The Carolyn Green Story

Carolyn E. Green was a staunch advocate for women’s rights and a mentor for women leaders in STEM. At the height of her career, Carolyn was the Executive Director of Strategic Investments for Pfizer’s Worldwide Research and Development, where she was responsible for a strategic venture capital fund that invests in early-stage biotechnology companies aligned with Pfizer’s R&D strategy. With more than 20 years of operating and investment experience, much of Carolyn’s career was devoted to translating emerging scientific ideas into novel therapies to address unmet medical need.

I met Carolyn at a local women’s life sciences networking group, and we immediately connected. Over time we started to introduce family and friends and became good friends. She was a passionate life sciences leader and supporter of women in the life sciences, and our networks grew together over time.

We were together with some close friends the night she fell ill, and the following week we all came together to support each other and her family through the unthinkable diagnosis and loss of hope that followed. 

When we lost Carolyn, we all deeply felt the void, with her family affected most profoundly. The idea of creating something positive that could carry her name and her legacy was a small consolation that helped us to remember our love and care for her and do something positive that she would have been excited to be a part of. So, we founded the Carolyn E. Green scholarship to help young women that are pursuing post-graduate education and leadership in the life sciences, in memory of her leading voice. Carolyn Green was an inspiration and a force, an incredibly talented, loving, and intelligent woman who created a positive impact in the industry that will be felt for eternity and our grassroots efforts to give back to young women exemplifies her impact. 

The Carolyn Green Scholarship 

With this scholarship, funded by her peers, friends, and fans, Carolyn is being remembered for her tireless support of women seeking to build their leadership and executive opportunities in the life sciences industry. The scholarship supports other young women in post-graduate studies to help them develop business and leadership skills.

Specifically, scholarship funds are awarded to advance women in business-related programs at a post-graduate level, in any accredited educational institution in the world. 

To be considered, applicants submit an essay detailing their educational choices, the rationale for their interest in life sciences leadership, their prior industry experience, and leadership goals. We invite women of all backgrounds to apply, and applications open in February each year and close in May. Scholarships are renewable with an application each year, for women continuing their studies. You can learn more here. 

The Need

A growing number of women pursue post-graduate study in science and medicine. Often, they begin their career working at a laboratory or in clinical development, but the pathway to business leadership is challenging. In 2020, only 6% of biotech’s CEOs were women. Industry representation of women was just 14%. The causes can vary. One established issue is that women are not promoted to roles with P&L responsibility, a prerequisite for business leadership. The Carolyn Green Scholarship prepares awardees for P&L roles by explicitly supporting business and leadership education.

Our Why: Awardees

“I feel so grateful to Carolyn in spirit for being such a dynamic and fearless leader. She was someone whom I aspire to be like and someone I would have asked to be my mentor. I appreciate those that put the scholarship together in her name so that students like me and all of us can do better in the world. The quicker we are to crossing that finish line with our education, the stronger we’ll be at our mission in advancing equitable healthcare for large patient populations. This scholarship has helped afford me to do just that and I thank you so much!”

- Emily Williams, Key Account Manager, Pfizer Innovative Health

“I was honored to receive a scholarship in memory of Carolyn E. Green – an intelligent, inspiring, and talented leader in the life sciences community. Financial support and mentorship from the Carolyn E. Green Foundation contributed to my Master’s in Public Health at Harvard University and has supported my career dedicated to patient engagement in clinical research. Over these past two years, I’ve met several passionate and energizing colleagues who have been positively impacted by Carolyn and her legacy; I celebrate Carolyn by continuing to uplift and support women around me as they pursue leadership opportunities, advance new therapies to address unmet medical needs, and improve public health.”

- Ellyn Getz, Director, R&D Patient Partnerships, CSL Behring

Join Us! -- Presenting the 2021 Carolyn E Green Scholarship Awards at HLTH 2021

This year, in partnership with the HLTH Foundation, the Carolyn E. Green scholarship awards will be hosted at the HLTH conference in Boston, MA on Tuesday, October 19th from 6-7:30 pm ET during the Women at HLTH/ShePowers Health Awards Reception at the Omni Boston Seaport Hotel. Join us to celebrate our three scholarship winners, honor Carolyn Green, and support gender equity for women leaders in the life sciences.