Congratulations to Andrea Loewendorf – Head, Market Access and Innovation Strategy, Neurology and Jessica Williamson, PhD – Protein Production Lead for their recognition as a Healthcare Businesswomen's Association (HBA) Rising Stars for 2020!

Annually, the HBA honors professionals in the healthcare industry representing various career stages and disciplines, who have demonstrated noteworthy achievements and proven attention to furthering their careers. As a Corporate Partner of HBA, each year, UCB, nominates Rising Stars who contributes significantly to our organization and exemplify what it means to be a leader, a team player, and a role model for others, as well as dedication to the healthcare industry.

We applaud Andrea, Jess, and the other UCB finalists on their well-deserved recognition!

About Andrea – Andrea Loewendorf, Head of U.S. Neurology Market Access and Innovation Strategy, has been with UCB for 8 years and leads a team responsible for the U.S. Market Access and Pricing strategies for neurology and rare disease products. Prior to this role, Andrea was the Global Commercial Lead on the bone team, responsible for the brand strategy and launch preparation from the initiation of Phase 3 pivotal trials through launch in U.S., Japan and Europe. Andrea is also a dedicated mentor to a diverse group of up-and-coming leaders and a member of UCB’s Women in Leadership (WiL) employee resource group. She is a former co-chair of the WiL Steering Committee which organizes, which leads activities for the nearly 200 field and home-office members in the US. Prior to joining UCB, Andrea was at Merck and The Lewin Group. Andrea holds a masters in business administration from the Duke University Fuqua School of Business. When she’s not at work, she loves traveling, adventuring in the Colorado mountains, and occasionally races sprint distance triathlons and road races.

When asked about current industry trends, Andrea shared, “I think we’re at the tipping point of being able to apply AI for better decision-making in a lot of different areas, yet I can see that we’re stumbling over how to reorganize our business practices to enable this. I love a problem where we are challenged to rethink our traditional approaches.”

About Jessica – Jessica Williamson, PhD, Protein Production Lead, has been with UCB for 5 years, starting as a Research Scientist in Protein Purification. She now oversees the Protein Expression and Purification team at UCB’s labs in Bedford, Massachusetts. Her role includes managing production resources, advising project teams on protein production, and mentoring a team of scientists. Her background is in protein biophysics and biochemistry. She completed her PhD at Yale University in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, characterizing the structure and assembly of an amyloid protein using NMR spectroscopy and complementary biophysical techniques. As a postdoc at Harvard University, Jess studied membrane protein structure and behavior, also using NMR spectroscopy. This background in challenging protein systems has provided a helpful perspective in managing the multiple types of protein classes her team researches and produces. In addition to her role as Protein Production Lead, Jess is engaged in UCB’s initiatives for Diversity & Inclusion, Women in Leadership and environmental sustainability practices. When she’s not at work, she enjoys cycling, hiking, puzzles and games, and vegetarian cooking.

When asked what she does to be successful at work, Jess shared, “I network with others in my field and ask how others structure their workflow and tackle challenges. Protein production is a part of most pharmaceutical research, and I am open to news ways of doing our work that is more efficient and engaging for my team and moves potential therapies through the pipeline faster.”

Congratulations again to our HBA Rising Stars – we’re proud to honor you and are grateful for the important roles you both play in the lives of those at UCB and in the lives of patients. Check out the April edition of PharmaVOICE magazine to see Andrea and Jess featured in an article about the 2020 HBA Rising Stars and Luminaries.