UCB congratulates Brittany Blair, Head of Patient Strategy and Solutions, Immunology and Lauren Drowley, Head of Element Genomics, for their recognition by the Healthcare Businesswomen's Association (HBA) as 2023 Rising Stars.

As a Corporate Partner of HBA, UCB nominates two individuals annually who are Rising Stars or Luminaries (20+ years in the industry) and contribute significantly to our organization. These nominees 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 are honored to have women leaders like Brittany and Lauren, who are industry trailblazers and enrich our environment with unique perspectives and experiences. We applaud them both and the other awardees for their well-deserved recognition!

About Brittany

Brittany joined UCB in 2020 to lead US Immunology Patient Strategy, setting a vision to connect the disparate moments across the patient journey, inclusive of disease education to patient activation through Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) to personalized patient support that will generate better outcomes. Prior to UCB, she spent six years at GSK in various commercial roles, primarily focused on US DTC and HCP marketing to deliver growth for the flagship $10B Respiratory franchise. During this time, she gained experience leading across a portfolio of seven assets at various points of the lifecycle. Prior to joining GSK, she held agency leader roles at GroupM and Omnicom Media Group, designing DTC strategies and media buys for US pharmaceutical and consumer healthcare brands. 

Outside of UCB, Brittany lives in Raleigh, NC with her husband Matt and their two children Marilyn (9) and Hudson (5).  She enjoys practicing yoga and traveling with friends and family. 

“I am honored to receive this recognition and even more honored to have the privilege of working with such a dedicated group of individuals at UCB to support patients,” said Brittany. 

About Lauren

Lauren joined UCB in Belgium in 2017 as the Associate Director of Molecular Genetics, where she drove functional validation activities for targets emerging from the genetics strategy across all therapeutic areas of interest. Prior to UCB, Lauren was with AstraZeneca in several roles, starting as a postdoc in the UK, transitioning to an Associate Principal Scientist in the Cardiovascular and Metabolic Disease group, and becoming a project leader of early portfolio programs while gaining some experience as a clinical scientist in the Early Clinical Development group. She received her PhD from University of Pittsburgh focused on stem cell transplantation for myocardial infarct repair and has an undergraduate degree in biomedical engineering from Northwestern University.  

In her current role at UCB, she is responsible for leading efforts in the biology area of genomic instability, including strategy development, identification, and validation of new targets, and supporting projects in the portfolio.  

“I am so honored to be nominated as a Rising Star by UCB, and truly appreciate all the support and recognition I have received along the way,” state Lauren. “I feel privileged to be a part of such an eminent group of women.”

HBA will host the Woman of the Year Event in New York City on Tuesday, May 16, where Rising Stars and Luminaries will be recognized and the achievements of remarkable leaders in the healthcare industry will be celebrated.

Congratulations again to Brittany and Lauren – 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 creating value for people living with severe diseases.