Get Involved – Diverse Connections in Bay Area Biotech

Our mission is to accelerate careers and facilitate life science innovation in the Bay Area. We also recognize that BCBA shares a responsibility to advance access for people from all perspectives in order to create a more equitable biotech ecosystem. Therefore, we aim to include more diverse stakeholders by increasing the training and networking opportunities for underrepresented minority scientists. To support a more inclusive community, we are working on a variety of initiatives in 2021 and would love for you to be involved in creating the new generation of biotech leaders. Please email tobias.schmid@biotechconnectionbay.org to join our mentorship program or if you are interested in being a part of the leadership for any of our diversity initiatives.

How can you help?

  1. Mentorship program: < (2 hrs: once/month March – June 2021) >  We are looking for BCBA mentors for our new mentorship program for local Bay Area community college students from underrepresented backgrounds. This Spring, we are collaborating with Biotech Partners to host monthly workshops/panels with a cohort of students to teach them about biotech as a business model. We plan to facilitate functional workshops (creating linked-in profiles, entrepreneurship skills, etc…) and demonstrate the different paths that lead to a career in biotech. Your expertise would be invaluable to the students as a new member of their professional network. 
  2. Climate survey: < (5 min: once/year) > We performed our first climate survey and are listening to what you have to say. We plan to specifically target our DEI initiatives to increase diversity in our organization at all levels. Please take our survey if you have not yet responded or check out the current results. 
  3. Diversity seminar series: < (1 hr: quarterly) > We formed a coalition of biotech clubs at universities across the country to combine our efforts promoting diversity in biotech. You are invited to attend our National Diversity in Biotech Seminar Series that will be hosted quarterly throughout the year. The first seminar will be in March; details TBA. 
  4. Internship program: We are creating internships with Bay Area biotech-related companies which will provide hands-on career training for local community college students. Our internship program creates one-year paid positions in venture capital companies, intellectual property law firms, and more to expose students to multiple career paths within the biotech industry. 
  5. STEM connections: We are collaborating with diversity in STEM organizations across UCSF, Berkeley, and Stanford to extend our communications to more underrepresented graduate students/postdocs for BCBA consulting projects. 
  6. Howard University partnership: We have partnered with Howard University, a historically Black research university in Washington DC. Howard students will be joining consultant teams and will gain access to the training opportunities offered by BCBA. 
  7. Join the DEI leadership team: Would you like to take an active role in driving our DEI initiatives? The more perspectives the better; Please email us!

Our Partners

1. Diversify Biotech

We are part of a collaboration with BCBA, Harvard Biotech Club, MIT Biotech Group, GRO Biotech, and Stanford Biotech Group. Our biotechnology student organization leaders from across the United States have come together in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter Movement to create a coalition to address racism in the biomedical sciences ecosystem. We are committed to creating a lasting change in the conversation around anti-racism in our industry. Read our joint statement, get involved with our resources, and join our events.

2. Biotech Partners

We are collaborating with Biotech Partners to establish a mentorship and internship program for underrepresented first-year college students in the Bay Area to expose them to different roles in the biotech industry and provide a paid opportunity in Biotech. Established in 1993 as part of a development agreement between Bayer HealthCare and the City of Berkeley, Biotech Partners is an independent non- profit organization which focuses on helping students underrepresented in the field of biotechnology attain personal, academic, and professional development experiences through in-classroom instruction and paid internships within the biotech and health industries.

 

For information or other ways to get involved, please contact:

info@biotechconnection.org

or our VP of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion:

tobias.schmid@biotechconnectionbay.org