even through the COVID-19 pandemic.
Or take the results of another Pew report: Not only are young women more likely than young men to be enrolled in college, but women aged 25 and older are also more likely than their male peers to have a 4-year degree.
And according to a 2022 Gusto survey of new business owners, women formed 49% of all startups that … well, started up in 2021.
Given mile-markers like these, “The future is female” seems less a t-shirt slogan than a foregone conclusion. So why, then, and despite all their hard-won gains, are so many female professionals fleeing their STEM-sector jobs?
The question all but begs speculation, and debating it online has become something of a parlor game. But to get to the truth behind the exodus of women from science—and to learn how the nutraceutical industry might win them back—all you have to do is this: Ask women.
When Gotara surveyed more than 13,000 of its members in 160 countries last year, the career-growth platform for women in STEM found that 50% of respondents were fixing to hang up their employee badges and call it quits.
And with females holding only 28% of STEM jobs as it is, per the American Association of University Women, a continuation of this trend could change the face of STEM for generations.
Yet even “lifers” in the STEM space can sympathize with those crowding the off-ramps. “Women wear so many hats—but don’t we all?” said Petra Erlandson, director of sales and marketing, Alkemist Labs. “The difficulty comes when women feel like they have to bear these challenges alone, or hide them to keep up professional appearances.”
Jacqueline Jacques, ND, FTOS, a naturopathic doctor, wellness industry expert and consultant, agreed, acknowledging that though she loves what she does, “The roadblocks have been many over the years. Being marginalized in business settings has been and continues to be a frustration. And while I’ve worked pretty hard to obtain and maintain a seat at the table, it’s often lonely.”
And how. Leena Pradhan-Nabzdyk, PhD, MBA, CEO, cofounder of Canomiks and an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School, recalled the days when “I would go to the lab at 3:30 in the morning on a Sunday to set up an experiment, then go home and then come back again at 7:30 because the experiments were timed.”
And in what might be the understatement of the decade, she added: “That type of schedule can become difficult when you have children and a spouse who also has a demanding career.”
Thus she views women’s decision to leave the ivy halls as “all about the cost-benefit: Academia pays poorly, childcare and eldercare costs have skyrocketed and in academia it’s ‘publish or perish.’ So if a new mom takes time off to be with her newborn, she loses ‘precious’ lab time, can’t publish at the same rate as her male colleagues and therefore doesn’t get grants and isn’t considered for promotion.”
Describing publication rate as “the primary measure of achievement” in academia, she noted that the imperative to keep that number high “creates intense competition as individuals strive to publish as much as possible to advance their careers and attain the position of full professor—the only one that offers stability and a satisfactory salary.”
When the demands of family and motherhood make that pace harder to sustain, publication rates inevitably decline and, “consequently,” Wiebe concluded, “only 30% to 40% of research grants go to women, and only 30% of full professors are women.”
As if that weren’t deflating enough, Yalda Shokooh, PharmD, PhD, director of science and nutrition at NOW, added that “when you’re better at what you do—say, you publish 10 papers per year when you’re only required to publish two, or you score high on student evaluations, or you bring in more grants—you’re rewarded with more work! It’s like having all the struggles of a startup except it’s not your own business.”
“The nutraceutical industry stands out for its flexibility compared to academia,” she declared. “Constantly changing market needs drive product development, innovation is fundamental, and consumers respond quickly as products hit the market in no time.”
Shokooh agreed, adding that the fruits of this “practical, daily-life science” ripen in real time. “Because we work on items that people are using right now,” she explained, “it’s empowering to see how the magic of botanicals, vitamins, and minerals affects our community’s health firsthand. We’re helping people live healthier lives.”
The rewards go beyond such intangibles, as the nutraceutical industry “also offers a lot of opportunity for entrepreneurship,” Jacques noted. “For female scientists with drive, it’s a great space to build something of your own that uniquely leverages your skills.”
As diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) become bottom-line mandates across sectors, “I think we’ve seen this industry embrace these concepts pretty generously,” she added. “This is an industry that’s open to change and rapid adoption of new ideas.”
“But,” she continued, “we have a long way to go in terms of equitable advancement opportunities for women in leadership positions.”
