Dr. John Gleeson

Dr. John Gleason

Senior Scientist, Biopharmaceutics, Pharmaceutical Sciences and Clinical Supply

Merck & Co.

Abstract

Body diversity in STEM - Talking about the fat elephant in the room

TED-style talks within Merck’s Development Sciences and Clinical Supplies (DSCS) organization have enabled diverse cohorts of colleagues to share their personal stories and perspectives. They represent one of the three key pillars we have identified to develop a sustainable Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion culture in DSCS, that is: Retain and foster an inclusive workforce through building a growth mindset at all levels of the organization. Dr. Gleeson’s TED-style talk “Body diversity in STEM - Talking about the fat elephant in the room” discusses his journey in academia and industry as a scientist who doesn’t fit the preconceived notion of a professional scientist. During this session the goal is to step into discomfort and address the unconscious biases present in STEM to allow us to build more diverse and inclusive teams where belonging is the foundation.

Dr. John Gleeson

Dr. John Gleeson is a Senior Scientist in Biopharmaceutics at Merck & Co., Inc., where he supports the development of oral drug formulations and leads research in predictive in vitro intestinal absorption models. Dr. Gleeson earned his PhD from University College Dublin under Prof David Brayden in Pharmaceutics and carried out Postdoctoral research at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, and Carnegie Mellon University under Prof Kathryn Whitehead. Dr. Gleeson has authored/co-authored 20 research articles, and co-leads the Inclusion team in Pharmaceutical Sciences and Clinical Supply at Merck.

View the full lectureship schedule