When I first started at PhRMA two and a half years ago, our organization was just starting to talk about how we could increase and activate our commitment to diversity & inclusion (D&I). As senior director of talent acquisition, some of my first tasks were to build an inhouse recruiting team and develop a D&I strategy for the organization.
I knew it would be a lot of work, but I was driven by the possibilities and opportunity to make positive changes within our organization and – on a larger scale – the biopharmaceutical industry. I was bolstered by PhRMA’s track record of supporting D&I. Over the years, the company has invested in STEM programs that serve underrepresented students, proudly supported the Equality Act and have participated in other D&I events. PhRMA has also significantly increased the number of females at the executive level in recent years. In addition to these efforts, PhRMA still needed a structured D&I framework to bring all of them together with a strategy that would address the gaps.
Fast forward two years and PhRMA began to formally lay the groundwork for a more diverse and inclusive workplace. Last year, Lori Reilly became our first-ever chief operating officer, and earlier this year, Steve Ubl, PhRMA CEO, signed the CEO Action Pledge announcing our renewed commitment to D&I. Recently, the company has established a D&I Council that includes representatives from every team at PhRMA, hosted events and activities that increased racial equity awareness and celebrated different cultures and communities. We've invested in more effective recruiting tools and partnerships to increase our diversity in hiring. And this fall, we will establish PhRMA Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), a fundamental component to bringing our D&I framework directly to PhRMA employees. The role of ERGs is to champion PhRMA’s D&I priorities through hosting events and activities, providing feedback on HR policies and key business strategies and creating a collective voice around shared issues or concerns.
One of the most impactful things we've done is to begin discussing unconscious bias and systemic racism. In July, Michelle Silverthorn, CEO of Inclusion Nation, facilitated a dynamic conversation with our staff about anti-racism and how to be an effective ally. It was a difficult, emotional and necessary conversation. While we have made significant strides in creating a more diverse and inclusive workplace, the racial and social unrest ignited by the murder of Black and Brown individuals like Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd confirm that much more needs to be done for our Black and Brown communities.
As the late Martin Luther King Jr. said in his “I Have a Dream” speech, "We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now. In this unfolding conundrum of life and history, there is such a thing as being too late. This is no time for apathy or complacency… This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism… This is a time for vigorous and positive action."
As a result, D&I and equity are changes the entire organization is energized to advance and poised to enact. For instance, we're rebranding our D&I framework to incorporate equity, becoming Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I) moving forward. We've developed DE&I guidelines that PhRMA will follow and will hold more sessions like the one with Michelle to increase understanding. We will help influence the conversation and policies around diversity in clinical trials and health disparities and increase our local engagement with Black and Brown communities.
PhRMA has always been an organization known for its advocacy prowess and depth in policy and research. Now, we've included equity as another issue we're advocating. And on behalf of the millions of Black and Brown patients who take our medicines and employees who work in our industry, we see you and we stand with you.
Yolanda Hutchins
is a former Senior Director and Head of Talent Acquisition and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) at PhRMA.
Yolanda Hutchins
Recent events highlight progress on health equity
ICYMI: PhRMA’s 4th Annual Pathways to Success: Virtual STEM Career Expo
Hispanic Heritage Month: Fighting for Hispanic patients
PhRMA awards grants to 2024 Annual Pathways to Success: Virtual STEM Career Expo Partners
How government price setting fails to address systemic health care inequities
Women’s Health Month: A conversation with Sage
Championing cancer equity: Our drive for healthier AANHPI communities
New analysis: Accelerated approval pathway is changing lives in underserved communities
PhRMA provides grant funding to support the Morehouse School of Medicine Satcher Health Leadership Institute’s Health Equity Tra
New social determinants of health simulation explores structural barriers patients face accessing and affording medicines
PhRMA awards grants to 2023 Annual Pathways to Success Graduate Summit Partners
Between hope and despair: Improving cancer outcomes
PhRMA awards grant to Emerson Diversity Health Foundation
PhRMA Otorga Beca a la “Emerson Diversity Health Foundation”
Using traditional HTAs to determine coverage threatens patient access to medicine
Traditional HTAs keep diverse patients out of the conversation
Traditional HTA methods treat everyone like the “average” patient
You won’t fix what you don’t value: Two reasons why traditional cost-effective analyses can perpetuate health inequities
Potential gene therapies bring hope to patients with sickle cell disease
Stephanie Dyson of BMS on reducing health disparities
Sharing rebates can save Americans with diabetes 500 each year and improve adherence
Announcing CAREs Grant Round 4
Announcing CAREs Grant Round 4
Guest Series: PhRMA talks racial and health equity with Lauren Powell, VP US Health Equity and Community Wellness, Takeda
PhRMA awards $75,000 to fund initiatives to reduce health inequities
Watch: Building trust and enhancing clinical trial diversity
More than 800 medicines are in development for diseases that disproportionately affect racial and ethnic communities
PhRMA hosts first stakeholder workshop on clinical trial diversity
PhRMA CAREs Grant request for proposals: Addressing inequities in access to COVID-19 testing, therapeutics and vaccines
PhRMA member companies share how they are improving clinical trial diversity
Guest post: PhRMA talks racial and health equity with Stephanie Dyson, Head of Office at Biogen
Paper finds gaps in health data are a barrier to health equity
New research shows hotspots of inequity relate to increased COVID-19 hospitalizations
Increasing diversity at investigator sites could increase minority participation in clinical trials
Report highlights biopharmaceutical industry’s commitment to D&I
Strengthening a culture dedicated to patients and equity: A conversation with Percival Barretto-Ko, President of Astellas US
PhRMA CAREs Grant request for proposals: Addressing racial disparities in medication utilization and adherence
Committing to diversity, equity and inclusion: A call to action for clinical trials
Just released: PhRMA members’ new clinical trial diversity principles
ICYMI: Addressing health inequities: Biopharmaceutical companies are rising to the occasion
Guest Post: Honoring Hispanic Heritage Month by taking action on health equity
Sharing rebates can improve access to medicines and increase health equity
Three ways the pharmaceutical industry can positively impact health equity
Guest Post: Amgen Foundation stands for equal opportunities in STEM learning
Systemic racism is as real as any disease, and our industry is not immune
Guest Post: Pride started with protest: Combatting the dual pandemics of COVID-19 and racism this Pride Month
PhRMA awards $100,000 to fund projects that address health inequalities
Observing National Minority Health Month in the age of COVID-19
PhRMA will continue to advocate for equity within our industry
Health Equity
PhRMA will continue to advocate for equity within our industry
PhRMA will continue to advocate for equity within our industry