MASS AWIS is offering an opportunity to make professional connections across a variety of career paths. The ‘Join Me for Coffee’ event series gives a chance to meet with a STEM professional virtually or in-person for 1 hour. Participants will not only learn about that person’s career but also establish a new professional connection. These events are a great opportunity for participants to practice networking in an intimate setting, a skill that helps open doors to meaningful careers in STEM.
The ‘Join Me for Coffee’ event series will star panelists from across various STEM disciplines/fields. Each ‘Join Me for Coffee’ event will require interested attendees to:
- Complete an Application Form
4-6 participants* are selected for each event
*Note: Applicants are not required to be members to apply - If selected, participants MUST register and pay the registration fee.
Selected applicants who fail to complete registration on time forfeit the opportunity to participate.
To see a list of previous panelists, click here.
This event series is free to MASS AWIS members registered with National AWIS,
with paid Massachusetts chapter dues or a MASS AWIS student chapter member.
Join MASS AWIS today for access to this series and other exclusive opportunities.
Lucy Hutrya (more info)
Date: Tuesday, October 29th, 2024
Time: 6:00 – 7:00 PM EDT
Location: Cafe Landwer 900 Beacon Street Boston, MA 02115
Lorena Pantano (more info)
Date: Thursday, April 11th, 2024
Time: 5:30 – 6:30 PM EDT
Location: Flour Bakery 209 Cambridge St. Boston MA 02114
Ashley Ogawa & Indrani Mukherjee (more info)
Date: Tuessday, April 9th, 2024
Time: 5:30 – 6:30 PM EDT
Location: Flour Bakery 209 Cambridge St. Boston MA 02114
Joanne Kamens (more info)
Date: Thursday, February 8th, 2024
Time: 5:30 – 6:30 PM EDT
Location: Flour Bakery 209 Cambridge St. Boston MA 02114
Alison Burke – Medical/Scientific Illustrator at New England Journal of Medicine (more info)
Date: Wednesday, January 24th, 2024
Time: 12:00 – 1:00 PM EDT
Location: Online event
Júlia Smithing – Medical Illustrator and Animator at Trial Exhibits (more info)
Date: Tuesday, October 24th, 2023
Time: 5:30 – 6:30 PM EDT
Location: Flour Bakery at 131 Clarendon Street.
Lissette Steele – Founder and Managing Partner of Verge Scientific Communications (more info)
Date: Thursday, May 11th, 2023
Time: 5:00 – 6:00 PM EST
Location: Online event
Diana Bernstein – Vice President at Northpond Ventures (more info)
Date: Thursday, December 8th, 2022
Time: 5:00 – 6:00 PM EST
Location: North Pond Ventures 4 Brattle Street (3rd floor) Cambridge MA 02138
Application deadline: Thursday, December 8, 2022
Application fee (upon acceptance): $5 for MASS AWIS members, $10 for non-members
Rebecca Farkas – Head of the Office of Technology at the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) (more info)
Date: Tuesday, October 18, 2022
Time: 12:00 – 1:00 PM EST
Location: Online
Application deadline: Friday, September 30, 2022
Application fee (upon acceptance): Free for MASS AWIS members
Ann Ginsberg – Deputy Director at the Gates Foundation (more info)
Date: Monday, March 21, 2022
Time: 6:15 – 7:30 PM EST
Location: Online
Application deadline: Monday, March 14, 2022, at 11:55 PM EST
Application fee (upon acceptance): Free for MASS AWIS members; $5 for non-MASS AWIS members
Emy Chen –
Senior Director of Licensing and Contracts in the Belfer Office for Dana-Farber Innovations
Kate Strayer-Benton –
Senior Director of Business Development in the Belfer Office for Dana-Farber Innovations (more info)
Date: Wednesday, December 1, 2021
Time: 6:15 – 7:30 PM EST
Location: Online
Application deadline: Sunday, November 28, 2021, at 11:55 PM EST
Application fee (upon acceptance): Free for MASS AWIS members; $5 for non-MASS AWIS members
Melody Kingsley –
Epidemiologist and part of the evaluation team for the Massachusetts Tobacco Cessation and Prevention program (MTCP) at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (more info)
Date: Wednesday, November 17, 2021
Time: 6:30 – 7:30 PM EST
Location: Online
Application deadline: Tuesday, November 16, 2021, at 11:55 PM EST
Application fee (upon acceptance): Free for MASS AWIS members; $5 for non-MASS AWIS members
Daniela Vecchio – Clinical Research Scientist at Erasca
Alyson B. Smith – Principal Scientist and Scientific Manager Clinical Biomarker Innovation & Development (CBID) department at Takeda (more info)
Date: Wednesday, October 13, 2021
Time: 6:30 – 7:45 PM EST
Location: Online
Application deadline: Sunday, October 10, 2021, at 11:55 PM EST
Application fee (upon acceptance): Free for MASS AWIS members; $5 for non-MASS AWIS members
Saileta Prabhu – Vice President and Global Head of Clinical Biomarker Innovation and Development, Takeda Pharmaceuticals (more info)
Date: Thursday, September 16, 2021
Time: 6:15 – 7:30 PM EST
Location: Online
Application deadline: Sunday, September 12, 2021, at 11:59 PM EST
Application fee (upon acceptance): Free for MASS AWIS members; $5 for non-MASS AWIS members
Sumana Bhat – Molecular Biologist, Sarepta Therapeutics (more info)
