Last week I was interviewed by Frankie Boyer who has a national radio show. We talked about the need for more women in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) careers. Take a listen: https://www.spreaker.com/user/biztalk/fb-05-24-2023-dr-deborah-shlian-lessons-
I wrote ‘Lessons Learned: Stories from Women Leaders in STEM’ to showcase the incredible achievements of women who have made their mark in STEM fields. I hope these stories inspire and empower the next generation of women in STEM.
That said, let me briefly showcase a woman who is a super star in STEM going strong well past age 50: Marcia McNutt, PhD. Born as far away from the ocean as one can get, Marcia ended up a world class, award winning marine geophysicist. Today she is the 22nd president of the National Academy of Sciences, having also served as editor-in-chief of the journal Science. Her leadership as Director of the U.S. Geological Survey earned her the U.S. Coast Guard’s Meritorious Service Medal for helping to contain the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. There is much more to her unique story including the fact that she was one of the 16 women who helped to change the way women scientists are treated today at MIT. Not only wife and mother, Marcia is an accomplished horsewoman who does barrel racing!
To learn more about this wonderful role model, you can order Lessons Learned: Stories from Women Leaders in STEM from the publisher (American Association for Physician Leadership by calling 800-562-8088 and ask for a 15% discount with code SHLIAN15) or from Amazon (https://lnkd.in/exqTjvhw)
This year I completed Lessons Learned: Stories from Women Leaders in STEM. In it, 31 PhDs in STEM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) share their personal stories – the obstacles faced and their successes – how they beat the odds to become leaders in their disciplines and the lessons they learned along the way.
That said, let me highlight just a few of these amazing women:
* Cecilia Aragon. At 5 foot 2, Cecilia is not only a celebrated computer scientist but also a champion aerobatic pilot. You’ll have to read how she overcame her fear of elevators!
* Recipient of 61 honorary degrees, Rita Colwell took a detour from medical school to become a world renowned environmental microbiologist. The first female Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF), Rita is recognized for her study of how the cholera bacteria spreads the disease, saving thousands of lives. She also helped to track the perpetrator of the 2001 anthrax mailings.
* France Cordova, astrophysicist, 14th Director of NSF, former president of Purdue University, former NASA chief scientist and much more, is also an experienced mountain climber. At age 75 she just made it to the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro.
* Gilda Barabino, professor of biomedical and chemical engineering is President of Olin College of Engineering. President-elect of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), Gilda was recently invited to the White House for the signing of the CHIPS and Science Act and to meet President Biden.
The women in this book are intentionally a diverse group – not only in terms of their particular areas of STEM, but also in their ethnicity, where they are in their career journeys, where they live and work.
I love this quote from American civil rights activist, Marion Wright Edelman: “you can’t be what you can’t see”. Every one of these women are visible role models and mentors. I know they will serve as an inspiration to everyone including today’s youngsters who may still be hearing the myth that “girls aren’t good in math or science”.
Over 13 reviewers have raved about the book including Sheryl Sandberg of LeanIn fame and Carolyn Bertozzi, PhD who just won the Nobel prize in chemistry. Bonnie Garmus, author of the #1 bestselling novel Lessons In Chemistry says ”Lessons Learned brings us the stories of 31 brilliant women in STEM who overcome the odds to push science forward while paving the way for women yet to come. Uplifting, informative and important,”
SO… DRUM ROLL PLEASE:
Lessons Learned: Stories from Women Leaders in STEM
Can be ordered through the publisher. WITH A 15% DISCOUNT ( use SHLIAN15 code).
The book is also available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble online.. A future Audiobook is planned.
My book profiling 33 amazing women physician leaders is being featured as “best books about women leaders! Click here to see: best books.
Tomorrow marks the 33rdanniversary of the Tiananmen massacre. For decades Hong Kong was the only place on Chinese soil where the deadly 1989 crackdown on students demanding democratic reforms could be openly discussed. However since June 2020 Beijing’s new restrictions outlawing acts aimed at “overthrowing or undermining China’s one-party rule” all demonstrations are forbidden. That means Victoria Park where June 4thvigils were held for 30 years will be closed from 11:30PM local time until the following morning. Afraid of legal reprisals, after 24 years the two-ton “Pillar of Shame” sculpture honoring the Tiananmen Square’s Goddess of Democracy has been removed from the University of Hong Kong. All reminders of what Beijing calls “the June 4thincident” have been erased – in books and on the Internet. The Chinese Ministry has refused to apologize to the families of victims of the massacre.