Enabling that advancement isn’t just a matter of signaling virtue; it’s smart business. As Wiebe pointed out, “A workplace becomes significantly more appealing to women when it achieves gender parity in C-suite positions, board memberships, and leadership roles. This balance reduces the likelihood of encountering gender-related obstacles and enhances opportunities for career progression. Ultimately, this serves as a magnet for attracting and retaining female talent.”
“Can employees take a long lunch so they can attend the PTA meeting at their children’s school?” she offered. “Do employees feel comfortable leaving immediately in case of a family emergency, even if their direct manager is in a meeting and they can’t ask? Small gestures like these go a long way and send strong signals of acceptance.”
Alkemist Labs even provides new mothers a private nap room designed specifically for them. An official stop on the company’s facility tour, “It makes a statement to everyone who comes through: employees, vendors, and clients alike,” Erlandson noted.
Rapid action is key, she believes; “in many organizations where that type of behavior is tolerated and allowed to fester and grow, it’s ultimately toxic.”
Jacques advised women entering scientific roles to ensure that the culture of their chosen company “will support them, their skills, and their ability to grow personally and professionally.”
“Look at the whole organization and not just the part you’re joining,” she offered. “Are women on the board? On the advisory board? In senior roles throughout the company? Are members of the R&D, innovation, or other science teams included in cross-functional work related to the business? What’re the opportunities to advance, if that’s your goal?”
“Let’s not forget the foundational issue for all women professionals: equal pay for equal work.”
The gender pay gap in STEM is even wider than in the broader labor market, she noted. The Pew Research Center has calculated median earnings for women in STEM occupations at about 74% that of men: $66,200 compared to $90,000.
Thus, Erlandson said companies “must have a formal salary-review system that prioritizes equal pay for equal work. It’s past time to get over the age-old justification that a man should be paid more because he supports a family when we all know that today many families rely on the woman’s income.”
Women have the right to speak up too. “Value your worth and ask for what you deserve,” Erlandson advised. “It’s well documented that women are less likely to do this than their male counterparts. Don’t settle for 74% of what a man would be paid for the same job!”
The women who spoke for this article implored young scientists to hitch their wagons to a mentor.
“Having a strong connection with a female mentor is probably the single most impactful support female scientists can have,” Erlandson said, as these figures offer valuable insights on “the real-life experiences of other professional women who’ve applied their educations in the commercial or industry sector.”
Wiebe added that mentors can work wonders boosting a young scientist’s confidence in herself. “I think there’s a tendency for women to seek perfection and over-prepare before embracing new challenges,” she said. “What we need are inspiring individuals who believe in us, push us to take that next step and support us when we do. I consider myself incredibly fortunate to have crossed paths with several such remarkable individuals, and now it’s time to pay it forward.”
Ho feels similarly, and believes that a “pipeline for mentors and champions in academia” could change the course of many a female scientist’s career. “I was lucky to have that in my own career,” she said—“someone who gave me advice, but also helped me find opportunities that I didn’t know existed, pushed away some of the barriers, and pushed me into situations that I didn’t think I was ready for, but she did.”
Reflecting on that relationship now, Ho said, “I want my students to work hard, but at the same time I want them to have a life! And I think helping them achieve that balance is part of the mentorship story. I feel great pride in my students’ successes and hope that’ll be my continued impact. I benefited so much from my mentors and want to give back to students and junior faculty.”
Indeed, Women in Nutraceuticals, or WIN, defines its mission as empowering women in nutraceuticals so they can unlock their personal and professional potential—ultimately envisioning a global nutraceutical industry wherein economic and societal equity are the norm.
Erlandson doesn’t just encourage women to take advantage of WIN’s programs that foster mentorships; she encourages nutraceutical companies to do their part by pairing burgeoning women scientists with higher-level female executives.
“Of course, you need high-level women leaders in your company to do this,” she noted, “but mentoring systems can be built informally or through an official company policy, and should start with the lowest-level hires as soon as they join the company. Offering career development opportunities just makes sense from an employee-retention aspect.”
As does footing the bill. “Offer to pay for employees’ WIN memberships so they can benefit from the organization’s career-development programs,” Erlandson urged, noting this has been Alkemist’s policy with its female leaders and laboratory supervisors. “It’s only $100, and covering that expense shows female scientists that their growth and support are priorities.”
Time and again, women prove to be far more than “good” employees. Because female scientists have historically had to work harder to reach the same position as men, Jacques argued, “They tend to have remarkable work ethics. I’ve often had to ‘force’ the women on my team to take vacations and use their PTO because they can’t permit themselves days off. And here’s a pro tip: Take your vacations; you need them.”
