I learned of ISPE in 2006 in my role at Pharmatech Associates and got involved in both ISPE and Women in Pharma when I became responsible for our tradeshow presence some years later. In 2017 I attended my first Women in Pharma breakfast at the ISPE Quality Manufacturing Conference in Bethesda Maryland. The small group discussions were insightful, and I was impressed by the diverse group in attendance and encouraged to find there was something for everyone at every level. I immediately saw the value of expanding the program to the West Coast and across the country.
As a volunteer on the steering committee it is exciting to see the program expand. Reaching out to people has helped us grow the program to three chapters in California and one in Singapore. While organizing the WIP breakfast for the ISPE Biopharmaceutical Conference in Huntington Beach, California last year, I worked closely with co-workers to research topics that appeal to a wide audience and enlisted wonderful leaders who agreed to be panelists. Hearing them share their stories and recommendations changed my perspective on career success. ISPE’s Women in Pharma program brings together many impressive people who inspire us every day. It’s helped me move forward and set new goals in my own career.
Involvement in Women in Pharma can have an impact on every employee and every company. We discuss topics such as diversity, the attributes of effective leadership, and how to communicate in a multi-generational, multi-cultural workforce to foster learning, and understanding. Women in Pharma provides a safe space for that discussion and brings a positive impact on our industry.
The discussions are relevant and fascinating -- it’s the most fun I’ve had in this business in a dozen years! It’s so valuable to listen and learn from others who have successfully navigated their work lives through challenges we have in common and be inspired by their accomplishments and points of view.
The development of Women in Pharma has helped modernize our industry in a time when diversity, parity, and inclusion are essential in our workplace. I’m proud to associate with ISPE as an organization that embraces these values.
Through the ISPE Foundation Professional Development Grant program, Silas Tamufor attended the 2023 ISPE Annual Meeting & Expo in October 2023. Tamufor is a PhD student and ISPE Boston Chapter member who began serving as the ISPE Boston Educational Programs Committee Chair in December 2023. He, along with 87 other students and recent graduates, attended the conference thanks to the...
To meet the biopharmaceutical industry’s duty to manufacture safe and effective therapies for patients, a robust quality system is fundamental to success. A quality system should link to quality culture and prioritize focusing on quality, led by management, that fosters sustainable compliance and consistent production of high-quality drugs. Strong quality culture attributes include a proactive...
Stability sampling and testing are key to ensuring that products maintain safety, identity, strength, purity, and quality throughout their claimed shelf life. It is also a regulatory requirement per ICH Q5. However, storing product samples in different environmental conditions, testing those samples for three to five years (or more) after initial manufacture, and properly analyzing and...