For the moment, my novel Rabbit in the Moon has not been banned in the USA. The backdrop of this international thriller is probably the most tumultuous seven weeks in recent Chinese history- from the start of the short-lived Student Democracy Movement in April of 1989 to its fall on June 4thin Tiananmen Square.
Last week in the middle of the night, that famous Pillar of Shame statue at the University of Hong Kong marking the Tiananmen Square massacre was removed while guards patrolled. No surprise given the fact that Beijing has increasingly been cracking down on political dissent in Hong Kong. The 8-meter (26-foot) tall statue which depicted 50 torn and twisted bodies piled on top of each other was created by Danish sculptor Jens Galschiøt to symbolize those students killed during the bloody military crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in Beijing's Tiananmen Square on June 4, 1989. For years Hong Kong has been one of few places in China that allowed public commemoration of the Tiananmen Square protests - a highly sensitive topic in the country. In fact no one born on the Mainland after 1989 has been taught about what the government calls“the June 4th incident”. The dismantling of the sculpture came days after pro-Beijing candidates scored a landslide victory in the Hong Kong legislative elections, after amendments in election laws allowed the vetting of all candidates to ensure that they are "patriots" loyal to Beijing. The removal also occurred during the same week that Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam traveled to Beijing to report on developments in the semi-autonomous Chinese city, where authorities have silenced dissent following the implementation of a sweeping national security law that appeared to target much of the pro-democracy movement following mass protests in 2019. Since Beijing implemented that law in Hong Kong, over 100 pro-democracy activists have been arrested. It outlaws secession, subversion, terrorism and foreign collusion to intervene in the city's affairs. Critics claim it rolled back freedoms promised to Hong Kong when it was handed over to China by Britain in 1997. The Pillar of Shame monument was erected over two decades ago. At first it was placed at Hong Kong's Victoria Park, but was eventually moved to the University of Hong Kong on a long-term basis. Each year on June 4, members of the now-defunct student union would wash the statue to commemorate the Tiananmen massacre. Hong Kong and Macao, were previously the only places on Chinese soil where commemoration of the Tiananmen crackdown was allowed.
“Deep Waters“, the third in the Sammy Greene series won 2 Silver Medals for the Florida Authors and Publishers Association’s President Award – one for Mystery/Suspense and one for Thriller.
Each year the Florida Authors and Publishers Association (FAPA) sponsors the FAPA President’s Book Awards, which recognizes book publishing excellence and creativity in design, content, and production for authors and publishers. This year we have opened the competition from North America only to the English-speaking world. We hope to encourage entries from all who share our complex and wonderful language.
Finalists are chosen by publishing professionals and librarians from both within and outside of Florida and are announced at the President’s Book Awards Banquet the last weekend of July.”
Exciting news: my historical thriller, Rabbit in the Moon, has been selected as one among best books on modern China’s myths, religions, politics, and culture. Check out the site. The novel is available in print, eBook and Audiobook.
My historical thriller, Rabbit in the Moon, was published almost two decades after the Tiananmen massacre on June 4, 1989. I waited to write the story of the short-lived Student Democracy Movement, hoping that with the passage of time the Chinese government might be more open to the truth of what happened there.
That was not to be. The massacre was renamed the “June 4th incident”, my book was banned on the Mainland, and as I traveled to China over the years, it became clear that the government was more determined than ever to ban any discussion of the deadly crackdown- in schools, on the street, even from the Internet.
While Mainland citizens were subject to the ban for decades, Chinese living in Hong Kong and Macau were allowed to hold yearly candlelight vigils to commemorate the anniversary. That is until last year.
Today marks 32 years since Chinese soldiers killed hundreds if not thousands of pro-democracy protesters at Tiananmen Square.
Authorities in Macau and Hong Kong have banned the vigil for the second year in a row saying it would violate local criminal laws and citing corona virus issues.