It's no wonder that “women-led startups are more successful than male-led startups,” Pradhan-Nabzdyk said. “Women know how to get things done. We do that in our homes and we bring that same can-do attitude to work. Women know how to multitask and work efficiently. We’re great listeners and problem solvers and we have a team mentality. Women can make companies profitable and shareholders happy.”
What more convincing do you need? “We’re at our best when we have a mix of personalities, skills, connections, perspectives, and genders at the table,” Erlandson said. “So much of innovation is collaboration, brainstorming, and problem solving, and it only helps to foster an inclusive environment that empowers and encourages everyone to identify and solve those problems. Why on earth would you want to leave out half the brainpower of the workforce, and the world, by not involving women?”
Petra Erlandson, director of sales and marketing, Alkemist Labs: “My high-school biology teacher was certainly the one who lit my scientific spark. She was just so inspiring and passionate about science! So many of us looked up to her.”
Erlandson also credits a college professor and mentor who “played a big part in my vision to continue in my chemistry degree. She was my anchor.”
Jacqueline Jacques, ND, FTOS, naturopathic doctor, wellness industry expert and consultant: “I was genuinely interested in science from the time I was a small child. My grandfather was a PhD chemist who owned agricultural labs, and I used to play in the lab—probably doing a lot of things that’d be considered very dangerous by modern standards—but I always thought that chemistry was magical.
“That said, going through school, there was very little support for girls studying science unless it was medicine. So I channeled that energy into studying medicine. But when I left medical practice for industry, I found very few women—so few that those of us in the U.S. probably all knew each other. For that reason, all of my mentors were men. I am really especially grateful for those men who gave me early opportunities to learn the skills I eventually leveraged to create and find senior-level roles.”
Emily Ho, PhD, distinguished professor nutrition and endowed director of the Linus Pauling Institute, Oregon State University: “I was fortunate to have an amazing mentor who continues to help me some 30 years later.”
Ho began her undergraduate work with Tammy Bray, PhD, now professor of global health and nutrition and dean emeritus at Oregon State University’s College of Public Health and Human Sciences, and credits Dr. Bray with setting her “on the path of being a scientist and future leader.” Bray inspired Ho to engage with how food and nutrition shape human health and planted the seeds of inquiry that Ho keeps cultivating today.
“Having her as a positive role model and champion has been key to my success and motivation.” And now Ho serves as a role model for others—including her children: “When I received my OSU distinguished-faculty award this year and my family attended my talk, my 16-year-old son said to me on the drive home: ‘Mom, you know, you really are inspiring.’ It brought tears to my eyes. And I felt like I’ve been doing something right, both with my career and raising my boys.”
Leena Pradhan-Nabzdyk, PhD, MBA, CEO, cofounder of Canomiks and an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School: “I grew up in a family of doctors. My father worked for a pharmaceutical company in India, so science was all around me. During my PhD years, I had fabulous mentors who encouraged me to ask the hard questions, never to give up and keep moving forward.”
Now that she’s in a position to mentor young people herself, “I tell my students and postdocs what I was once told: ‘Scientific endeavor is like chasing a black cat in a dark room.’ It takes a lot of patience and grit. There’s no instant gratification. At the same time, though, science is rewarding, especially when you see your hard work being rewarded through publications and translation into medicine. That makes it worth it.”
Yalda Shokooh, PharmD, PhD, director of science and nutrition, NOW: “I loved science from childhood. I loved herbs because my grandma would use them to treat us ‘magically.’ And I loved chemistry, so pharmacy, pharmacognosy, and phytochemistry worked pretty well all along.”
Julia Wiebe, PhD, MBA, founding board director of WIN and managing director of red otc development GmbH, a Finzelberg company: “When I was 14, I was invited to a ‘girls-in-science’ event by Regina Knitter,” a distant relative who also happened to head the research group for fusion ceramics at Karlsruher Institut für Technologie.
“She was the first woman I’d ever met who had a true passion for science, and her dedication left a profound impression on me”—as did the fact that girls even needed their own “special” science event.
