Why mentorship matters

25-01-2022

Muireann Bolger

Why mentorship matters

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Effective support and guidance can achieve greater diversity in life sciences, say general counsel from Bristol Myers Squibb, AstraZeneca, The Chemours Company and Eli Lilly.

The gender gap and lack of diversity in the life sciences continues to be a sore point. Only 30% of the world’s scientific researchers are women, according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

The picture in IP is equally dismal. Overall, women make up just over a fifth of registered attorneys and agents and ethnic minorities comprise 6.5%, according to 2020 research carried out by the American Bar Association.

The association notes that there are more patent attorneys and agents named “Michael” in the US than there are racially diverse women in those roles. Currently, only 1.7% of all registered patent attorneys and agents are racially diverse women.


Mentorship, D&I, Bristol Myers Squibb, AstraZeneca, The Chemours Company, Eli Lilly, UN, American Bar Association, minorities, racial equality, gender gap

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