“As a girl growing up in Bolivia, I always loved science. Later on, as I was starting my career in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math), I was fortunate to experience how strong mentorship, curiosity, and collaboration can inspire scientists to make the world a better place. Now, I get all of this at Bristol Myers Squibb.”
Says Claudia Generaux, PhD, a Bristol Myers Squibb pharmaceutical scientist who works across drug discovery teams with the aim of finding new medicines to benefit patients. Her work is wide-ranging: She designs pharmacokinetic studies, leads collaborations with internal and external partners for scientific research projects, and authors scientific documents in preparation for Investigational New Drug (IND) submissions with the FDA.
STEM Focused, Collaboration Centric
It’s an exciting time for professional advancement in STEM careers here at Bristol Myers Squibb, where opportunities are varied and encouraged.
While Claudia finds her work fulfilling, she thrives on the people and the collaborative culture, where she’s been able to reach across teams to accomplish common goals “When I decided to join BMS, I was drawn to the extensive talent of the scientific team. BMS has given me the ability to work on teams with biologists, chemists, toxicologists, and others, all while contributing to a great patient-centric mission.”
Inspiring Future STEM Scientists and Leaders
Beyond the science, the Bristol Myers Squibb culture helps Claudia inspire others to take a similar path. Our People & Business Resource Groups (PBRG) foster a culture of inclusion, and provide employees with opportunities to contribute to the communities in which we work and live. Claudia is a leader in the Organization for Latino Achievement (OLA) PBRG – through which she is also involved with HISPA (Hispanics Inspiring Students’ Performance and Achievement), a non-profit that mobilizes Hispanic professionals to eradicate one key reason why many youth do not pursue education: a lack of role models.
At HISPA events, Claudia shares her journey with Hispanic middle-schoolers, many of whom are not aware of the many opportunities in STEM careers. “I became interested in the sciences because of role models, so when I speak to these young students, many of whom come from immigrant families, they discover a new world that is open to them. It’s an eye-opening experience. Only three percent of Hispanic students move into advanced STEM careers, so there is a lot of potential and untapped talent. With groups like OLA and HISPA, I am able to expose more kids to the sciences and to role models.”
PBRGs like OLA work across three foundational pillars – giving back, fostering networking skills, and professional advancement – while providing a platform to practice and grow leadership skills. OLA is just one of eight PBRGs that members of the BMS workforce can join. Others include:
• B-NOW (Bristol Myers Squibb Network of Women)
• BOLD (Black Organization for Leadership and Development)
• CLIMB (Cultivating Leadership and Innovation for Millennials and Beyond)
• DAWN (Differently-Abled Workplace Network)
• PRIDE Alliance
• PAN (Pan Asian Network)
• VCN (Veterans Community Network)
As Claudia explains: “Both scientifically and within the company’s community, BMS helps all of us develop as people and professionals, which in turn helps us give back to the community.”
Note:
In March 2021, Claudia transitioned from Drug Discovery where she was a Principal Scientist in the Pharmaceutical Candidate Optimization group to the Strategy and Business Development group, where she is an Associate Director supporting Search and Evaluation of external innovations for the cardiovascular and neuroscience therapeutic areas.
