Women & Careers in Science and Biotechnology
Tina Nova still remembers the day when her high school counselor advised her not to go on to college. She also recalls that none of her high school teachers was supportive of her interest in science. “But I always liked science. I was fascinated with the idea of being in the lab and doing experiments,” says Nova.
Fortunately, instead of listening to her guidance counselor and her teachers, Nova chose instead to listen to that little voice inside her that was saying, “I can do this.”
Today Nova is president, chief executive officer, and a director of Genoptix, Inc., the latest of four San Diego-based biotechnology companies she has co-founded over the last 17 years.
“Genoptix is developing a personalized approach to testing the therapeutic value of various drugs for use with cancer patients,” explains Nova. Currently, drugs are prescribed to cancer patients based on historical information or by trial and error. But we are taking cancer cells from patients and testing them with the drugs that the physician is recommending for treatment. We can tell for each patient whether the drugs are sensitive or resistant. By identifying sensitive and resistant drugs in the lab, our approach will get patients on the right treatment sooner and avoid their taking toxic drugs that are not effective. We plan to introduce this approach as a product in 2004.”
After high school, Nova did go on to college. She graduated with honors from UC Irvine with a B.S. in Biological Sciences. She then went on to earn her Ph.D. in biochemistry from UC Riverside, where she published in the field of protein regulation. “It wasn’t until graduate school that I had a woman scientist as a role model and mentor,” says Nova. “Her name is Jolinda Traugh; she was the department chair at the time. She had a huge influence on what I did.”
After receiving her Ph.D., Nova went to NYU medical school for her postdoctoral studies. Next came her first job–as a bench scientist with a San Diego biotech company, Hybritech, Inc., that specialized in developing diagnostic products. Says Nova, “At the time, I wasn’t really sure what ‘biotech’ meant. But when I visited the company and met everyone, I thought, ‘Wow, this looks like a great opportunity’. It turned out to be perfect for me. I was part of the prostate-specific antigen team. Our diagnostic test is one of the top prostate diagnostic tests in the country. I also worked on a heart attack marker.”
When Hybritech was purchased by Eli Lilly, Nova decided it was time to move on. She became part of the founding team for Ligand Pharmaceuticals. At Ligand, Nova started making the transition to the business side. “I found that I was good at explaining science to non-scientists,” notes Nova. “That’s how it began. I never took a business course in college. Back then, there was no mixing. If you were a biochemist, you were a biochemist. I learned the business by talking to people and by doing.”
During her four years as Ligand’s executive director, the company grew and eventually Nova realized it was again time for a change. By now, she had a reputation for succeeding and venture capitalists started approaching her.
She next helped launch Selective Genetics, where she served as the company’s vice president and chief operating officer. Two years later, Nova was part of a group that formed Nanogen. She held the offices of president, chief operating officer and board member for seven years, until Nanogen went public.
“I have always been someone,” recalls Nova, “who wanted to do things that appeared to be a challenge, that women were not doing. When I saw that women weren’t in science, and when I saw that women weren’t CEOs, I said to myself, ‘OK, I want to take this on’. And I’ve always been very close to the science. It’s still a big part of my day, a big part of my life. That’s one reason I stay with smaller companies.”
Nova acknowledges that when starting out in biotechnology, as a woman, she felt the need to prove herself to her male counterparts. She credits having a Ph.D. as one key to being accepted at the highest levels. She adds, “Once they know that you know what you’re talking about, and will work hard and dedicate yourself, you move yourself into a different position. After graduate school, most of my role models were men because there weren’t any women. It was men who really supported me and helped me achieve what I wanted to achieve.”
Today, there are still only a handful of women heading up biotech companies. “I’ve been doing this for 20 years,” says Nova, “and unfortunately, the situation hasn’t changed. It’s still very, very difficult for women to reach these levels.” Nova suggests that one possible explanation for the lack of women running companies is that being an entrepreneur and running your own company is not a 9—5 job; that, in fact, it never stops. For many women who still handle the majority of family demands, running a company is not an easy commitment to make.
Nova devotes much of her time to talking with students, individually and in groups. “I like to tell my story. I tell them what I’ve been through–the key decisions I made along the way that I think are still relevant. For example, how do you make a decision to join a company? Why would you select a large company versus a small one? What are the advantages? The disadvantages? How do you know when it’s time to make a change? I hope listening to my experiences helps them as they figure out where they belong so they don’t have to learn these things by the seat of the pants, the way I did.”
What are some of the key pointers that Nova likes to pass on to the current generation of future scientists? For one thing, she believes that the sooner you figure out where you might best fit in, the better because then you can start gauging your education in that direction. “If you think you want to be in academic research, or you think you want to work in a biotech company, or you think you’d eventually like to go into business, the sooner you can test out these possibilities the better,” says Nova. Ways of doing this include interning in a biotech company, taking lab courses as early as possible, taking some business classes, and talking to people, like Nova, who are succeeding in areas a student is considering. “Fortunately, universities are now exposing students to these options, and earlier in their education. We thought that academics was our only choice,” says Nova. “Now students know that there are multiple choices.”
Nova believes working in labs is crucial. “I had a lot of lab experience as an undergrad because I went out and found it. I made it part of what I needed to do. I’d go to a lab and offer to be the dishwasher, a job no one else wanted. So I got in the door. Then I’d see someone pipetting and ask if I can try it. Next thing I know I’m running experiments. I created opportunities for myself by seeing what I could get people to let me do and then by jumping in with a lot of energy and enthusiasm.”
Nova also thinks that communication skills are vital to success no matter what path a student decides to follow. “Public speaking, writing grant proposals–being able to communicate what you’re doing so that people understand it and get excited about it–I think are key to success, and I think these skills are still being under-emphasized in most science programs.”
“You have to be a little entrepreneur,” continues Nova. “It never stops. You have to look for opportunities. You have to find that edge. There are so many students who want to do what you want to do. How do you stand out? How do you get that job in the lab? Do you know how many applications I get for summer internships?—a zillion. What makes me pick one person over another? It’s the ‘get up and go’ factor. It’s the pushing–‘I want to come in and see you. I really want to do this. I really want this opportunity’–That’s what makes the difference.”
“Finally,” says Nova, “don’t let anyone or anything stand in your way–including yourself. I’ve talked to women who say, ‘I really want to be a scientist but I’m having trouble with calculus so I’m not going to pursue it.’ And guess what, in the end it doesn’t matter if you had trouble with calculus. You can still do what you want to do. I find that one course will often discourage women. Don’t let that get in your way.”
More information on Genoptix, Inc.
From BioSphere Magazine, Winter 2003/2004 issue, page 12.