Most Powerful Women in Biotechnology and Healthcare

by Dr. Hsien-Hsien Lei

 

With much talk this past week that women science bloggers were not well represented in The Scientist article on favorite life science blogs, I thought it might be good to be reminded of how powerful women have become around the world. Late last month, Forbes.com (fond of making lists of the wealthy and fabulous) created a list of the world’s 100 most powerful women. Out of these, here are the women who have power in biotechnology and healthcare, not including government leaders who are obviously involved in peripheral ways.

17. Angela Braly - Chief executive, WellPoint

At the youthful age of 46, with only a few years of operational business experience, Braly has become the most powerful woman in health care. The 42,000-employee behemoth runs Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans in 14 states and its health plans have up to 60% market share.

24. Melinda Gates - Co-chairman, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

In addition to focusing on health issues and conquering AIDS, the $33.4 billion foundation Gates has run with her husband for the past 10 years began making grants in 2006 aimed at ending hunger and poverty.

32. Dr. Julie Louise Gerberding - Director, Center for Disease Control and Prevention

She runs the government agency that strives to track and control microscopic threats to the health of the U.S. population.

37. Margaret Chan, Director-general, World Health Organization

Chan has dedicated herself to minimizing epidemics before they happen by better disseminating information about diseases and outbreaks around the world.

46. Christine Poon - Vice chairman, Johnson & Johnson

Poon is responsible for managing the pharmaceutical, consumer drug and nutritional businesses of the company, in addition to overseeing its expanding R&D pipeline.

61. Susan Desmond-Hellman - President, product development, Genentech

Widely considered the most powerful woman in biotech, Desmond-Hellmann came to Genentech in 1995 after having designed the studies that got Taxol, a breakthrough chemotherapy, approved at Bristol-Myers Squibb. Within a year, Desmond-Hellmann became the company’s chief medical officer.

86. Stephanie A. Burns - Chairman, chief executive, Dow Corning

Burns rose through the ranks as a scientist at Dow Corning, becoming chief executive in February 2003. Today she oversees a company whose silicon-based technologies are inside a wide range of products, from baby wipes to highways.

Special thanks to Ms.Neda Haghayegh Jahromi