Date: Thursday, April 29, 2021
Time: 6:30 – 7:30 PM EST
Location: Online
Application deadline: Wednesday, April 28, 2021, at 11:59 PM EST
Application fee (upon acceptance): Free for MASS AWIS members; $5 for non-MASS AWIS members
Silva Krause – Director Clinical Biomarkers, Vertex Pharmaceuticals (more info)
Date: Thursday, March 18, 2021
Time: 7:00 – 8:00 PM EST
Location: Online
Application deadline: Wednesday, March 17, 2021 at 11:59 PM EST
Application fee (upon acceptance): Free for MASS AWIS members; $5 for non-MASS AWIS members
Cynthia Cai – President, Tharton Consulting, Venture Partner, Viva BioInnovator, Senior Advisor, Northern Light Venture Capital (more info)
Date: Tuesday, February 23, 2021
Time: 7:00 – 8:00 PM
Location: Online
Application deadline: Monday, February 22, 2021 at 11:59 PM
Application fee (upon acceptance): Free for MASS AWIS members; $5 for non-MASS AWIS members
Tedra Cobb – President, Tedra L. Cobb & Associates (more info)
Date: Thursday, January 21, 2021
Time: 7:00 – 8:00 PM
Location: Online
Application deadline: Monday, January 18, 2021 at 11:59 PM
Application fee (upon acceptance): Free for MASS AWIS members; $5 for non-MASS AWIS members
Alicia Jackson – CEO and Founder, Evernow (more info)
Date: Thursday, November 12, 2020
Time: 7:00 – 8:00 PM
Location: Online
Application deadline: Friday, November 11, 2020 at 11:59 PM
Application fee (upon acceptance): Free for MASS AWIS members; $5 for non-MASS AWIS members
Pushpa Jayaraman – Associate Director, Immuno Oncology at Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research (NIBR) (more info)
Date: Tuesday, October 27, 2020
Time: 6:00 – 7:00 PM
Location: Online
Application deadline: Sunday, October 25, 2020 at 11:59 PM
Application fee (upon acceptance): Free for MASS AWIS members; $5 for non-MASS AWIS members
Mohini Rajasagi – Director, Oncology Translational Science and Clinical Biomarkers, Merck (more info)
Date: Tuesday, May 26, 2020
Time: 3:30 – 5:00 PM
Location: Online
Application deadline: Sunday, May 24, 2020 at 11:55 PM
Application fee (upon acceptance): Free
Lori Rudolph-Owen – Senior Vice-President, R&D Strategy and Operations, Goldfinch Bio (more info)
Date: Friday, April 17, 2020
Time: 8:00 – 9:00 AM
Location: Online
Application deadline: Monday, April 12, 2020 at 11:55 PM
Application fee (upon acceptance): $5
Lynnelle Pittet – Senior Director, Alliance and Program Managemment, Wave Life Sciences (more info)
Date: Monday, March 9, 2020
Time: 5:30 – 6:30 PM
Location: Tatte Bakery, 318 Third St, Cambridge, MA 02142
Application deadline: Monday, March 2nd, 2020 at 11:59 PM-
Application fee (upon acceptance): $5
Sarah Isabel Sheikh – Executive Director, Translational Neuroscience AND Shuchi Mittal – Scientist, Neuroscience & Imaging. Celgene (more info)
Date: Thursday, October 24, 2019
Time: 9:00 – 10:00 AM
Location: Celgene, 200 Cambridgepark Dr, Cambridge, MA 02140
Application deadline: Friday, October 18th, 2019 at 11:55 PM-Extended to Monday, October 21st, 2019 at 11:55 PM
Application fee (upon acceptance): $5
Tooba Cheema – Director of Translational Medicine and Biomarkers, Oncorus (more info)
Date: Friday, September 27, 2019
Time: 8:00 – 9:00 AM
Location: Area Four Cafe, 500 Technology Square, Cambridge, MA 02139
Application deadline: Friday, September 20th, 2019 at 11:55 PM
Application fee (upon acceptance): $5
Asa Kalavade – General Manager, Amazon Web Services (more info)
Date: Thursday, May 16, 2019
Time: 8:00 – 9:00 AM
Location: Tatte Bakery & Cafe, 125 Summer Street, Boston, MA 02110
Application deadline: Wednesday, May 1st, 2019 at 11:55 PM
Application fee (upon acceptance): $5
Lauren Celano – Co-Founder & CEO, Propel Careers (more info)
Date: Monday, April 8, 2019
Time: 8:00 – 9:00 AM
Location: Clover (KND), 5 Cambridge Center, Cambridge, MA 02139
Application deadline: Monday, April 1st, 2019 at 11:55 PM
Application fee (upon acceptance): $5
Aoife Brennan – President & CEO, Synlogic, Inc. (more info)
Date: Wednesday, February 6, 2019
Time: 7:30 – 8:30 AM
Location: Synlogic, 301 Binney St, Suite 402, Cambridge, MA 02142
Application deadline: Wednesday, January 23rd, 2019 at 11:55 PM
Application fee (upon acceptance): $5
Kathryn Crawford, PhD – CEO, PharmOcu LLC (more info)
Date: Thursday, December 13, 2018
Time: 7:30 – 8:30 AM
Location: Andala Cafe, 286 Franklin St, Cambridge, MA 02139
Application deadline: Saturday, December 8th, 2018 at 11:55 PM
Application fee (upon acceptance): $5
Deborah Sweet, PhD – Vice President of Editorial, Cell Press (more info)
Date: Monday, November 26, 2018
Time: 6:00 – 7:00 PM
Location: Area 4, 500 Technology Square, Cambridge, MA 02139
Application deadline: Saturday, November 17th, 2018 at 11:55 PM
Application fee (upon acceptance): $5
Joanne Kamens, PhD – Executive Director, Addgene (more info)
Date: Monday, September 17, 2018
Time: 7:30 – 8:30 AM
Location: Flour Bakery, 40 Erie St, Cambridge, MA 02139
Application deadline: Wednesday, September 5, 2018 at 11:55 PM
Application fee (upon acceptance): $5