“It made me realize the importance of encouraging girls in science.” Later, as a student at AgroParisTech, her internship with Pascale Chavatte-Palmer, now research director at France’s National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment, “opened up a whole new world for me. Dr. Chavatte-Palmer introduced me to the world of research, presented me with genuine challenges, helped me with an internship in Spain and became my friend. It was during this time that I decided to pursue a scientific career aiming to contribute to people’s health. It seemed the perfect mix of meaningful work and a steady stream of new challenges.”
About the Author: Kim Decker writes about food, nutrition and the issues surrounding them from her home in the Bay Area. To learn more, visit her at https://kimdeckerwrites.net/.
Women In Nutraceuticals (WIN) is a 501c3 non-profit organization focused on unlocking the professional and personal potential of women. The organization is igniting a movement to build support for women across the nutraceutical supply chain to help increase the percentage of women holding leadership roles, funding for female-led businesses, and women’s participation in research. Connect with WIN on Linkedin or visit them @ womeninnutraceuticals.org to learn more.
Consider a Pew Research Center analysis of government data that showed women now make up more than half the nation’s college-educated workforce—a prominence that’s persisted even through the COVID-19 pandemic.
Or take the results of another Pew report: Not only are young women more likely than young men to be enrolled in college, but women aged 25 and older are also more likely than their male peers to have a 4-year degree.
And according to a 2022 Gusto survey of new business owners, women formed 49% of all startups that … well, started up in 2021.
Given mile-markers like these, “The future is female” seems less a t-shirt slogan than a foregone conclusion. So why, then, and despite all their hard-won gains, are so many female professionals fleeing their STEM-sector jobs?
The question all but begs speculation, and debating it online has become something of a parlor game. But to get to the truth behind the exodus of women from science—and to learn how the nutraceutical industry might win them back—all you have to do is this: Ask women.
Lonely Road
Much has been made of the Great Resignation’s impact on workers across industries, but the cloud it’s cast over the representation of women in STEM is especially ominous.When Gotara surveyed more than 13,000 of its members in 160 countries last year, the career-growth platform for women in STEM found that 50% of respondents were fixing to hang up their employee badges and call it quits.
And with females holding only 28% of STEM jobs as it is, per the American Association of University Women, a continuation of this trend could change the face of STEM for generations.
Yet even “lifers” in the STEM space can sympathize with those crowding the off-ramps. “Women wear so many hats—but don’t we all?” said Petra Erlandson, director of sales and marketing, Alkemist Labs. “The difficulty comes when women feel like they have to bear these challenges alone, or hide them to keep up professional appearances.”
Jacqueline Jacques, ND, FTOS, a naturopathic doctor, wellness industry expert and consultant, agreed, acknowledging that though she loves what she does, “The roadblocks have been many over the years. Being marginalized in business settings has been and continues to be a frustration. And while I’ve worked pretty hard to obtain and maintain a seat at the table, it’s often lonely.”
Academic Pressure-Cooker
Ascending the ranks of academia can prove even more isolating. “I am seeing a decline in the number of women who stay in research,” noted Emily Ho, PhD, distinguished professor of nutrition and endowed director of the Linus Pauling Institute, Oregon State University. “It’s not enough just to love science anymore. The practical components of being a scientist get in the way.”And how. Leena Pradhan-Nabzdyk, PhD, MBA, CEO, cofounder of Canomiks and an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School, recalled the days when “I would go to the lab at 3:30 in the morning on a Sunday to set up an experiment, then go home and then come back again at 7:30 because the experiments were timed.”
And in what might be the understatement of the decade, she added: “That type of schedule can become difficult when you have children and a spouse who also has a demanding career.”
Thus she views women’s decision to leave the ivy halls as “all about the cost-benefit: Academia pays poorly, childcare and eldercare costs have skyrocketed and in academia it’s ‘publish or perish.’ So if a new mom takes time off to be with her newborn, she loses ‘precious’ lab time, can’t publish at the same rate as her male colleagues and therefore doesn’t get grants and isn’t considered for promotion.”
Publish or Perish
Julia Wiebe, PhD, MBA, managing director of red otc development GmbH, a Finzelberg company, also began her career in academia before transitioning to industry a decade ago, and she’s observed a similar phenomenon.Describing publication rate as “the primary measure of achievement” in academia, she noted that the imperative to keep that number high “creates intense competition as individuals strive to publish as much as possible to advance their careers and attain the position of full professor—the only one that offers stability and a satisfactory salary.”
