Black excellence in biotech: Shaping the future of an industry

Established in 1976, Black History Month is a time to reflect on the contributions to society by Black pioneers, many of whom still make an impact today.
 
In 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination in public places, including schools and places of employment. Title VII, the equal employment opportunity law, focused on ending discrimination by private employers.
 
Now, industries including STEM have developed their own diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, programs. These initiatives ensure that minority groups have a fair chance at employment and that internal company culture respects talent diversity.

 

Why does DEI matter?

 
Imagine a biotechnology company staffed by only biochemists who graduated the same year from the same school. Their approach to scientific problems would likely be very similar, not resulting in innovative ideas compared to the sector at large.
 
Now imagine a company with a diversity of scientific backgrounds as well as gender, disability status and race or ethnicity. This company culture inspires conversations from many points of view and novel solutions.
 
A recent study by the consulting firm McKinsey & Company showed that companies with high gender and ethnic diversity outperform those without by 25% and 36% respectively in profitability. Furthermore, a review by Deloitte revealed that organizations with inclusive cultures are three times more likely to be high-performing and eight times more likely to achieve better business outcomes compared to their homogenous counterparts.
 
These studies and others show that an organization must have equality and diversity of employment not only for the well-being of their employees, but also to increase revenue and consumer trust.
 

History marches forward

 
Black researchers who made incredible impacts on science often continued their legacy by creating programs for the Black scientists who came after them.
 
In 2022, I wrote an article about Julia Hardin, a Black scientist who joined the Los Alamos National Laboratory in 1964. Hardin used isotopic experiments to discover the functional relationship between histones and DNA. She also advocated for increased representation and pay for women at LANL, elevating female research assistants including herself into staff scientist positions. In the 1990s, she became the director of the HBCU Education Program that directly recruited Black STEM students into internships at LANL.
 
One of those students was Michelle Lee who is currently a health physicist at LANL. Like her predecessor, Lee researches and manages a program for young Black scientists. The Research on the Science & Engineering of Signatures program recruits Black scientists from HBCUs and other minority-serving institutions for internship positions at LANL.
 
Freeman A. Hrabowski, president emeritus of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, also has a passion for increasing Black representation in science. As UMBC’s provost in 1988, he co-founded the Meyerhoff Scholars Program, designed to prepare Black students for research careers. Today, the program is a national model for increasing diversity in the sciences.
 
Former ASBMB Today contributor Martina G. Efeyini wrote an observance of Black History Month in 2022 that spotlighted multiple Black scientists who amplify Black voices. Two of those scientists, Sigourney Bell and Henry Henderson III, collaborated on the #BlackInCancer hashtag on social media in 2020.
 
The hashtag that encouraged support of Black cancer researchers has expanded into the Black in Cancer organization. This group funds postdoctoral fellowships, science communication awards and international conferences all in support of future Black scientists in cancer research.
 

Models of success

 
Black people comprise 12.8% of the total workforce but only 7.7% of the scientific research and development sector.
 
This number is increasing as more companies focus on DEI. Biotech companies have collectively increased their Black and minority workforces. Of all biotech companies, 85%  rate DEI as an important area of strategic focus, and 40% of all employees are nonwhite.
 
Thermo Fisher Scientific uses a diversity and inclusion program that leans heavily on employee feedback. An annual survey on inclusion and leadership ensures that the company hears every voice. Thermo Fisher also has Business Resource Groups encompassing employees of African heritage, employees with disabilities and LGBTQIA+ employees, to name a few. These focus groups allow people of shared identities to collaborate and identify company culture areas that may need improvement.
 
Biogen, a biotechnology company that researches and develops medicine, also employs an Employee Resource Group model of DEI. Biogen also emphasizes the importance of purchasing from suppliers owned or operated by underrepresented minorities.
 
Diversity programs exist outside of biotech corporations too. They can have a direct impact on funding universities and creating talent pools.
 
In 2017, U.S. Rep. Alma Adams, D-N.C. created the HBCU Partnership Challenge. This initiative aims to strengthen public–private investments in historically Black colleges and universities, or HBCUs, and increase HBCU graduate hiring.
 
Black scientists interested in joining the pharmaceutical and biotech sector can join organizations tailored to their career goals. Black Pharma is a professional growth organization that works to curate employment opportunities for Black scientists. Black Pharma holds annual summits and networking social events to emphasize community and professional relationships between.
 

Empowering Black scientists today

 
Remembering the impact of historical Black scientists must pair with uplifting the Black scientists of tomorrow.
 
The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology supports the Black and underrepresented scientists of today and tomorrow with an extensive DEI program and career resources for early-career scientists.
 
The IMAGE grant writing workshop, supported by the National Science Foundation and ASBMB’s Maximizing Access Committee, provides an in-person workshop and networking opportunity for tenure-track postdoctoral students and assistant professors.
 
Postdoctoral researchers awarded the National Institutes of Health Maximizing Opportunities for Scientific and Academic Independent Careers, or MOSAIC, award can participate in ASBMB’s program for MOSAIC scholars. This program pairs MOSAIC scholars with established mentors, providing five years of career development support, including training in lab management and student mentorship.
 
ASBMB also directly provides funding opportunities to support underrepresented students. The Marion B. Sewer Distinguished Scholarship for Undergraduates provides funding toward tuition and related educational costs for undergraduate ASBMB members with a commitment to enhancing diversity in science.
 
ASBMB members at every level can play a role in supporting Black scientists and the diversity of their workplaces. Every contribution, including providing one-on-one mentorship in the IMAGE or MOSAIC programs and policy advocacy at the state or national level supports a stronger, innovative scientific workforce.
 
Celebrate and uplift Black voices in science not only during Black History Month, but every day. Together, we can ensure that the next generation of Black scientists will have their talents recognized.