Women in Pharmaceutical Science Community

Aparna Kasinath PhD

TFM and Head-Regulated Bioanalytical Laboratories

Clinical Development

Bangalore, India

Email: [email protected]

What was the biggest challenge that you faced in your career? How did you overcome that?

The biggest challenge I had was to maintain a work-life balance. I used to strive for every day to be balanced and be disappointed often. After about a decade as a working professional, I gave up my need to strike a balance. I began prioritizing work and life when necessary. It was OK not to have it all in one day, week, or month. With this practice, I discovered a working professional's Nirvana.

Do you have experience receiving mentoring? If you do, what is the best advice that you have received from a mentor?

I attribute my growth to the senior leaders I worked with, who have advised me and helped me achieve my goals. One of the best pieces of advice I have received is that when I make a mistake, the first step to correcting it is to forgive myself and accept my vulnerability. The rest will follow.

When you look back at your career, would you have done anything differently?

When I look back at my career, I would not have done anything differently. I am thankful I have been in the right place at the right time. More than 17 years ago, when regulated large molecule bioanalytical sciences was an evolving field in India, I worked with some great scientific leaders and global KOLs in ligand-binding assay and cell-based neutralizing antibody assays for key therapeutics. They helped me establish one of the country's first regulated bioanalytical large molecule laboratories. I have been very fortunate to have many opportunities to contribute directly to unmet patient needs.

Can you share two tips for early career professionals on how to develop their careers successfully?

The following has worked for me, and I hope it will work for early career professionals too:

• Consistency, commitment and hard work are crucial to success. Long-term rewards never come in short-term packages.
• Do not hesitate to step in and contribute when you see an obvious gap or an opportunity to make a difference. Learning from this experience will take you a long way.

What message would you like to give the women in the Pharm Sci field? What do you feel is the best way women can help each other in this field?

The scientific field today is filled with exciting challenges and high expectations. Being a working professional in life sciences today requires a commitment to lifelong learning, persistence and resilience both for women and men.

I would advise women to keep their circle of family and friends close because they are an invaluable support network. Do not hesitate to ask them for help and encourage them, in turn, to ask you for your help. Remember that every family has stresses and strains at different times.

One of the ways women can help each other at work is by giving each other growth opportunities and supporting each other to juggle family commitments. In addition, coaching/mentoring young women in science, based on our life examples will help retain some of our best talents. 

What does it mean to be a woman in science in your country?

India is a thriving scientific hub that supports learning and growth. Therefore, being a woman in science in India was a natural career choice for me and I am sure that there are many other young girls and women with the same aspiration in the country.

India has produced some of the finest women in science who have made a difference in global health, technology, and innovation and made our country proud. One of them is Dr. Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Chairperson of Syngene, and a self-made, highly successful scientific entrepreneur. She has not let any cultural stereotypes get in her way. She is bold, smart, well informed. I have been very fortunate to work closely with Kiran and she has been an inspiration throughout my career.