When the demands of family and motherhood make that pace harder to sustain, publication rates inevitably decline and, “consequently,” Wiebe concluded, “only 30% to 40% of research grants go to women, and only 30% of full professors are women.”
As if that weren’t deflating enough, Yalda Shokooh, PharmD, PhD, director of science and nutrition at NOW, added that “when you’re better at what you do—say, you publish 10 papers per year when you’re only required to publish two, or you score high on student evaluations, or you bring in more grants—you’re rewarded with more work! It’s like having all the struggles of a startup except it’s not your own business.”
Real-Time Rewards
One can understand, then, why women might “seek alternatives that offer a better balance between input and output,” as Wiebe puts it. And as it turns out, Wiebe, like many other women in science, found that balance in nutraceuticals.“The nutraceutical industry stands out for its flexibility compared to academia,” she declared. “Constantly changing market needs drive product development, innovation is fundamental, and consumers respond quickly as products hit the market in no time.”
Shokooh agreed, adding that the fruits of this “practical, daily-life science” ripen in real time. “Because we work on items that people are using right now,” she explained, “it’s empowering to see how the magic of botanicals, vitamins, and minerals affects our community’s health firsthand. We’re helping people live healthier lives.”
We Built This
That sense of public service carries special appeal for women. As Ho said, “We’re inherently giving people. This field is perfect in that we can help figure out really complicated things, and the outcomes help people feel better and live better longer.”The rewards go beyond such intangibles, as the nutraceutical industry “also offers a lot of opportunity for entrepreneurship,” Jacques noted. “For female scientists with drive, it’s a great space to build something of your own that uniquely leverages your skills.”
As diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) become bottom-line mandates across sectors, “I think we’ve seen this industry embrace these concepts pretty generously,” she added. “This is an industry that’s open to change and rapid adoption of new ideas.”
Room for Improvement
That’s been Erlandson’s experience. Having begun her career in the specialty-chemical industry, she suggested the nutraceutical field is “starting in a stronger place than many other technical industries. At least we have a good number of women in our industry. Where I worked before, I was often the only woman in the room.”“But,” she continued, “we have a long way to go in terms of equitable advancement opportunities for women in leadership positions.”
Enabling that advancement isn’t just a matter of signaling virtue; it’s smart business. As Wiebe pointed out, “A workplace becomes significantly more appealing to women when it achieves gender parity in C-suite positions, board memberships, and leadership roles. This balance reduces the likelihood of encountering gender-related obstacles and enhances opportunities for career progression. Ultimately, this serves as a magnet for attracting and retaining female talent.”
Support Structures
Companies can also attract talent by helping female scientists balance work with the rest of their lives. Remote-work opportunities, maternity and paternity support structures, flexibility for those caring for sick or elderly family—“all of it makes a difference,” said Erlandson.“Can employees take a long lunch so they can attend the PTA meeting at their children’s school?” she offered. “Do employees feel comfortable leaving immediately in case of a family emergency, even if their direct manager is in a meeting and they can’t ask? Small gestures like these go a long way and send strong signals of acceptance.”
Alkemist Labs even provides new mothers a private nap room designed specifically for them. An official stop on the company’s facility tour, “It makes a statement to everyone who comes through: employees, vendors, and clients alike,” Erlandson noted.
Culture Counts
As does a company’s culture. “It’s important that companies have an unwavering commitment to setting and enforcing behavior expectations,” Erlandson said, “which includes disciplining and removing employees who behave in degrading or excluding ways towards women, or any staff members.”Rapid action is key, she believes; “in many organizations where that type of behavior is tolerated and allowed to fester and grow, it’s ultimately toxic.”
Jacques advised women entering scientific roles to ensure that the culture of their chosen company “will support them, their skills, and their ability to grow personally and professionally.”
“Look at the whole organization and not just the part you’re joining,” she offered. “Are women on the board? On the advisory board? In senior roles throughout the company? Are members of the R&D, innovation, or other science teams included in cross-functional work related to the business? What’re the opportunities to advance, if that’s your goal?”
“Let’s not forget the foundational issue for all women professionals: equal pay for equal work.”
—Petra Erlandson, Alkemist Labs
Show Us the Money
“Let’s not forget the foundational issue for all women professionals,” Erlandson said: “equal pay for equal work.”The gender pay gap in STEM is even wider than in the broader labor market, she noted. The Pew Research Center has calculated median earnings for women in STEM occupations at about 74% that of men: $66,200 compared to $90,000.
