Reflections on Thanksgiving: Lessons in gratitude, honesty, and the commitment to future progress for BioPharma.
Thanksgiving Day has passed but Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday are now upon us as extensions of the Thanksgiving holiday. As we continue with the holiday buzz over the next few days, it’s a good time to reflect on what we’re grateful for, but on the complex history behind this holiday season.
While Thanksgiving often symbolizes gratitude and togetherness, we must be upfront and honest about its past and have a willingness to discuss how the holiday itself is rooted in a darker history based on colonization and the displacement of Indigenous peoples. Navigating through the duality of this holiday means acknowledging this truth and this doesn’t detract from the holiday’s spirit but deepens its meaning, reminds us of the importance of thoughtful reflection, and makes room for engagement that paves the way for long-term healing in society.
This same balance, celebrating progress while actively confronting hard truths, applies to the work we do in BioPharma. For instance, the biopharmaceutical industry, like many fields of science and medicine, have made significant contributions and achieved incredible breakthroughs towards the advancement of public health and continue to do so.
But, we must also address historical and current inequities in healthcare access, systemic barriers to progress, and ethical complexities of innovation such as the inhumane practices which disregarded the lives of African Americans and other disproportionately marginalized communities. These actions include:
Historical exploitation in pharmaceutical research – disproportionate use of African Americans in drug trials without informed consent.
Inhumane medical treatments and experiments (e.g., the Tuskegee Syphilis Study and the James Marion Sims Gynecological Experiments).
Non-consenting, forced sterilizations targeting African American women under the guise of the early 1900s Eugenics Movement and again during the 1970s.
The use of Black Bodies for anatomical studies in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Exploitation of Black Labor in unsafe conditions for the production of vaccines in industrial biotech during the enslavement era of 1600-1865.
The creation of the first immortalized cell line from cells taken from Henrietta Lacks – creating the HeLa Cell Line.
Unfortunately, this is not an exhaustive list and a comprehensive report would expand well beyond the limitations of this post. This will be room for additional discussion and posts later, but, in the meantime, I encourage you to take time to look some of this up. These unethical actions and many more were stepping stones instrumental in propelling the industry to where it is today.
Now, looking back on Thanksgiving, here are some reflections and lessons that resonate for both life and work:
Bioethics is Important: I believe this is the foundation for lasting change in the industry and society and it must be integrated into the very fabric of how biopharmaceutical companies strategically plan and operate. This keeps the difficult and often unwanted conversations at the forefront while acknowledging this is what it takes to continue moving forward in a way that proactively addresses and prevents unethical issues. Learn from your history unless you are doomed to repeat it.
Collaboration Matters: Coming together to solve challenges can be discomforting and is often never simple, but it’s crucial for meaningful impact. When the scientific community commits to genuine connection, amazing things happen. Creating positive change which benefits the whole of society is what we are here for. Let’s make this commitment and stick to it.
Honest Reflection Leads to Growth: Acknowledging and committing to not repeat the blight of our past (as a society and as an industry) helps us create a better future. Being honest about where and how the scientific, health, and medical industries started, then progressed followed by a commitment of prevention is the only way we will see this to fruition.
Gratitude is Transformative: A culture of gratitude strengthens relationships, fuels innovation, and reminds us why we do what we do. This is how we remain proactive and keep ourselves and each other accountable to that regard.
I speak for myself when stating that the biopharmaceutical industry is life-changing. After seeing and being part of the work done in collaboration with so many labs, I also believe the work we do today at every level is incredible and life-changing for society at large. I also believe many others have the same perception. As we return to work and close out the year, let’s bring these lessons into our labs, teams, and partnerships and commit to incorporating bioethics at a greater scale in your processes.
What reflections from Thanksgiving are guiding you as you look ahead?