Inspirational Women in STEM and Tech: Dr Donna Skerrett of Paradigm Biopharmaceuticals On The 5 Leadership Lessons She Learned From Her Experience
An Interview With Candice Georgiadis
Lesson one-”Show up.” Many years ago, a boss told me regardless of what you see as the value of a meeting or committee, “Show up.”
As a part of our series about “Lessons From Inspirational Women in STEM and Tech”, we had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Donna Skerrett.
Dr. Donna Skerrett is the Chief Medical Officer at Paradigm Biopharmaceuticals. Dr. Donna Skerrett, joined the Paradigm team in September 2019. Dr. Skerrett, has more than 30 years’ experience in transfusion medicine, cellular therapy, and regenerative medicine. Dr. Skerrett was the Chief Medical Officer of Mesoblast a stem cell development company from 2011–2019. She was Director of Transfusion Medicine and Cellular Therapy at Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York from 2004–2011 and prior to that was Associate Director of Transfusion Medicine at Columbia University’s New York-Presbyterian Hospital. She has previously chaired the New York State Governor’s Council on Blood and Transfusion Service and served on the Board of Directors of the Fox Chase Cancer Center. She currently serves in an advisory role on the Board of Visitors for the Lewis Katz School of Medicine of Temple University.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
I moved from a hospital transfusion medicine practice to research centered on the outcome of a meaningful collaboration. I was always eager to find new solutions to medical problems, especially when we physicians had nothing more to offer our patients. Going into clinical research and drug development allowed me to work on new solutions for diseases and conditions with unmet needs.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began at your company?
At Paradigm Biopharmaceuticals, I immersed myself in learning about our lead product and its broad mechanisms of action. I discovered the long history of using our drug to manage osteoarthritis pain in domestic animals- dogs, cats, horses, and even monkeys and how Veterinarians have managed animals with a drug that is not accessible to humans for this indication. This finding encouraged me to pursue our course of registration for an arthritis indication in humans as we are currently doing.
It has been said that our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
I believe one common mistake is assuming that our communications are well understood. A client told me that a video provided a clearer understanding of our product after many years of slides and conversations. That experience taught me to break down our story and messages into pieces that put together a visual understanding.
What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?
People, common goals, and clarity around achieving those goals make a company stand out. At Paradigm, we decided in every interaction to define our values and objectives and demonstrate those values. This allows us to work well together across many countries and time zones and trust our colleagues and communicate well remotely.
Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?
I am very excited about our work with Zilosul®, our Osteoarthritis drug that is a non-opioid injectable that lasts weeks to months and has been shown to be well tolerated to date. Zilosul® manages pain in osteoarthritis and other indications such as the rare mucopolysaccharidoses. We are confirming these initial observations in controlled clinical trials. I look forward to the challenge of bringing a meaningful improvement to patients suffering from these conditions.
Ok super. Thank you for all that. Let’s now shift to the main focus of our interview. Are you currently satisfied with the status quo regarding women in STEM? What specific changes do you think are needed to change the status quo?
I am encouraged by the increasing representation of women in STEM. Women, especially young students, need to be more aware of other females excelling in STEM. Such role models make a huge difference when considering whether to go into a specific field.
In your opinion, what are the biggest challenges faced by women in STEM or Tech that aren’t typically faced by their male counterparts? What would you suggest to address this?
Women’s most significant challenges are often related to interruptions for family care. We need to support family care for students and workers and remove the insecurity surrounding leaving work for a family issue. As leaders in the field, we must ensure we value our colleagues and strategically manage our business to function well throughout absences. We must also implement some of our learnings from the pandemic and allow flexible working arrangements in STEM training and careers.
What are the “myths” that you would like to dispel about being a woman in STEM or Tech. Can you explain what you mean?
The worst myth is that women don’t have the intellectual aptitude or are not cut out for a career in STEM. This is why role models are crucial for mentoring students and for enlightening colleagues who may hold on to certain myths and not see female contributions as profound and valuable as those of male contributors.
What are your “5 Leadership Lessons I Learned From My Experience as a Woman in STEM or Tech,” and why. (Please share a story or example for each.)
Lesson one-”show up.” Many years ago, a boss told me regardless of what you see as the value of a meeting or committee, “show up.”
Lesson two-”show up prepared.” The same boss- read the agenda, minutes, and extra materials to understand the content.
Lesson three- “Read, Read, Read”- It is always surprising to me how information comes together unexpectedly. For example, understanding a chemical reaction can help support new drug use.
Lesson four- “Speak Up” -This took years for me to accomplish. Share thoughts without regard to what others will think or say- Interactions solve challenges, reticence does not. We can’t move forward if we hold on to ideas.
Lesson five- “Close disagreements with respectful acknowledgments” Try to leave interactions with acknowledgments of dissenting opinions and plans for follow-up.
What advice would you give to other women leaders to help their team thrive?
Respectfully listen and encourage the team to work together. I try not to introduce competition within the team and communicate broadly so all are aware of the objectives, changes, and new challenges we face.
What advice would you give to other women leaders about the best way to manage a large team?
Be yourself, tap into your strengths to develop your leadership style. Find people who complement you and each other for an effective and productive team.
None of us can achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person you are grateful to who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
I have had many outstanding teachers, mentors, and role models. The person to whom I will always be most grateful is my father. He practiced pathology and was chairman of Pathology for the VA Hospital in Philadelphia. Dad clarified that academic achievement and career success were meant for men and women. Although he experienced many obstacles and difficulties in his career, especially when many hospitals would not hire physicians of color for leadership positions, he taught me how to move forward no matter what. He provided my favorite quote, “Keep on, Keeping on.”
How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?
I hope I bring goodness to the world through every interaction, whether individual or organized. I see success as a conduit to encourage others. For many years I have worked with a high school mentoring program to encourage students to aim for and complete a college education to enter successful careers. I also work with my alma mater, Lewis Katz School of Medicine, through the board of visitors and various initiatives.
You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
I believe we each have an individual pathway to success, and as a female scientist and entrepreneur, I support and encourage STEM. But bringing good to most people comes from seeing each other as all worthy of happiness and success. No job is too big or too small to be meaningful and successful. I hope that if we each find our value and share our success through everyday goodness with others, we can provide respect and hope to many people.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
Keep on, Keeping on- will always be my favorite quote. It provides purpose to each day.
We are very blessed that very prominent leaders read this column. Is there a person in the world or the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them 🙂
I recently watched a documentary about Serena William’s pregnancy and return to sports. She struggled through some medical issues and then worked hard to re-enter competitive tennis. I greatly respect her drive and discipline.
Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.
Inspirational Women in STEM and Tech: Dr Donna Skerrett of Paradigm Biopharmaceuticals On The 5… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.