Thus, Erlandson said companies “must have a formal salary-review system that prioritizes equal pay for equal work. It’s past time to get over the age-old justification that a man should be paid more because he supports a family when we all know that today many families rely on the woman’s income.”
Women have the right to speak up too. “Value your worth and ask for what you deserve,” Erlandson advised. “It’s well documented that women are less likely to do this than their male counterparts. Don’t settle for 74% of what a man would be paid for the same job!”
Lean On Me
Until systemic change sweeps the existing STEM pay structure, what’s an up-and-coming scientist’s best bet for starting her career on the right foot today?The women who spoke for this article implored young scientists to hitch their wagons to a mentor.
“Having a strong connection with a female mentor is probably the single most impactful support female scientists can have,” Erlandson said, as these figures offer valuable insights on “the real-life experiences of other professional women who’ve applied their educations in the commercial or industry sector.”
Wiebe added that mentors can work wonders boosting a young scientist’s confidence in herself. “I think there’s a tendency for women to seek perfection and over-prepare before embracing new challenges,” she said. “What we need are inspiring individuals who believe in us, push us to take that next step and support us when we do. I consider myself incredibly fortunate to have crossed paths with several such remarkable individuals, and now it’s time to pay it forward.”
Ho feels similarly, and believes that a “pipeline for mentors and champions in academia” could change the course of many a female scientist’s career. “I was lucky to have that in my own career,” she said—“someone who gave me advice, but also helped me find opportunities that I didn’t know existed, pushed away some of the barriers, and pushed me into situations that I didn’t think I was ready for, but she did.”
Reflecting on that relationship now, Ho said, “I want my students to work hard, but at the same time I want them to have a life! And I think helping them achieve that balance is part of the mentorship story. I feel great pride in my students’ successes and hope that’ll be my continued impact. I benefited so much from my mentors and want to give back to students and junior faculty.”
Leveraging Relationships
She’s hardly alone. “One of the most rewarding things I do these days with increasing frequency is mentor women struggling with career choices and advancement,” Jacques said. “I don’t want other women to feel lonely like I did for so many years. And what’s also rewarding is having a group like WIN to bring us all together.”Indeed, Women in Nutraceuticals, or WIN, defines its mission as empowering women in nutraceuticals so they can unlock their personal and professional potential—ultimately envisioning a global nutraceutical industry wherein economic and societal equity are the norm.
Erlandson doesn’t just encourage women to take advantage of WIN’s programs that foster mentorships; she encourages nutraceutical companies to do their part by pairing burgeoning women scientists with higher-level female executives.
“Of course, you need high-level women leaders in your company to do this,” she noted, “but mentoring systems can be built informally or through an official company policy, and should start with the lowest-level hires as soon as they join the company. Offering career development opportunities just makes sense from an employee-retention aspect.”
As does footing the bill. “Offer to pay for employees’ WIN memberships so they can benefit from the organization’s career-development programs,” Erlandson urged, noting this has been Alkemist’s policy with its female leaders and laboratory supervisors. “It’s only $100, and covering that expense shows female scientists that their growth and support are priorities.”
Stronger Together
“The good news,” Erlandson continued, “is that practical changes that support female professionals actually support all professionals and make a difference in attracting and retaining good employees.”Time and again, women prove to be far more than “good” employees. Because female scientists have historically had to work harder to reach the same position as men, Jacques argued, “They tend to have remarkable work ethics. I’ve often had to ‘force’ the women on my team to take vacations and use their PTO because they can’t permit themselves days off. And here’s a pro tip: Take your vacations; you need them.”
It's no wonder that “women-led startups are more successful than male-led startups,” Pradhan-Nabzdyk said. “Women know how to get things done. We do that in our homes and we bring that same can-do attitude to work. Women know how to multitask and work efficiently. We’re great listeners and problem solvers and we have a team mentality. Women can make companies profitable and shareholders happy.”
What more convincing do you need? “We’re at our best when we have a mix of personalities, skills, connections, perspectives, and genders at the table,” Erlandson said. “So much of innovation is collaboration, brainstorming, and problem solving, and it only helps to foster an inclusive environment that empowers and encourages everyone to identify and solve those problems. Why on earth would you want to leave out half the brainpower of the workforce, and the world, by not involving women?”
Her Story: Women recall their own paths through science, and who helped guide them ...
