D.C. Needs Scientists and They Are Hiring!

By Sesquile Ramon, Ph.D., Director, Science and Regulatory Affairs at Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO)

Outside of Washington D.C., lobbying and advocacy can often be misperceived. But what if I told you these professions are helping bring personalized medicines to patients, preventing the spread of disease across the world, and even advancing the uptake of renewable energy in our power grid?

Advocating and lobbying for science will bring you to the convergence of scientific discoveries, politics, and societal discourse. Imagine being in D.C. in the early 2000s, during George W. Bush’s administration, fighting to prevent federal restrictions on stem cell research, which slowed scientific progress in the field by more than a decade? Now imagine working in D.C. today, helping to develop forward-leaning policies to promote vaccination across all 50 states, or to fight the opioid epidemic, saving peoples’ lives, and advancing the science of pain and addiction.

With an advanced science degree in hand, you are perfectly qualified to come to D.C. and promote science-based policies that address the most pressing issues for our country. Whether you want to work for a regulatory agency like the Food and Drug Administration (FDA); a non-profit like the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; a think-tank; a law firm; a pharmaceutical organization; or any other stakeholder group, you will be able to leverage your scientific knowledge to advance science. 

After completing my post-doc, I decided to apply my scientific training in a transdisciplinary way to promote science-based policies. While in D.C., I have had the opportunity to work with the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and now representing the biotechnology industry with BIO. Although this path might seem novel in contrast to the academic trajectory, it is a well-trodden path by experts from many scientific fields who continue to translate science into policy.  

Learn more by joining me Thursday, May 16 in the Center for Experiential Learning (2-7536) from 11:00 – noon. If you’d like to also join me for a noon – 1:00 p.m. lunch, please RSVP to jennifer_brennan@urmc.rochester.edu.

Tracey Baas | 5/15/2019