Women hold less than 30% of jobs in science and technology fields. So what’s it like for women who are
in these roles today? Women leaders at Verily share their experiences and what they want others to
know about pursuing science careers.
What inspired you to pursue a STEM career?
“Curiosity was my biggest inspiration, but key mentors I met throughout my journey are the biggest reason
I got involved in STEM as a career.”
- Angela DiCiccio, Product Engineer
“Curiosity to solve the unsolved.”
- Dr. Meghna Beotra, Finance BI Analyst
“I love learning how things work! Biology gives me a deeper appreciation of my own precarious existence
and leaves me in continuous awe of the complexity and balance of the natural world.”
- Zoey Ferguson, Research Associate
“I had so many small nudges in that direction - a math award in second grade, a visit to my grandparents
in sixth grade during which my grandfather pulled out a binary logic workbook to entertain me,
a dad who was hopeless with anything mechanical and left me to install new light fixtures,
replace car radios, and repair broken door knobs. I also had fabulous math teachers in middle and high
school. Most importantly was probably all the history books my parents bought for me and the weeks
I spent at law camp. I was definitely not going to follow in my parents' footsteps and become an attorney.”
- Caitlin Donhowe, Software Engineer, Surgical Analytics
“My mom and my dad, who are both graduates in mathematics and successful in banking. I was very lucky
to have been born in an educational culture where I could not perceive any difference between genders or
being pushed to gender-based careers until I reached undergrad engineering school. My parents treated
my elder brother and I the exact same way in inspiring us both to study and take on STEM careers.”
- Nivi Arumugam, Head of Sensors Engineering
“I followed my insatiable curiosity down a STEM path so I could discover how things work and have fun
coming up with clever solutions to complicated problems.”
- Nursen Ogutveren-Armea, Software Engineer
“In high school I wanted to either become a doctor or journalist because I wanted to understand health and
share that information with the masses. I found public health in undergrad while volunteering as a sex
educator in Chicago Public Schools while witnessing stark health disparities; I knew I wanted to do
something about it. I worked in a variety of research roles both in academia and evaluating community
health programs with the goal of improving public health.”
- Jaclyn Shea, MPH User Experience Researcher
What do you want women and girls to know about STEM careers?
“It's okay to not have a plan and follow your passion - that's how you'll change the world the most. Highest
of all though, don't doubt your passion, continually work on communication, and have fun!”
“There is no such thing as a silly question. Ask to quench your thirst for knowledge.”
“It turns out that you don't have to choose between practicing science and creativity! Many of the best
scientific ideas and insights come from people who practice creativity in their personal and professional
life.”
They are so varied - I started in mechanical engineering because it seemed the most approachable for
someone who didn't have access to coding or robotics or AP physics classes in high school, and to be
honest, it wasn't a great fit. It's been a gradual migration ever since, figuring out which bits of each class/job
I like best and trying to get more of those bits in my next class/job. Nearly two decades later I'm deep in
algorithms and big data and there is no technical drawing in my life. I'm much happier for it!”
- Caitlin Donhowe - Software Engineer, Surgical Analytics
“STEM careers are very gratifying and shape the present and future of the world. Every day at work is fun,
provides ample opportunities for encountering new experiences and enjoying the best of life. There is never
a dull moment.”
“STEM isn't for one particular ‘type’ of girl. STEM is for everyone, so don't rule it out too quickly! Whether
you think you're ‘good at math’ or you think you're ‘more of an artsy type’ there's a fulfilling career for you in
a STEM field, because there are as many different ways to be creative and solve problems as there are
problems to solve!”
“STEM is diverse! I've conducted qualitative and quantitative research in public health and tech. There is no single path, but rather many ways to one's passion related to STEM to making the world a better place. I went from conducting research on taboo topics (sex, HIV, transgender healthcare) to researching how to design and improve healthcare products like patient apps and medical devices.”
Why is it important for women to be represented in STEM?
“STEM fields are magical forums for learning, collaboration, and exploration but will only thrive with
diversity!”
“Every mind counts when the world is working to answer questions. Women can contribute immensely by
bringing in their perspective and contributing to a pool of ideas.”
“Having badass STEM women around me reminds me that women can do incredible things because of their gender, not despite it. Any level of added diversity richens the wealth of perspectives, and the historical lack of a female presence in STEM makes it all the more meaningful.”
“Because they have so much to add! We can develop better products if we have diverse teams to develop them.
And the flip side of that, because there are women who are happiest in STEM jobs! My grandmother bemoaned the fact that my husband doesn't earn enough for me to stay home with our kids. I would be desperately unhappy at home with our kids!”
“Women make up more than half of the world and the world is shaped by STEM industries. It is imperative
for women's decisions, actions and perspectives to equally change how the world is and will be. The world
will be a better place with equal representation of all of its inhabitants in areas of influence and power.”
“People who work in STEM define the choices for everyone. What products are available at Target? What
medicine is available at the pharmacy? What apps are available on your phone? People in STEM create
these options. Women need to be in STEM roles to make sure there are options that work for us, and so
that there are solutions to problems women are uniquely positioned to see and understand.”
“We all see the world through our own experiences. When only men are in STEM they research and design
with themselves in mind as the default. The incredible book Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World
Designed For Men thoroughly details how our world is biased against women because men have
traditionally created products and services. The more diverse perspectives we have in STEM, the more
research and products will be inclusive to women and other oppressed communities.”
