OUR PURPOSE PIONEERING SCIENCE REPORTING 112 BIOGEN FOUNDATION: 2021 HIGHLIGHTS BIOGEN 2021 YEAR IN REVIEW PATIENTS OUR PEOPLE ENVIRONMENT COMMUNITY FEATURE Biogen’s commitment to diversifying the neurology field with Massachusetts General Hospital and Duke University School of Medicine The Duke Summer Training in Academic Research class of 2021 received innovative neuroscience education and mentoring to further their career aspirations. Photo used with permission from the Duke University School of Medicine. Dr. Kate Dawson, Head of Therapeutics Development Unit and Chair of the Biogen Foundation, leads a virtual discussion with the students of the MGH Youth Neurology Education and Research Program. Photo used with permission from the MGH Youth Neurology Education and Research Program. The MGH Youth Neurology Education and Research Program supported me by providing opportunities to dive deeper and experience the field of research. I am grateful to be part of this community.” Hridhi Islam 2021 MGH Youth Neurology Education and Research Program Intern, University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth Class of 2022, incoming student in the Biomedical Engineering Ph.D. Program at the University of Rochester As part of its DE&I strategy, Biogen aims to foster a diverse pathway of STEM talent, and the Biogen Foundation has collaborated with Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and Duke University School of Medicine to advance that vision in the neurology field. With MGH, the Biogen Foundation jointly developed the first-of-its-kind MGH Youth Neurology Education and Research Program in 2020, which has employed 60 Boston-area students to date and engaged nearly 500 students worldwide in didactic sessions with leading neurologists and neuroscientists at MGH. The 2021 student group came from varied backgrounds and were paired with neurology mentors from an assortment of research disciplines. Throughout the summer, students collected, analyzed, and interpreted scientific data and participated in online fora on career development, innovation, and leadership skills. As a result, student interest in pursuing neurology or neuroscience careers increased from 54% to 100% over the 7-week program. In summer 2021, Biogen expanded on this model with Duke University School of Medicine. Twenty students in the Summer Training in Academic Research (STAR) program, which emphasizes training underrepresented high school and college students from historically Black colleges and universities, participated in a neuroscience curriculum on topics including the dopaminergic system and motivation and the biology of sex and gender identity. Following the program, a subset of the students was selected to receive ongoing mentoring in neuroscience research. According to the organizers of both neurology programs, the Biogen Foundation has been instrumental in furthering programmatic innovation. “The thing that I love most about the Biogen Foundation is that not only are they passionate about engaging with the community, they’re passionate about advancing equity,” says Nicte Mejia, MGH Youth Neurology Education and Research Program Director. Adds Nancy Zucker, one of the organizers of the Duke STAR program, “It was clear from our interactions that Biogen is committed to helping to build a sustainable workforce of practitioners that are cared for while they are caring for others.” Þ LEARN MORE ABOUT WAYS BIOGEN IS HELPING BUILD A DIVERSE TALENT PATHWAY