Despite last year’s ban, tens of thousands of people defied the police, knocking down barricades that had been erected around Victoria Park where citizens had been gathering each June 4th for 30 years to mark the anniversary. This year, however, police closed off Victoria Park entirely. Thousands of officers have been placed on standby to stop any attempt to hold the event.
Several pro-democracy activists have been arrested including Chow Hang Tung who is the vice chairwoman of the Hong Kong Alliance which has been organizing the annual vigils. Arrested for promoting unauthorized assembly, she continued to call on residents to commemorate the anniversary in their own ways.
“Turn on the lights wherever you are – whether on your phone, candles or electronic candles,” she posted on Facebook a day before her arrest.
This year’s anniversary is the first since a new controversial security law was approved for Hong Kong, aimed at ending the city’s pro-democracy movement and criminalizing dissent. At least 100 people have been arrested since the law was enacted in June.
Already brave students from Hong Kong University have been photographed washing a statue titled the Pillar of Shame.
What the government’s response will be remains to be seen.
Sammy Greene, investigative reporter and radio host visits Thessaloniki, Greece in Deep Waters. Thessaloniki was the home of thousands of Sephardic Jews who left Spain in the 15thcentury. They were the majority in the city until World War II, and their social and cultural influence was captured in the city’s nickname, “la madre de Israel”, mother of Israel.
Tragically, after the Nazis invaded and occupied Greece in 1941, they rounded up 54,000 Jews and sent them north to concentration and labor camps, from which only ~5000 survived. A few escaped by hiding among the Gentile community, and some were protected by Greek Orthodox clergy. Two survivors of the Nazi genocide, Mois and Sara Bourla in Northern Greece became the parents of Albert Bourla, the CEO of Pfizer, oin 1961. Known as “Akis”, Bourla shared his family’s story with Sephardic Heritage International on the occasion of International Holocaust Remembrance Day:
“Remembrance. It’s this word, perhaps more than any other, that inspired me to share my parents’ story. That’s because I recognize how fortunate I am that my parents shared their stories with me and the rest of our family.
Many Holocaust survivors never spoke to their children of the horrors they endured because it was too painful. But we talked about it a great deal in my family. Growing up in Thessaloniki, Greece, we would get together with our cousins on the weekends, and my parents, aunts and uncles would often share their stories.
They did this because they wanted us to remember. To remember all the lives that were lost. To remember what can happen when the virus of evil is allowed to spread unchecked. But, most important, to remember the value of a human life.”
The story of Bourla’s harrowing tales of his family’s tragedy and survival are quoted in Kathimerini, Greece’s premier newspaper:
Bourla and his sister grew up in Thessaloniki. An animal lover, the bright young man entered the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and graduated with a PhD in veterinary medicine. After working as a veterinarian, Bourla joined Pfizer, the mega-pharmaceutical company, in 1993, serving as a doctor of veterinary medicine and then as technical director for the company’s animal health division in Greece. Bourla went on to embrace many roles at Pfizer, including serving as Group President of Pfizer’s Global Vaccines, Oncology, and Consumer Healthcare business, helping to launch the anticoagulant Eliquis, and the breast cancer treatment drug Ibrance.
In 2020, Bourla pushed Pfizer employees for the fast development of a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine in collaboration with BioNTech of Germany. He was quoted that “financial returns should not drive any decisions” with regards to the vaccine. To have vaccine ready for shipping immediately, he launched production of the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine before the Emergency Use Authorization was approved by the FDA.
Today, Bourla and his family share homes in New York and Northern Greece. In April of 2019, Bourla was honored as the “Preeminent Greek Leader” of the global pharmaceutical industry by United States Ambassador to Greece Geoffrey R. Pyatt, at the Prix Galien Greece Awards ceremony.
In 2020, Institutional Investor ranked Bourla as America’s top CEO in the pharmaceutical industry. His company’s Pfizer vaccine is one of the three vaccines available in the US and is helping millions stay safe and healthy around the world during this horrible pandemic.
Efharisto, Dr. Bourla! And, if you’re interested, you can read more about Greek Jewry and Thessaloniki as you follow Sammy Greene into Deep Waters!
–by Linda Reid