Vaccines are a powerful tool for recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic. In order for the vaccines to be effective, public trust and effective distribution are critical. Experts estimate that about 70% of the U.S. population will need to receive the vaccine in order to achieve herd immunity and start to return to normal life.
The U.S. vaccination program faces a number of challenges, and much more work remains to be done on tackling both the efficiency of distribution and vaccine hesitancy. By studying both aspects of the vaccine campaigns, Project Baseline’s research goal is to gain insights that can help support a smooth rollout.
The Baseline COVID-19 Research Project is launching new online research activities focused on:
Vaccine sentiments: participants’ thoughts, feelings, and perceptions of vaccination
Vaccine usage: date, dosage, and other key information about vaccination, for those able to receive a vaccine
Given widespread disinformation, understanding the perceptions of COVID-19 vaccines is a particularly urgent priority. Within our own research community, understanding members’ feelings and open questions can provide guidance where we can help by providing relevant scientific information. We’re surveying the more than 150,000 members of the community to learn sentiments across different demographic groups, including any concerns and how informed they feel to make the decision to receive the vaccine.
We’re also tracking vaccine uptake and usage within the community. There are currently three vaccines from Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson and Johnson, respectively, approved to use in the U.S., and that number may increase. After vaccines are available, a standard part of the clinical research process involves continuing to monitor how people do over the long term. Our research is intended to help generate data about the rollout itself by tracking which vaccines people receive, demographics of vaccine recipients, any side effects like arm pain, and adherence to returning for the second dose.
We look forward to sharing the results with the community. To learn more about or sign up for the COVID-19 Research Project, visit our website.
2020 was a year like no other. In the face of the greatest public health challenge in a century, the Baseline team was honored to play a part in supporting public health experts, researchers, and communities in their efforts to address the pandemic. While the year was difficult for many, we remained inspired by the research participants who make Baseline possible. Here are our predictions for what’s on the horizon for 2021, and top five moments of 2020.
“In 2021, many countries will begin vaccination programs that will hopefully provide a powerful tool in combating the pandemic. At Baseline, we will continue to support research and trials to better understand COVID-19 and support treatments and vaccines.”
- Casimir Starsiak, Lead, Project Baseline
“Organizations that do clinical research have a common vision for the future: a more patient-centric world where research is accessible to everyone. To make that vision a reality, we need systems that talk to one another, enable real-world data capture, and help us understand that data in new ways. One of our 2021 goals at Baseline is to continue building a unified platform that helps researchers deliver the experience patients need, while conducting high-quality science.”
- Jelena Pjesivac-Grbovic, Head of Engineering, Project Baseline
“COVID-19 has accelerated the adoption of telehealth and virtual care. We anticipate that telemedicine will remain a significant part of medical practice into 2021 and beyond. We also believe that in the coming years, we’ll see a similar movement in clinical research.
Project Baseline was created to bring the benefits of greater accessibility and technologically-enabled participation to research and care. We look forward to continuing to build on that momentum and making research participation easier and more rewarding.”
- Jessica Mega, Chief Medical and Scientific Officer, Verily
Baseline’s Top 5 2020 Highlights
5. Baseline COVID-19 Testing Program Launch- In the early days of this pandemic, it was clear that COVID-19 was overwhelming countries. As a group of scientists, clinicians, and engineers, we began to contemplate what we could do to support a critical public health crisis.
In conversation with federal, state, and county agencies, we heard about the primary roadblocks to respond, including scalable risk screening and testing capacity. We were asked by the agencies to contribute however we could, and moved with great urgency to develop The Baseline COVID-19 Testing Program. This required a foundational system that enables secure collection and storage of health information, and we used the existing Project Baseline platform, which is purpose-built for this use. More than 1.7 million individuals have received testing through the Baseline COVID-19 Testing Program, which streamlines the process from screening to testing to return of results.
The Baseline COVID-19 Testing Program supports community-based testing across 15 states.
4. Baseline COVID-19 Research Project - We launched the Baseline COVID-19 Research Project in order to advance the scientific understanding of COVID-19. Participants who choose to join have access to relevant clinical studies and research activities, which may include scientific research and testing of new tools, treatments or interventions.
One of our first initiatives, Baseline Antibody Research, focused on the human immune response to infection. To learn more about the results from this research, check out this video.
3. Building resilience together - A core part of our mission is making research easily accessible to people, and providing them with useful information that can help them live healthier lives. Members of our research communities complete regular online research activities on health topics that can range from habits to feelings and emotions.
During the pandemic, the Baseline community reported increased emotional strain. We called upon our mental health experts, Danielle Schlosser, PhD, Senior Clinical Scientist and Alanna Robinson, LICSW, Mental Health Coach, to lead a virtual event for Baseline members focused on building resilience and coping with adversity. If you missed the event, you can watch the video here.
2. First research grants - Research Goes Red, a collaboration between the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women and Project Baseline, has awarded two grants to researchers to engage women as partners in research. The studies are focused on:
Exploring women’s health at the intersection of menopause, weight and health habits.
Understanding connections between social media use, health information and heart disease in millennial women.
We look forward to sharing more about the studies, including eligibility criteria, in 2021.
1. Launching new research opportunities - While we have a comprehensive map of the world, we don’t yet have an equally detailed understanding of all areas of human health. This year, we aimed to fill in more of the human health map. To learn more about open opportunities, you can visit projectbaseline.com.
To our participants, now more than ever, we thank you for your contributions to helping us all lead healthier lives. We look forward to discovering even more together in the years to come.
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