After a long day that started at 5am, I made my way to the airport to catch an 11pm flight back home. As I waited to board the plane, I clicked on Alison Levine’s TED talk and, WOW, did it speak to me! Alison served as team captain for the…

Recently, I was accepted into the Forbes Business Council, which I consider a significant achievement and an opportunity to grow as a professional and entrepreneur. The Council is renowned as an invite-only group that brings together business leaders to share their experiences with one another and help encourage networking and…

I’ve been thinking a lot about what it means to parent children in this unique time that we’re in, especially in households like mine where both parents work. It takes a lot of communication, determination, and negotiation to be able to maneuver things into a manageable workflow that supports healthy…

Many people have asked me how I was able to have two children, while at the same time and in just six years of launching my biotech company, I raised capital to the tune of over $400 million. By this time, our company had developed therapeutical candidates for Parkinson’s and…

Leen Kawas/ Photo courtesy of Athira Pharma Following her as CEO of Athira Pharma, Leen Kawas has found a new home, co-founding Los Angeles-based Propel Bio Partners, an equity investment firm focused on helping other life sciences companies advance their own therapies and technologies. In its announcement this morning, Propel…

Juggling motherhood and a successful career is difficult. Just ask Dr. Leen Kawas, an innovator and leader in pharmaceutical biotech, and the mother of two children. “Motherhood is not easy. Being a parent is not easy, and having a professional life is not easy,” says Dr. Kawas. While it’s difficult…

Each drug that doctors prescribe to patients goes through a lengthy process before gaining approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and becoming available for patient use. On average, the process of creating a concept for a new drug for FDA approval takes 12 to 15 years. Discovery is…

This profile of Dr. Leen Kawas outlines her determination to see women rise in careers and business. Across many industries, we see women with talent and drive who aren’t given the same opportunities for advancement as their male peers. What can be done to prevent this in our evolving modern…

Dr. Leen Kawas, an inventor, leader, and entrepreneur, shared her insights in improving clinical trial and clinical study result applications. She is a pharmacist who has clinical experience, as well as managerial experience. This unique position provides her with insight into just how disconnected the scientific, patient-related, operation, and medical…