October 12, 2023
Pfizer’s Pearl River research site celebrated a historic milestone this August with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of a pioneering maternal vaccine to help protect infants through 6 months against Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV). The achievement represents a breakthrough in the fight against the potentially deadly virus, but it holds special significance for another reason: the effort was led by an all-female leadership team at Pfizer.
The leadership team at Pfizer’s Pearl River site, a global hub for vaccine research and development, consists of five distinguished women scientists. In the STEM field where women comprise approximately 35 percent of the workforce, according to a recent report from the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES)[1], Pearl River’s leadership is both championing medical advancements and demonstrating the impact of diversity and inclusion in a historically male-dominated field.
Dr. Annaliesa Anderson, who leads Vaccine Research and Development at Pfizer, recently noted that “there is now more of an openness to having a diverse team in leadership positions.”
Early in her career, she said she was often the only woman scientist attending conferences and delivering lectures.
Now, she said, that’s rarely the case.
Reversing Historic Disparities
The team at Pearl River, a storied R&D facility, leads 15 active clinical development programs, advancing medical breakthroughs while redefining the face of leadership in the pharmaceutical world.
Much of that success has been driven by female leadership.
“When I moved into the industry, all of my bosses were males and the leadership in my previous company were mostly males. So, it’s really refreshing coming here to Pfizer to be in this all female leadership crew,” Vice President of Viral Vaccines, Pirada Suphaphiphat Allen said recently in an interview with colleagues Iona Munjal, Executive Director of Clinical Research and Development and Kena Swanson, Vice President of Viral Vaccines.
The leadership group also includes Dr. Alejandra Gurtman, Senior Vice President of Clinical Research and Development.
Unfortunately, this collection of women leaders is all too rare in STEM. Women are underrepresented across the field, from college classrooms to leadership roles in the industry, according to a recent study from the National Science Foundation.
Pfizer, a global leader in vaccines and medicine, aims to reverse these historic disparities. The company has a ‘Growing STEM Futures’ mentorship program that provides a variety of opportunities to enable women to consider and compete for leadership positions across divisions. Of course, Pfizer values diversity in the broadest sense when considering colleagues and applicants for roles across the enterprise.
Preparing for the Future
The vaccines team at Pearl River continues on its quest to research and develop new vaccines to tackle potentially deadly infectious diseases and prepare for the future by making investments in innovative technologies and advanced capabilities, while continuing to build teams that will allow Pfizer to transform global health.
“Unlike ever before, we now have more choices to use the best technology for any given vaccine target, such as the mRNA platform, polysaccharide conjugation technology and recombinant protein technology,” said Pirada Suphaphiphat Allen.
“We’re developing potential vaccines across different therapeutic areas, and we target disease states to work on that have the most potential benefit from a public health perspective. Our world-renowned vaccine experts are critical to advancing Pfizer’s promising pipeline of innovative vaccine candidates and delivering new scientific breakthroughs,” said Kena Swanson.
Together, these women scientists are making a significant impact.
National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES). Diversity and STEM: Women, Minorities, and Persons with Disabilities 2023. Available at ncses.nsf.gov. Accessed October 5, 2023
Forward-looking statements included herein are subject to substantial risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements. We encourage you to read our reports filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including the sections captioned “Risk Factors” and “Forward Looking Information and Factors that May Affect Future Results,” for a description of such substantial risks and uncertainties. These reports are available at pfizer.com and the SEC’s website.