Petra Erlandson, director of sales and marketing, Alkemist Labs: “My high-school biology teacher was certainly the one who lit my scientific spark. She was just so inspiring and passionate about science! So many of us looked up to her.”
Erlandson also credits a college professor and mentor who “played a big part in my vision to continue in my chemistry degree. She was my anchor.”
Jacqueline Jacques, ND, FTOS, naturopathic doctor, wellness industry expert and consultant: “I was genuinely interested in science from the time I was a small child. My grandfather was a PhD chemist who owned agricultural labs, and I used to play in the lab—probably doing a lot of things that’d be considered very dangerous by modern standards—but I always thought that chemistry was magical.
“That said, going through school, there was very little support for girls studying science unless it was medicine. So I channeled that energy into studying medicine. But when I left medical practice for industry, I found very few women—so few that those of us in the U.S. probably all knew each other. For that reason, all of my mentors were men. I am really especially grateful for those men who gave me early opportunities to learn the skills I eventually leveraged to create and find senior-level roles.”
Emily Ho, PhD, distinguished professor nutrition and endowed director of the Linus Pauling Institute, Oregon State University: “I was fortunate to have an amazing mentor who continues to help me some 30 years later.”
Ho began her undergraduate work with Tammy Bray, PhD, now professor of global health and nutrition and dean emeritus at Oregon State University’s College of Public Health and Human Sciences, and credits Dr. Bray with setting her “on the path of being a scientist and future leader.” Bray inspired Ho to engage with how food and nutrition shape human health and planted the seeds of inquiry that Ho keeps cultivating today.
“Having her as a positive role model and champion has been key to my success and motivation.” And now Ho serves as a role model for others—including her children: “When I received my OSU distinguished-faculty award this year and my family attended my talk, my 16-year-old son said to me on the drive home: ‘Mom, you know, you really are inspiring.’ It brought tears to my eyes. And I felt like I’ve been doing something right, both with my career and raising my boys.”
Leena Pradhan-Nabzdyk, PhD, MBA, CEO, cofounder of Canomiks and an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School: “I grew up in a family of doctors. My father worked for a pharmaceutical company in India, so science was all around me. During my PhD years, I had fabulous mentors who encouraged me to ask the hard questions, never to give up and keep moving forward.”
Now that she’s in a position to mentor young people herself, “I tell my students and postdocs what I was once told: ‘Scientific endeavor is like chasing a black cat in a dark room.’ It takes a lot of patience and grit. There’s no instant gratification. At the same time, though, science is rewarding, especially when you see your hard work being rewarded through publications and translation into medicine. That makes it worth it.”
Yalda Shokooh, PharmD, PhD, director of science and nutrition, NOW: “I loved science from childhood. I loved herbs because my grandma would use them to treat us ‘magically.’ And I loved chemistry, so pharmacy, pharmacognosy, and phytochemistry worked pretty well all along.”
Julia Wiebe, PhD, MBA, founding board director of WIN and managing director of red otc development GmbH, a Finzelberg company: “When I was 14, I was invited to a ‘girls-in-science’ event by Regina Knitter,” a distant relative who also happened to head the research group for fusion ceramics at Karlsruher Institut für Technologie.
“She was the first woman I’d ever met who had a true passion for science, and her dedication left a profound impression on me”—as did the fact that girls even needed their own “special” science event.
“It made me realize the importance of encouraging girls in science.” Later, as a student at AgroParisTech, her internship with Pascale Chavatte-Palmer, now research director at France’s National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment, “opened up a whole new world for me. Dr. Chavatte-Palmer introduced me to the world of research, presented me with genuine challenges, helped me with an internship in Spain and became my friend. It was during this time that I decided to pursue a scientific career aiming to contribute to people’s health. It seemed the perfect mix of meaningful work and a steady stream of new challenges.”
About the Author: Kim Decker writes about food, nutrition and the issues surrounding them from her home in the Bay Area. To learn more, visit her at https://kimdeckerwrites.net/.
Women In Nutraceuticals (WIN) is a 501c3 non-profit organization focused on unlocking the professional and personal potential of women. The organization is igniting a movement to build support for women across the nutraceutical supply chain to help increase the percentage of women holding leadership roles, funding for female-led businesses, and women’s participation in research. Connect with WIN on Linkedin or visit them @ womeninnutraceuticals.org to learn more.
