A year and a half later, when my manager suggested I apply for a six-month assignment in Lisbon to help with virology sales and marketing, I was apprehensive but inspired by her support and decided to accept the role. I am proud of the work we accomplished; we believed in ourselves as a team and I was deeply touched by how everyone made an effort to include me by holding all meetings in English. 

As my career progressed with roles in sales, market access and with the BMS Foundation, I became more aware of the importance of inclusion and belonging for women. Gender biases and stereotypes have the potential to hinder some women from applying for certain positions and I was pleased when offered the role of B-NOW Chapter Lead in France in May of 2019 so that we could address some of these issues.