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Shawna Williams

Shawna Williams

Contract Editor

Shawna is an editor and writer with a background in covering the life sciences. Previously, she was an editor at The Scientist from 2017 through 2022, where she served as news director for the last year and a half of her tenure. She has also worked as a freelance editor and writer and in the communications offices of several academic research institutions, and is a member of the National Association of Science Writers and the Association of Health Care Journalists. She is based in New York City, where she enjoys exploring the city’s restaurants, studying tae kwon do, and taking her kids to the library. She can be reached at shawna.williams@biospace.com. Learn more about her work at shawnawilliams.com.

illustration of lymphocytes
CAR T
CAR T and Related Therapies Home In on Autoimmune Disease
Multiple players are exploring whether modalities designed to combat B cell malignancies can be repurposed against lupus, myasthenia gravis and other conditions traced to misdirected immune response.
November 4, 2024
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9 min read
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Shawna Williams
Pictured: Collage of vascular system and heart/Tay
Drug Development
Wegovy Cardiovascular Approval Furthers March into New Indications
The recent FDA decision will likely mean more Medicare patients gain access to the blockbuster weight loss drug, experts say. Meanwhile, results continue to roll in for GLP-1 agonists for conditions beyond diabetes and obesity.
March 20, 2024
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6 min read
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Shawna Williams
Pictured: A physician stands with a family against
Turning to Patients to Help Drive Rare Disease Drug Development
Patient advocacy groups aided in the development of the very first marketed drugs for certain rare diseases, including progeria and Friedreich’s ataxia.
February 22, 2024
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9 min read
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Shawna Williams
Pictured: J&J sign and office in Ontario/i
Policy
J&J Lawsuit Asserts Employer Liability for High Drug Costs
A proposed class-action lawsuit accuses Johnson & Johnson of failing to negotiate fair prescription drug prices for its employees, but experts note that the company is also on the hook for benefits costs.
February 7, 2024
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3 min read
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Shawna Williams
Pictured: Screen of a 1980s-style computer showing
Biotech Beach
Then and Now: What’s Changed—and What Hasn’t—in Some Early Biopharma Hotbeds
People who worked in the industry around the time that BioSpace launched its Hotbeds Maps—including Marc Goldberg, a MassBio co-founder, and Biocom leader Joe Panetta—spoke with us about their experiences.
January 17, 2024
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7 min read
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Shawna Williams
Pictured: Illustration of gloved hands using tools
Could Treatments for HIV and Sickle Cell Open the Gene Therapy Floodgates?
The Gates Foundation and some biotechs are betting that the technology could be deployed at scale.
January 16, 2024
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5 min read
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Shawna Williams
Stacks of coins on top of block towers of various
Policy
How Drug Prices Differ in the U.S. Versus Other Countries
The United States’ relatively high costs have become a political issue on both sides of the aisle. Here’s how international pharmaceutical prices stack up.
November 28, 2023
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3 min read
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Shawna Williams
Pictured: Facade of Moderna's building in Massachusetts
Business
What Makes a Company a Great Place to Work? Moderna and Tessera Share Their Insights
BioSpace spoke with representatives of the two top-place finishers in our Best Places to Work list about their approaches to fostering an engaging workplace.
November 3, 2023
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2 min read
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Shawna Williams
An employee working on screens at GSK’s AI Hub in
Job Trends
GSK Seeks Talent to Boost Data Science Capabilities
The pharmaceutical giant aims to hire another 50 people by the end of this year to work on a new platform dedicated to harnessing data and AI insights in drug discovery.
October 4, 2023
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2 min read
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Shawna Williams
Pictured: A man and a woman shaking hands/iStock,
Biopharma Hires Expect More Than They Did Before the Pandemic
Employers in the industry find they need to offer perks such as higher pay, more impressive job titles and hybrid or remote work to stay competitive.
August 8, 2023
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2 min read
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Shawna Williams
Pictured: A row of uniformed soldiers saluting/iSt
The Military-Biopharma Pipeline: How Service Can Prepare You for Industry Work
Both public and private programs aim to help veterans apply their skills in the biotech and pharmaceutical sector.
August 1, 2023
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3 min read
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Shawna Williams
Pictured: Graduation cap on $100 bills/iStock, Bri
Policy
What Does the End of the Student Loan Pause Mean for Biopharma Workers?
For over three years, no interest has accrued on federal student loans and no payments were required. Soon, mandatory payments will resume, leaving workers with less money in the bank.
July 13, 2023
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2 min read
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Shawna Williams
Pictured: Photograph of a server room/iStock, Jiaw
Biopharma Confronts a Rising Tide of Ransomware Attacks
The industry, seen as a lucrative target, has been victim of more and more cybersecurity breaches since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
June 13, 2023
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4 min read
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Shawna Williams
Pictured: Scientist working in a lab/angelp/iStock
A Guide to Becoming a Clinical Laboratory Technician
Clinical lab techs are in high demand in healthcare, pharma and biotech. Here’s a look at what they do, career advancement opportunities within the role and the training required to become one.
May 9, 2023
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4 min read
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Shawna Williams
Pictured: A collage of different disabilities/Makk
Employer Resources
Understanding Your Rights: A Guide to Requesting Disability Accommodations at Work
When a person notifies their employer that they have a disability, the company must make a good-faith effort to adjust to enable the employee to continue in their job.
April 19, 2023
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3 min read
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Shawna Williams
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